Cycladic frying pan

A frying pan is a type of Early Cycladic II artifact made in the Aegean Islands between c. 2700 and c. 2200 BCE. They are flat circular disks with a "handle", and usually made from earthenware, but sometimes stone (Frying pan (Karlsruhe 75/11) is an example). They are found especially in sites from the Cycladic Grotta-Pelos and Keros-Syros cultures. Their purpose remains unknown, although they are usually interpreted as prestige goods.

One side is usually undecorated, and the main zone is surrounded by a raised rim; this is usually regarded as the top side. The other side, regarded as the reverse, is usually slightly wider and highly decorated by incision in the clay, evidently with considerable care, and sometimes using wooden stamps for repeated motifs.

They have been found at sites throughout the Aegean but are not common: around 200 have been unearthed to date, all but a handful in pottery. They are usually found in graves, although they are very uncommon grave goods; the rarity of these objects has contributed to the difficulty in identifying their true purpose.