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Flat lid with "banquet scene." Courtesy of Aman ur Rahman. |
The small trays from Gandhara that show mostly Nereides or party scenes
artistically cut in schist stone have been known for more than a century and been the
subject of deeper research since 1979. Their widely used label "toilet
tray" goes back to F. Petrie and was disseminated by J. Marshall. Their
pictorial program and their parallels in Roman Egypt rather point to a use
for libations, which means rites including the spilling of liquids on the
floor, as necessary in contemporary Mediterranian cultures for marriages,
service to the dead, and hunting sprees, but mainly for symposia and other
parties where the consummation of wine plays a major role. A first
interpretation in this direction goes back to S. Kossak. The assembled
evidence seems to elevate the "theory" of libation trays in Gandhara to a
reality.