Nestor's Cup (Mycenae)

The Cup of Nestor or dove cup is a gold goblet discovered in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann in Shaft IV of Grave Circle A, Mycenae,[1] which is usually dated to the 16th century BC.

[4] Each handle is decorated with a golden bird, which Schliemann observed was reminiscent of the cup of Nestor described in the Iliad.

[5] The birds have since been identified by Spiros Marinatos as falcons, rather than the doves which are on the Iliadic cup.

Hooker suggests that the cup is an adaptation of a Cretan design made by a craftsman on the Greek mainland.

[7] Despite the unusual design and value of the gold used to make the cup, it shows signs of poor-quality or hasty craftsmanship: for instance tool marks are still visible on the cup, and the rivets used to attach the handles to the base compromise the vessel's watertightness.