A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America
Summary: Phiale mesomphalos
Material: Gold, 99 percent pure (almost 24-karat) (energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Period: Hellenistic (323-146 B.C.)
Decoration: Three rings of 36 acorns and a fourth, inside, of beechnuts. Alternating with the acorns in the outermost ring are bees, the two symbolizing the earth's "victual in plenty," as described by Hesiod. In the center is a large knob representing the omphalos, the mythic navel of the universe.
Dimensions: Diameter 23 cm, height 4 cm, weight 982 grams
Recent history: Collection of Vincenzo Pappalardo, Catania, Sicily, ca. 1977-1980. Collection of Vincenzo Cammarata, Enna, Sicily, 1980-1991. Collection of Michael Steinhardt, New York City, 1991-1995. Seized by U.S. Customs, 1995. Currently under litigation.
Bibliography: Giacomo Manganaro, "Darici in Sicilia e le emissioni auree delle poleis siceliote e di cartagine nel V-III sec. a.C.," Revue des Études Anciennes, 91:1-2 (1989), pp. 302-304. Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, 39 (1989), no. 1034.
Comparison: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 62.11.1