The Type B plemochoё is the later of the two types and is differentiated by its tall, medium-wide stem terminating in a disc-like
foot. Authorities do not fully agree on the name of this vase and it is also called ‘exaleiptron’ and (incorrectly) ‘kothon.’
For further information on terminology, see 'plemochoё.'
The Type A plemochoё is the earlier of the two types and is differentiated by its shorter, wider flaring foot. Authorities
do not fully agree on the name of this vase and it is also called ‘exaleiptron’ and (incorrectly) ‘kothon.’ For further information
on terminology, see 'plemochoё.'
Pseudo Panathenaic amphorae are unofficial imitations of Panathenaic amphorae that lack prize inscriptions. They are visually
almost identical to their official counterparts.
‘Rhyton’ comes from a word for 'flow.' The term is used to denote a one-handled drinking cup whose bowl is fashioned into
the shape of an animal’s head (sheep, donkey, etc.) or occasionally a more complex creation (pygmy and crane, African child
and crocodile, mounted Amazon, camel and driver). It was originally made from horn, hence its shape. The idea was borrowed
from Persia.
In size, the Type D pyxis (or box-pyxis) is close to the powder pyxis, but it is more substantially made and was popular during
the late 5th and 4th centuries. It consists of a small cylinder with a flat cover and can be divided into two classes according
to the differing shapes of the lid. The lid consists of a slim flat disc with thickened rim, not unlike the discs and stands,
but provided with a flat area beneath, made to fit the inside of the mouth of the bowl.
The canonical Type A pyxis has concave sides, a flat floor, and a flanged rim. Some have a low tripartite, quadripartite,
or continuous foot, while others have no foot. The lid is thrown separately and is flat on top with a concave outer edge that
continues and completes the curving concave wall of the pyxis body. It was created from the 6th c. into the first half of
the 4th c. BCE.
The Type C pyxis is a broad, squat version of the Type A and has deeply concave sides resting on a low ring foot. The flanged
lid is convex, often with a metal ring handle. The container is usually twice as wide as it is high. It was made as early
as the mid 5th c. and was popular from the last quarter of the 5th through the first half of the 4th c. BCE.
Pyxides are round, lidded boxes of various shapes and sizes used for cosmetics, powder or jewelry. Some were put in tombs.
The term 'skyphoid-pyxis' is used to designate a shape that became a Sicilian specialty with an ovoid body, a lid, and two
horizontal handles.
Rarer than but similar to the psykter-amphora, the psykter-column-krater is a double-walled vessel meant to cool wine or water.
The outer vessel has a spout near the shoulder through which ice or ice water was poured into the space between the two walls.
It usually has a drain spout just above the foot, directly below the pour spout.
Rarer than but similar to the psykter-amphora, the psykter-calyx-krater is a double-walled vessel meant to cool wine or water.
The outer vessel has a spout near the shoulder through which ice or ice water was poured into the space between the two walls.
It usually has a drain spout just above the foot, directly below the pour spout.
The pyxis lid varies widely depending on the shape of the pyxis itself. Lids can be flat, concave, domed, or conical and rest
on top of the pyxis or can be deep-sided and slip over the sides of the box. The handles are often knobs or metal rings.
The sprinkler varies in size and shape but is generally a round vessel with one or two handles and a flat, perforated bottom.
A small hole at the top was used to fill it with liquid, and when the vessel was shaken the liquid would sprinkle from the
holes in the base. The context in which the sprinkler would have been used is not entirely clear; at least one was found in
the Kerameikos. It may have been used for ritual purification, for lifting and straining wine from a larger vessel, or for
aerating wine as it was sprinkled into a drinking cup. Its shape has been likened to both the mastos and rhyton and is sometimes
(incorrectly) called “klepsydra.”
The skyphos-krater is a very large, deep bowl with two horizontal strap handles with returns, and its rim is flanged or incurving
to receive a domed lid. The bowl may be supported by an echinus foot, or joined to a conical stand. The skyphos-krater is
an uncommon shape with a long history, being made from the Late Geometric period to the first quarter of the 6th c. BCE.
The stand is much smaller in size than other supports intended to serve as bases for vases. The stand has a wide, flat surface
on top that is often decorated with black- or red-figure. The wide top rests on a stemmed foot, usually with a fillet on the
stem.
The term ‘stamnos’ is conventionally (and wrongly) used to designate a storing and mixing bowl with two small horizontal handles
attached to a compact, bulbous body, a short neck and a lid.
The ring askos is a circular shape with a central cylindrical hole and a high belly with a marked shoulder. Most examples
of the ring askos have been identified as Corinthian or Boeotian and it is thought to be the inspiration for the Attic askos,
which will have a ring foot and a stouter body.
‘Situla’ comes from the Latin word meaning 'bucket.' It is a deep bowl for wine and was mainly made in South Italy. The swung
handles suggest a derivation from metal.
The tankard developed from the mug late in the Middle Geometric period. It has a single handle that often rises above the
mouth. In the Late Geometric period, the rim begins to overhand the largest diameter.
The Attic version was made to be filled with imported perfume, the foreign shape providing a recognizable identification of
the contents. From the early Hellenistic period onwards, when the developed fusiform unguentarium had become the usual export
container for perfume, the small Attic black equivalent would have been superfluous.
