C-Ware – Bottle C-0915

Eleven human figures are painted on the exterior surface of the vessel. They are all very schematic: their legs are not separated from one another, their arms are “V-shaped” (i.e. upper arm downward, sharp bend at elbow, lower arm upward), although one figure is different in this latter respect, his arms hanging down. They also all have a loop at the waist, presumed to be a penis sheath, which therefore indicates that they all face toward the right. 

Three of the figures are seemingly different from the others, as evidenced by the ‘tail’ that hangs from their waist behind them, and their curved hairdo that contrast with the more zig-zag-like hair of the other figures. The top of their head is also slightly larger than observed on the other men. Two of these figures are larger than all others, and they are interpreted as chiefs, or victors, the others as ‘prisoners’. The left-most of the victors holds a bunch of zig-zag lines in his left hand, which looks similar to the hairdo of the prisoners. His other hand is connected by a straight line to the head of a prisoner. This scene is interpreted as a possible unique depiction of the act of scalping, the straight line being understood as a knife connected to the prisoner's scalp. The victorious figure to the right holds a group of three prisoners, seemingly represented attached to one another by a rope at the waist. The man between the two victors is likely to be understood also a victor, and not as a prisoner, despite his smaller size. He holds an object in his left hand that ends in a circle with four dots on the inside, a possible depiction of a mace. 

Finally, among the prisoners, one holds an object that is difficult to understand. It has a straight ‘handle’ and ends in a fan-like manner, with five lines. It may indeed be a fan, or a floral motif, but it may also be his own hand shown with an exagerated size, or the prisoner may be holding a severed hand; this latter interpretation seems less likely.