Archaic Pottery

Archaic Pottery and its myths
7th - 6th century BCE

Archaic period
• Beginning of artistic forms.
• More advanced than geometrical pottery.
• The Archaic period saw the gradual transformation of the Geometric
style of vase painting
• Introduction to black figure, decorated pottery.( red color vase)
• Depiction of mythological figures, animals etc.
Contrast between Geometrical and Archaic
Geometric vase Archaic vase
• Geometrical shaped More naturalistic
• Exhibit painted horizontal bands filled with More advanced depiction of figures
patterns
• Sum of geometrized parts—bodies becoming Realistic depiction of animal and human figures
triangles, legs and arms becoming line
segments.
• Less use of bright colors More of bright color
ex: Dipylone vase Vase of Achilles and Ajax playing draughts

Geometrical vases
Archaic Vase
Color techniques
i. Black figure pottery
• Figures themselves were silhouetted in black against the red of the clay
• Applied in layers and, depending on the amount of time a pottery piece was fired, the shade of
black varied
ii. Red-figure pottery
• Figure was outlined in the black glaze, then black glaze was painted over the background instead
of the figure. This gave more color, as the figure was left red, and also left more options for detail
and fine outlines
iii. White ground
• This was not much used as red and black vase techniques.
• All these pots varied with its size, shape and its purpose. The sizes ranged from small storage jars for oils,
cosmetics and perfumes, to wine jugs and mixing bowls. Each piece usually had a distinctive shape
which would relate to its different uses. For example, a wine jug was tall and had handles at the top which
was the distinctive shape for a wine jug. The Greeks often used anatomical terms to relate to the shapes and
parts of the pottery.
• These ceramics were used for domestic uses, funerary, marketing, and ceremonial as well as for fashion
and art. Another main use for pottery included storing items in bulk such as liquids and food as well as
items for domestic and cosmetic purposes.
• The main places where pottery was made and sold was in Athens and Corinth. Only certain people were
potters such as city dwellers. The pottery itself rarely represented the social status of its maker. These
potters could range from slaves working for a potter to potters working for wealthy men in a pottery workplace.
Some potters were commissioned by the wealthy to make personal pieces, which may have included family
stories or certain myths.
Common Archaic pottery
Kleitias (painter) and Ergotimos (potter),
François Vase (volute-krater)
Detail with Peleus (center) who stands before
his house greeting the centaur Chiron seen
beside the goddess Iris (left) at the head of the
wedding procession (the inscription identifying
the painter can be read under their clasped
hands). The seated Thetis (fragmented), can be
seen within the house.
Detail with Dionysos carrying wine
amphora
Detail with wedding procession with
Hera and her husband Zeus in a chariot
(left), Urania the muse of astronomy, and
Kaliope, muse of epic poetry (center)
Detail with Ajax carrying the body of

Achilles on the handle of the vase
Detail of foot with the
battle of the cranes and
pygmies
Exekias,
amphora with
Ajax and
Achilles
playing a game
British Museum
Odysseus Ulysses
and the Sirens
Ancient Greece
Odyssey Attica
Euphronios,
Sarpedon
Krater
Niobid Painter, Niobid Krater
Conclusion
• Archaic pottery do resemble a particular story/ life style of the Greeks
• The techniques, the skills used by the painters depict the
development of the pottery
• They focus on myths, mythical creatures
• Basic foundation for classical and Hellenistic pottery
Work citation
• Wallgren, Kadera,and Melissa Koster. “Archaic Pottery and Greek Pottery”, March 21,
2000 cited from http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/Mediterranean/ArchaicPot.html
• “Greek art In the archaic period” from https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/argk/hd_argk.htm
• “Greek archaic pottery” from https://www.antiquitiesexperts.com/greece_archaic_pottery.html
• Cartwrigt, “ Ancient Greek Pottery” from https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Pottery/
• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/greek-pottery/v/euphronios-s
arpedon-krater
• Niobid Painter, Niobid Krater (video) | Khan Academy
• Exekias, amphora with Ajax and Achilles playing a game (video) | Khan Academy
• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/greek-pottery/v/ex
ekias-attic-black-figure-amphora-with-ajax-and-achilles-playing-a-game
• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/greek-pottery/a/th
e-francois-vase-story-book-of-greek-mythology

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Archaic Pottery and its myths

7th - 6th century BCE

• Less use of bright colors More of bright color

ex: Dipylone vase Vase of Achilles and Ajax playing draughts

Detail with Ajax carrying the body of

• “Greek art In the archaic period” from https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/argk/hd_argk.htm

• “Greek archaic pottery” from https://www.antiquitiesexperts.com/greece_archaic_pottery.html

• Cartwrigt, “ Ancient Greek Pottery” from https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Pottery/

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