Looking for Minoan washing vessels? Pedestalled basins from Bronze Age Crete

This paper is dedicated to a kind of pedestalled basin, known as a louter, which consists of a tubular support and a large, flaring bowl on the top. This vessel is mainly attested in the Middle Bronze Age Southern Crete, especially at Phaistos - palace and settlement - in the centers of Ayia Triada and Monastiraki, as well as in the Mesara tholos tombs (e.g. Koumasa and Porti), but finds some counterparts also at Knossos and in the Santorini island. The real function is not entirely clear, and could be multiple, however the large upper basin with a burnished inner surface, the association with vessels intended for liquids (pitharakia, amphorae, and jugs), as well as the position in which some specimens were found, i.e. corners of rooms, suggest a use for washing. In this paper an attempt will be made to contextualize these vessels and explore their function.