Travel tokens to the Korykian Cave near Delphi: Perspectives from material and human mobility

This chapter examines black-figured lekythoi (ca. 500-450 BCE) from the Korykian Cave and the cemeteries of Delphi. The versatile use of these common ceramic oil jars on votive and funerary occasions is consistent with their wide-ranging uses in households, sanctuaries, and tombs elsewhere. In contextualising lekythoi within the physical and conceptual landscape of the Cave and Delphi, I discuss the pilgrims’ trip to the Cave as a personal endeavour, which elicited emotions and thoughts about the lekythoi carried for dedication. Hence, the presence of black-figured lekythoi at the Cave may be understood not only as instances of utilisation and deposition but also as the material manifestation of travelling.