The figure of the youth holding a rod depicted on a stone cup from Agia Triada known as the Chieftain Cup may be a representation of someone with political power. This figure was initially interpreted by Evans as a young prince outside the entrance to his residence, giving orders to a member of his guard. However, the obvious immaturity of the two figures indicates that it is not a leading individual and a subject but two children playacting.

A more recent interpretation argues that it is a representation of the coming of age ceremony, a Minoan custom which occurs in other representations also. Boys in early puberty would participate in this ceremony. Moreover, a later Cretan tradition which probably dates back to the Minoan period, suggests that in the coming of age ceremony a javelin, a bull and a cup were offered to the adolescent as gifts. On Chieftain Cup, the javelin and the bull are depicted, while the third element is the cup itself.