pottery

Willa Dowe
 * __ Grecian Pottery __**

The pottery of ancient Greece gives us a lot of insight into Greek history; this is because very little of other art forms (especially Greek paintings) have survived over the years. Because of pottery's durability, we have more samples of it to study, and thus we have greater knowledge of the mindset and lifestyle of the ancient Greeks. Pottery was used to hold food such as grain and olives, and liquids like wine, oil, and water. Because of clay's durability (after being fired in a kiln), it was common and had many uses. Some of those uses were even for entertainment purposes. For instance, an Amphora style vase was larger with two vertical handles, and was meant to hold water or wine, where a small Alabastron style vase would hold a woman's perfume. Athletes often carried oil in a small ball shaped pot around their wrists. A Pyxis style box was cylindrical with a lid, and would be used to hold toiletries such as cosmetics, powder, or even jewelry. In earlier times, many geometrical designs could be found on the pottery. From 550 to about 300 B.C., however, pottery was dominated by the Athenian style. Pieces from this time period often depicted Greek gods and goddesses, and also scenes from everyday life. When clay is found in its original place, it is called primary clay. This is rare in the Mediterranean where Greece is because most of the clay has been moved around by glaciers and erosion. Secondary clay (more common in Greece) is clay that has picked up "impurities" as it has been moved. These impurities are what determine the color of clay once it has been fired in a kiln. Clay in Greece had high iron content, causing it to turn red once fired. The Athenians found that they could create beautiful designs on the clay by painting designs on parts of it with black slip (slip is watered down clay). In the picture below, the black figures have been painted on the red clay and then fired. The way that the pottery of Ancient Greece was designed gives us insight into the Grecian lifestyle. Because of the numerous vases depicting gods and goddesses, I would hazard a guess that the people of this time had a deep belief in their mythology. Luckily, many of the pieces of art have survived the decades and we are still able to study them today. [] [] []