Lebes facts for kids
The lebes (pronounced LAY-bes) was a special kind of ancient Greek pot, usually made from bronze. It was a deep, round bowl, and often sat on a stand with three legs, called a sacrificial tripod. In later times, it had its own foot attached and was commonly used for cooking.
Different Types of Lebetes
Tripod Lebes
The tripod lebes had two round handles on its sides and three legs that supported it. These parts were made separately and then attached to the bowl. Even though it looked like a mixing bowl, old records and artifacts show that the tripod lebes was not used for mixing things, even after people stopped using it for cooking.
Lebes Gamikos
The lebes gamikos (pronounced LAY-bes GAM-ee-kos), also known as a nuptial lebes, was a special pot used in ceremonies before a wedding. These pots were often made of pottery. It might have been placed near the bride's door and was probably used to sprinkle water on the bride as part of a ritual.
Lebetes gamikoi could have tall or short bases. They were usually painted with scenes of a wedding procession. Sometimes, the weddings shown were from myths, like the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, or included mythical figures like Helen and Menelaus riding in chariots.
How Lebetes Were Valued
In early Iron Age Greece, before money was invented, people traded goods and services directly. This was called the barter system. To help with trading, people often used certain items as a way to measure value. For example, cattle were often used this way in many old cultures. In Greece during this time, bronze and iron items, especially lebetes, were also commonly used to show value.
Ancient stone writings from Crete, dating back to the 7th century BCE, show many examples of fines and payments that were measured in bronze lebetes. For instance, one record mentions a bronze tripod that was "worth ten lebetes" as payment for a fine.
In the famous Greek poem, the Iliad, a bronze lebes was considered to be worth one ox. Much later, when coins were commonly used as money, the word "lebes" was still used to mean a certain amount of silver coins.
See also
In Spanish: Lebeta para niños
