The vase is composed of two leaves of metal which were hammered then joined, although the handles and the volutes (scrolls) were cast and attached. It contained 1968.31 g of burnt bones belonging to a man aged 35-50 and a younger woman. It was previously devoted to producing a mixture of wine, undrinkable by itself, water, and undoubtedly various spices the drink then being ladled out and distributed to fellow banqueters at ritual or festive celebrations. Weighing 40 kg, it is composed of a special alloy composed of bronze and tin in skillfully chosen amounts, which allows it to display a superb golden sheen without using the slightest bit of gold.Īt the time of its discovery, the krater was serving as a funerary urn for an aristocratic Thessalian whose name is engraved on the vase: Astiouneios, son of Anaxagoras, of Larissa. The Derveni krater is a volute-krater, the most elaborate of its type, discovered in 1962 in a tomb at Derveni, not far from Thessaloniki it is conserved at the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum.

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