Hittite Vessel with Four Scenes Molded and Carved in Relief

The Hittites were a powerful people who vied with the Egyptians for control of the Near East. At times, however, alliances in the form of royal marriages were forged between the two rivals. The scene on the front of this vase shows a seated god or king holding a drinking vase in the form of a stag. Near him is a large-handled vessel in a ring stand, which illustrates how large jars such as this one were used. The standing figure is a priest pouring a liquid offering. The scene on the back of this vase shows a bow hunter using a doe with a tether as a decoy to attract a stag. Some of the hunter's arrows have already pierced the stag's hide.