The early Greek world 3200-450
The Dolphin Rock
Click image to see larger size
‘Dolphin’ rock
Scratched on this naturally curving rock is the outline of a fish or dolphin, below a short Greek inscription. This gives the name, now mostly lost, of the artist, followed by the Greek for ‘drew me’. The fins are not perfectly correct for a dolphin, but other dolphin carvings are known from the area where this was found; and the curving shape and colour of the rock may have suggested a diving dolphin.
Vice-Admiral Spratt, who gave the rock to the Museum, was in charge of surveying and charting the waters of the Mediterranean in the early 19th century, but also found time to become an expert in geology and antiquities.
Production place: carved on Crete
Date: around 525 BC
Find spot: Erimoupolis (Itanos), Crete, Greek Islands
Limstone (sparitic)
Given by Spratt, T.A.B., Vice-Admiral
Object Number: GR.1.1854
see the online collections database