Silver vessels - clepsydras from the Maykop kurgan

Abstract

The article examines silver vessels from the excavations of the Maykop kurgan, analyzes the images on them, their sizes and shapes, and also provides calculations of the volume of one of the vessels. The article briefly describes the parameters and characteristics of the supposed clepsydras discovered earlier in the Northern Black Sea region and compares the parameters of Maykop silver vessels with them. Based on the results of calculations and comparison of the volume of these vessels, it is concluded that the technology of measuring time using water clocks was introduced to the Northern Black Sea region from Mesopotamia by representatives of the Maykop culture and existed as a stable tradition in this region until the Late Bronze Age.

Keywords

• clepsydra
• water clock
• silver vessels
• maykop culture
• kurgan
• volume
• standard
• bronze age
• northern black sea region