Long-necked jar with three loop-handles c. 5th century

Curator: At the Minneapolis Institute of Art, we’re looking at an earthenware long-necked jar from around the 5th century. Editor: It has such a solemn feel to it. Very grounded and timeless. The texture looks rough and uneven, almost primordial. Curator: Precisely. Its simple, robust shape speaks of utility and resilience, suggesting that its form embodies a timeless practicality. It’s amazing to consider how objects like this would’ve served as functional vessels within their ancient contexts. Editor: Absolutely, I am curious about the maker of this jar—how it was made by hand on a wheel, the types of clay accessible and its relationship with their world and time, but especially the time and labor embedded in forming and firing this stoneware. It invites considering the everyday labor of people. Curator: A good point. Let’s delve into its form: the long neck is an ancient signifier, as jars from prehistoric China to ancient Sumer used this symbolic, elongated shape to signify a holy symbol. Editor: Do you think so? While such shapes are shared amongst the cultures in both time and location, it is important to notice and ask how materials influence their cultures: were earthenware so useful it became such an object of trade and interaction with other cultures? Curator: I hadn't thought of the shared element! Well, these ancient civilizations share far more than just shapes and techniques: the cyclical and continuous line suggests ancient views about life, death, and the cyclical passing of the seasons. Editor: All of this reflection gives me an overwhelming feeling about the weight of material culture: each piece contains not only functional value, but speaks on the history and context of this particular stoneware, so that we can learn from it now and in the future. Curator: Exactly. Its design, like that of countless ancient objects, continues to speak volumes about our collective past.