Kantharos in the context of "Ionic alphabet"

⭐ In the context of the Ionic alphabet, how did the Greeks modify the originally consonant-focused Phoenician alphabet to better suit the Greek language?

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⭐ Core Definition: Kantharos

A kantharos (/ˈkænθəˌrɒs/; Ancient Greek: κάνθαρος) or cantharus (/ˈkænθərəs/) is a type of ancient Greek cup used for drinking. Although almost all surviving examples are in Greek pottery, the shape, like many Greek vessel types, probably originates in metalwork. In its iconic "Type A" form, it is characterized by its deep bowl, tall pedestal foot, and pair of high-swung handles which extend above the lip of the pot. The Greek words kotylos (κότῦλος, masculine) and kotyle (κοτύλη, feminine) are other ancient names for this same shape.

The kantharos is a cup used to hold wine, probably both for drinking and for ritual use in libations and offerings. The kantharos seems to be an attribute of Dionysus, the god of wine, who was associated with vegetation and fertility.

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👉 Kantharos in the context of Ionic alphabet

The history of the Greek alphabet starts with the adoption of Phoenician letter forms in the 9th–8th centuries BC during early Archaic Greece and continues to the present day. The Greek alphabet was developed during the Iron Age, centuries after the loss of Linear B, the syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek until the Late Bronze Age collapse and Greek Dark Age. This article concentrates on the development of the alphabet before the modern codification of the standard Greek alphabet.

The Phoenician alphabet was consistently explicit only about consonants, though even by the 9th century BC it had developed matres lectionis to indicate some, mostly final, vowels. This arrangement is much less suitable for Greek than for Semitic languages, and these matres lectionis, as well as several Phoenician letters which represented consonants not present in Greek, were adapted according to the acrophonic principle to represent Greek vowels consistently, if not unambiguously.

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Kantharos in the context of Kylix (drinking cup)

In the pottery of ancient Greece, a kylix (/ˈkaɪlɪks/ KY-liks, /ˈkɪlɪks/ KIL-iks; Ancient Greek: κύλιξ, pl. κύλικες; also spelled cylix; pl.: kylikes /ˈkaɪlɪkiːz/ KY-lih-keez, /ˈkɪlɪkiːz/ KIL-ih-keez) is the most common type of cup in the period, usually associated with the drinking of wine. The cup often consists of a rounded base and a thin stem under a basin. The cup is accompanied by two handles on opposite sides.

The inner basin is often adorned in the bottom so that as the liquid is consumed an image is revealed; this adornment is usually in a circular frame and called a tondo. There are many variations of the kylikes, other cups available in the era include the skyphos, or the kantharoi. Kylikes were also popular exports, being the most common pottery import from Attica found in Etruscan settlements.

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Kantharos in the context of Cup of the Ptolemies

The Cup of the Ptolemies (French: Coupe des Ptolémées), also known as the Cup of Saint Denis, is an onyx cameo two-handled cup, or kantharos. It is 8.4 cm high, and 12.5 cm across.

The cup, decorated with Dionysiac vignettes and emblems, was carved at some point in Classical Antiquity, probably in Alexandria. Eventually, it found its way into the treasury of the French kingdom, before it was donated to the abbey of St. Denis. During the Middle Ages, it was used as a Christian chalice, and lavish mounts were added, with Latin inscriptions. In 1804, the cup was stolen, and the mounts were lost, although the cup itself was recovered. It is now in the Cabinet des Médailles at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.

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Kantharos in the context of Eretria Painter

The Eretria Painter was an ancient Greek Attic red-figure vase painter. He worked in the final quarter of the 5th century BC. The Eretria Painter is assumed to have been a contemporary of the Shuvalov Painter; he is considered one of the most interesting painters of his time. Many of his best works are painted on oinochoai and belly lekythoi. His paintings often depict many figures, moving in groups across all available surfaces. He also painted such vessels as figure-shaped vases or head-shaped kantharoi. Even as the vase shapes he painted on are unusual, his themes are conventional: athletes, satyrs and maenads, and mythological scenes. There are also some careful studies of women. He also painted white-ground vases. A lekythos in New York shows a funeral scene, typical of white-ground painting: Achilles is mourning Patroclus; the nereids bring him new weapons. The Eretria Painter's drawing style influenced later artists, e.g. the Meidias Painter and his school.

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Kantharos in the context of Cantharellus

Cantharellus is a genus of mushrooms, commonly known as chanterelles (/ˌʃæntəˈrɛl/), a name which can also refer to the type species, Cantharellus cibarius. They are mycorrhizal fungi, meaning they form symbiotic associations with plants. Chanterelles may resemble a number of other species, some of which are poisonous.

The name comes from the Greek word kantharos ('tankard, cup'). Chanterelles are one of the most recognized and harvested groups of edible mushrooms.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Ionic alphabet ← Euclidean alphabet ← Kylix (drinking cup) ← Kylix ← Cup of the Ptolemies ← History of the Greek alphabet ← Kylix (cup) ← Eretria Painter ← Cantharellus ← Shuvalov Painter
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Red-figure pottery → Apulian vase painting → Walters Art Museum → Orpheus → Helen of Troy → Sofia → Ancient Greek language → Cup → Pottery of ancient Greece → Wine → Ritual → Libation → Sacrifice → Dionysus → Vegetation deity → Fertility →