A Monument of Ancient Metallurgy
The Vix Krater, discovered in 1953, is a ancient Greek metalworking. Standing 1.64 meters tall and weighing 208.6 kilograms, its scale is immense. The main body of the vessel is a single sheet of hammered bronze, with a wall thickness of only 1 to 1.3 millimeters, showing an extraordinary level of craftsmanship. This bronze bowl alone weighs approximately 60 kilograms and has a capacity of 1,100 liters. Metallurgical analysis reveals the krater is constructed from seven or more individual cast and hammered bronze pieces. These components were likely shipped from a Greek workshop in Southern Italy and assembled on-site. Evidence for this modular construction comes from Greek alphabetical markings found on the pieces, which were assembly instructions.
The krater's form is known as a volute krater, distinguished by its large, scroll-shaped handles. These handles are solid cast bronze and decorated with grimacing Gorgon faces, a protective motif in ancient Greece. A decorative frieze with cast figures of Greek foot soldiers (hoplites) and horse-drawn chariots encircles the vessel's neck. The lid, which is perforated to act as a wine strainer, is topped with a 19-centimeter-tall statuette of a woman. The entire object rests on a single cast bronze foot that is 74 centimeters in diameter and weighs 20.2 kilograms.
The Science of a Princely Tomb
The krater was the central object in a burial mound from the late Hallstatt period, dated to circa 500 BCE. The tomb was a 4-by-4-meter wooden chamber containing the remains of a high-status woman, often called the "Lady of Vix". Osteological analysis of the skeleton indicates she was approximately 35 years old at the time of death. She was buried on the chassis of a ceremonial chariot or cart; its four wheels had been detached and placed against the chamber wall.
The grave goods are a detailed record of long-distance trade during the Iron Age. Alongside the Greek krater was an Etruscan bronze wine jug, a silver phiale (a shallow libation bowl), and several ceramic drinking cups from Attica, Greece. One Attic cup, dated to about 525 BCE, provides the latest firm date for the objects in the grave. The Lady of Vix herself wore a spectacular 24-carat gold torc that weighs 480 grams, and bronze and amber jewelry. The tomb is part of a larger archaeological complex on Mont Lassois, which was a major fortified Celtic settlement, or oppidum. Geophysical surveys using magnetic gradiometry have revealed the layout of this large, planned settlement, including postholes from large public buildings.