Archaeological Museum Frankfurt & East Bohemia Museum in Pardubice
The unique find of a bronze bucket (height 69 cm, maximum width 60 cm, base diameter 29.5 cm, maximum volume of the vessel ca. 145 litres) from Kladina in the District of Pardubice significantly changed the picture of the Final Bronze Age in East Bohemia. The bronze vessel adorned with lavish hammered decoration with the motifs of solar barques pulled by water birds/swans represents the only vessel of this type in the Czech Republic. The extraordinary find is an evidence for communication and rituals of elites in the Final Bronze Age. As a result of an interdisciplinary cooperation, the researchers from prominent Bohemian and Moravian archaeological and natural scientific institutions identified herbal millet beer/porridge inside the vessel. This finding indicates that the vessel was used as an offering – an object of religious practices which may have been associated with drinking rituals. The exhibition visitors will get an insight into the mysteries of the bronze vessel mentioned, they will have the possibility to admire its unique beauty and will get acquainted with scenarios of archaeological interpretation, which gave the artefact a new life.
