A portable utensil for burning coals or aromatic substances. The clay type most commonly found in domestic assemblages in Minoan Crete consists of a bowl, usually with a rod-shaped handle, set on a flat or tripod base. Similar metal vessels have also been found, made of metal sheets with repoussé decoration; these are thought to be luxury versions of the clay vessels. Another type, probably for more specialised use, consists of a bowl-shaped body with a domed capsule, closed on top and pierced underneath, through which the heat would have been diffused. Various functions have been attributed to these vessels. They were most probably used as burners for aromatic plant oils and resins to scent rooms, although they may also have served to prepare perfumes and melt unguents. In the Postpalatial period (1300-1200 BC) a cylindrical type of incense burner appeared, with a flat base, large handle and pierced conical cover. The use of incense and incense burners appears to have been quite widespread in Minoan Crete, both for practical purposes and in the context of rituals and healing practices.