Devotion to Thee: Virtual Museum of Offerings by Faith

Picrolite figure ca. 3900–2500 BCE

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 21:56:36 UTC

According to The Met, the form and material are characteristic of figures from the Chalcolithic, or copper-stone, period on Cyprus. They were typically placed by graved or worn as pendants.

Uruk c.3200 BCE

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 21:56:36 UTC

The male servants on the lower area of the vase carry their priestess offerings of food and drinks to her.

Offering slab for seven oils of Ankhwadjes ca. 2649–2100 B.C.

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 21:56:36 UTC

Used during mortuary rituals. The names of the oils were written on the hollows. "The signs are delicately incised, but then less carefully covered with green pigment, much of which remains. Above the labes is a horizontal line of inscription asking that offerings be made for the owner of the slab, a nobleman named Ankhwadjes."

Model of the Opening of the Mouth ritual equipment ca. 2465–2150 B.C.

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 21:56:36 UTC

Used in the opening of the mouth ceremony to reanimate the dead, making them eat, see, breathe, and hear by touching the stone to the dead mummy's mouth.

Terracotta jug ca. 2300–1900 BCE

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 21:56:36 UTC

One of the largest out of the two, kept together kernoi to have survived during this era. Used to hold offerings of seeds, grain, flowers, fruit, or liquids.

Ritual tripod cauldron with cover (Ding) ca. 5th–4th century BCE

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 21:56:36 UTC

For its time period, the Ding was considered one of the most important ritual vessel types. Originally, they were made as ceramics and then casted in bronze in the Shand dynasty. Eventually, ding was used for both ritual vessels and incense burners.

The Attarouthi Treasure c. 500–650

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 21:56:36 UTC

The main purpose of this collection was to gather those to complete Liturgy, or Eucharist, where those of the Christian faith take consecrated wine and bread in commemoration of the Last Supper and Christ’s death. Many of the objects were offerings of local citizens to the major church of the town, which was dedicated to Saint Stephen, and to a smaller church dedicated to Saint John. During Syra's fall to the Sasanian Persians and then to the armies of Islam, it has been speculated that these items were quickly buried for protection, never to be handled with again for centuries.

Glass bottle in the form of Tyche (Good Fortune) 2nd–3rd century CE

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 21:56:36 UTC

A loosely base model of Tyche, this bottle was made for the city of Antioch by Eutychides of Sikyon in roughly the year 296 B.C. Bottles of this kind were typically used as souvenirs and their contents were used in making offerings at public or private shrines.

To learn more about offerings from different cultures, visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 22:18:18 UTC

Devotion to Thee

llyoshiloverll — 2025-08-05 22:22:38 UTC

For thousands of years, humans have struggled with the concept of life and death. In a broad arrangement of cases, art has been used as a means of comfort. Offerings are no different in this way. Whether it's an offering to a god/gods, a deceased loved one, or a higher figure in power, we use offerings as a mean to give us peace.