Educational Resources on the Ancient Mediterranean World

Ancient pottery and ceramics

Present in all times and at all places, pottery and ceramics item illustrate at the same time the technical state, the local arts, the mode, and the figures that often appear on them describe also the beliefs, the rites and the daily life. Ceramics is thus an essential aspect of ancient civilizations. They appear in good place in every museum and in all collections. However, since they are extremely common, some remain very affordable to private collectors which may buy a nice small pot, representative of a place and a time, for a quite reasonable budget! Each vessel shape has its name : alabastron, aryballos, lekythos, epichysis, askos, kylix, skyphos, kyathos, kantharos, rhyton, oenochoe, loutrophoros, olpe, calpis, hydria, crater, amphora, stamnos, dinos, pelike, pyxis, lebes gamikos, lekanis...

Antique vessels shapes Oil and perfumed oil vessels Drinking vessels Pouring vessels Pouring, holding and storage vessels