Dinner anyone?

We usually look in awe at the shiny dinner sets made of silver or other precious material, but it is as interesting to see the array of simple tableware that was used by the common people.

[Picture from The Hurriyet Daily News]

One such find came to light at Aigai, near ancient Sardes in Turkey. It was buried in a hollow bedrock, apparently after being used only once for a special ritual some 2,200 years ago.

Aigai belongs to the area of Aeolia on the western coast of Asia Minor, which according to the legend was founded by Agamemnon. The city has been mentioned by Herodotus but had no great power till it fell under the rule of the Attalids of Pergamon in the second century BC when it was entirely rebuilt. After being badly hit by the great earthquake of 17 AD, it luckily recovered and enjoyed more years of prosperity. It seems that Aigai’s layout closely resembles that of Pergamon, which is not surprising based on its historical background.

The dinner set, now exhibited at the Museum of Manisa, includes cooking pots, cups and pitchers, as well as a number of figurines representing gods and goddesses. The artifacts were found inside the Parliament of Aigai, which dates from around 150 BC and archaeologists think that they belonged to certain ceremonies.