Beak-Spouted Pitcher

Beak-Spouted Pitcher                               

Beak-Spouted Pitchers made of terracotta with different forms and sizes started to be used in Anatolia in the 3rd millennium BCE. A limited number of metal examples of beak-spouted pitchers have reached the present day. Apart from their daily and luxurious usage, according to the depictions on different objects and seal impressions, gutter-beak, pointed-beak, and curved-beak spouted pitchers were also used in rituals and ceremonies as libation jars in the 2nd millennium BCE. The Hittites, who were called the people of a thousand gods and stood out with their crowded pantheon, organized their sacrificial and worshipping rituals in a system. Mostly led by the King himself, these rituals were mentioned frequently in written sources. During these rituals, vegetables, meats, bread, and drinks were presented to the gods since they were considered to have human-like needs. Curved-beak spouted pitchers were among the vessels used for serving the beverages.