Archaic Greek Ceramics

This course explores the functions and meanings of Greek painted ceramics made in the sixth century BCE, taking the collections of the Metropolitan Museum as its focus. Today these vessels are enshrined in display cases and elevated as art objects. But what roles did they play for the ancient people who used them? Who made them, and how? What substances did they hold? What did their decorations mean? Why were they acquired by people living thousands of miles away from where they were made? We will examine the overlapping roles of Archaic Greek vessels as functional containers, artistic creations, ancient commodities, and modern collectors’ items. Rather than foregrounding Athenian vases, we will consider them alongside Boeotian, Corinthian, Chalcidian, East Greek, and Laconian vessels to better understand the many roles ceramics played across the Greek world. The relationship between Greek ceramics and those created by neighboring cultures including the Etruscans and Egyptians will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on understanding Greek vessels as objects that connected different cultures as they moved through the Mediterranean.