Attic pottery in the context of "History of the Mediterranean"

Play Trivia Questions online!

 or

Skip to study material about Attic pottery in the context of "History of the Mediterranean"

⭐ Core Definition: Attic pottery

Pottery, due to its relative durability, comprises a large part of the archaeological record of [[ancient Greece]. The shards of pots discarded or buried in the 1st millennium BC are still the best guide available to understand the customary life and mind of the ancient Greeks. There were several vessels produced locally for everyday and kitchen use, yet finer pottery from regions such as Attica was imported by other civilizations throughout the Mediterranean, such as the Etruscans in Italy. There were a multitude of specific regional varieties, such as the South Italian ancient Greek pottery.

Throughout these places, various types and shapes of vases were used. Not all were purely utilitarian; large Geometric amphorae were used as grave markers, kraters in Apulia served as tomb offerings and Panathenaic Amphorae seem to have been looked on partly as objets d'art, as were later terracotta figurines. Some were highly decorative and meant for elite consumption and domestic beautification as much as serving a storage or other function, such as the krater with its usual use in diluting wine.

↓ Menu

In this Dossier

Attic pottery in the context of Aryballos

An aryballos (Greek: ἀρύβαλλος; plural aryballoi) was a small spherical or globular flask with a narrow neck used in Ancient Greece. It was used to contain perfume or oil, and is often depicted in vase paintings being used by athletes during bathing. In these depictions, the vessel is at times attached by a strap to the athlete's wrist or hung by a strap from a peg on the wall. Versions of the aryballos have been found throughout Greece but some of the more preserved versions have been found within the city of Athens.

There are two different versions of aryballoi, the Corinthian version and a version created by Attic potters. The Corinthian version of the aryballos has a rounded base and has one handle which reaches from the shoulder of the base to the lip. The version that was made by Attic potters usually is suited with two handles and has a "bell-shaped mouth". The Attic potter's aryballoi were produced sometime around the end of the 6th century while the Corinthian version of the aryballoi was produced up until the 5th century BC.

↑ Return to Menu
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Aryballos
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Amphora → Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology → Ekphora → Pottery → Attica → History of the Mediterranean → Etruscan civilization → South Italian ancient Greek pottery → Typology of Greek vase shapes → Geometric → Amphorae → Kraters → Apulia → Panathenaic Amphorae → Objet d'art →