The Neolithic settlement of Ftelia on Mykonos yielded a significant collection of polychrome vessels. They have dark, burnished surfaces with red and white painted designs and date from the end of the 6th millennium BC. It is likely that this colorful decoration was applied when the pots had already gone through a first firing stage. Perhaps the vessels were given a final firing after the application of the paints. This process may explain the crust-like texture of the decorative material that flakes off easily resulting to only few traces surviving on the vessels. This observation also raises the question of whether the decoration had worn down during the life of a vessel and whether it might have been repainted multiple times by the Neolithic potters.
Beyond their impressive crafting technique, the polychrome vessels of Ftelia represent highly-charged, symbolic conceptualizations in the social sphere of the Neolithic village. Specific evidence regarding their distribution across the site encourages such questions: in fact, they are present in only one building of the settlement, which also has a distinct circular plan with curved or arched walls. Further than that, within the same building, painted vessels coexisted with other special objects, such as large basins with holes along the rim, impressive “rechaud” vessels, figurines, and small items of copper and gold.
Apparently, this is a special context combining particular technical, decorative and utilitarian aspects and raising more interesting questions: what was the specific role of the polychrome vessels in this space? How is their use different from the unpainted, plain vessels and jars? How do they complement with the rechaud pots more specifically? Could their ephemeral ornaments be of some special significance for the activities taking place in this particular space, likely including the restoration of the painted designs? How does the temporality of these ceramic images unfolds in Ftelia and is different from the solid images designed on conventional painted pots across the Neolithic settlements of the mainland?
