Clay Vessels and Porphyry Pendants: Poppy Capsule Forms Across the Cycladic Palaces
Across Bronze Age Crete and the Cyclades, artisans cast the globular capsule of Papaver somniferum in terracotta, porphyry, and steatite. Archaeological evidence reveals a complex visual language balancing botanical realism, domestic ritual, and contested claims of narcotic trade.