Thymiaterion (Incense Burner)

 

Green-Glazed Terracotta, H. 31.8 cm, W. 23.3 cm, D. 13.9 cm. From the Cistern at the Temple of Atargatis, Dura-Europos, mid-2nd–mid-3rd century CE. Yale University Art Gallery, Yale-French Excavations at Dura-Europos: 1938.4966.

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Green-Glazed Terracotta, H. 31.8 cm, W. 23.3 cm, D. 13.9 cm
From the Cistern at the Temple of Atargatis, Dura-Europos, mid-2nd–mid-3rd century CE
Yale University Art Gallery, Yale-French Excavations at Dura-Europos: 1938.4966
Photography © 2011 Yale University Art Gallery

Thymiateria were used as incense altars both in temples and in homes throughout the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. The green-glazed ceramic of this example was common at Dura-Europos in the Parthian period and perhaps intended to mimic patinated bronze. Found in the Temple of Atargatis, it depicts a group of deer, the goddess’s sacred animal.