Clay Vases

Here, you will find ancient Greek pottery that was once used to store and transport important items like wine, oil, and grain. The amphorae, which are tall and have two handles, were often used in everyday life, while the urns were sometimes used for special purposes like holding the ashes of the dead in funerals. Even though these amphorae and urns are broken, you can still see the beautiful designs that decorated them long ago.

The amphorae were made using a method called wheel-throwing, where the potter shapes the clay on a spinning wheel. Afterward, they were painted with scenes of gods, battles, and myths using a technique called black-figure or red-figure painting. These designs were made with a special liquid clay called slip, which would turn black or red when the pottery was fired in a kiln. Even though many pieces are cracked or missing, the art on these ancient vessels still tells us stories from Greek mythology and everyday life.

Some of the urns in this collection were likely used in funerary rituals, making them very important in ancient Greek culture. The people of ancient Greece believed in honoring their dead, and urns like these were sometimes buried with loved ones. The broken fragments of these urns still give us clues about how people lived and what they believed in. Each crack and chip shows how long these objects have survived, carrying pieces of history with them from the past to today.