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Research Paper
Ceramics
Greek Pottery

Greek Pottery has been around since 400 BCE to 1000 CE. With
that being said it can be proven that it is some of the oldest and most
representations of the cultural beliefs and practices of the ancient
Greeks. There are different time periods that Greek Pottery evolved
over time.

The first time period was Geometric Period, and the time

range start around 900-700 BCE. Next would have been Orientalizing
Period, which when from 700-600 BCE. After that was Archaic and
Classical Periods, and Archaic was from 600-480 BCE and Classical was
from 480-323 BCE. The next period is what sits a lot of these other
periods aside. Throughout the 6th century BCE Black-figure vessels
started showing up. This way of decoration was during the Archaic
Period.
First things first, the clay that used to make the pots was Attic
Clay. It had high iron content giving an orange-red color with a slight
shine when it was fired. The was generally prepared and refined in
settling tanks so that different consistencies of material could be used
depending of the vessel types to made with it. Greek pottery was

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made on the potters wheel and usually made in different pieces. The
different parts would be put together with clay slip after drying.
After the pot was finished it was then ready to be put in the kiln and
fried at the temperature of around 960 C, which was somewhat low
and would explains the softness of Greek Pottery. The pots would be
fired sever times in the kiln in order to get the required fish and
coloring. The first firing would be in oxidizing first where good
ventilation to the kiln was to ensure that the orange/red of the clay
would come to the surface. Then it would be fired again in a kiln
starved of oxygen by adding water or damp wood inside the kiln . By
doing this it would ensure that the painted colors, mostly black, would
darken. The finally firing is with good ventilation.
Greek pottery each has its own meaning for every one of them.
The alabstron was a small vase that was used by women for storing
perfumes or oil. Another was the amphora which mean to carry on
both sides, and it was used to carrying and storing and liquids. Next
that was very common was the krater. The Greeks thought it was
uncivilized to drink their wine neat. So they would make these large
bowls, which was the krater, which was used for mixing wine with their
wine. They Greek people wanted the effects of wine taste without
getting drunk. The word krater comes from the word meaning mix.

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They were used to drink at parties call symposia, and this were men
would talk and enjoy the company of male friends. Since the symposia
were a male-only drinking party most of the time it was for the wealthy
men. There for the krater was a symbol of wealthy lifestyle. They
were also used as a grave marker for the men and boys in early Greece
in the Geometric Period.

The Greeks would make offerings to the

dead with the earlier kraters. There was holes in the bottom of the
krater that would let the offerings go down into the ground so the
loved ones would get the offering in the after life. The earlier kraters
were not function kraters. In later kraters the holes would be gone so
that the kraters would not leak.
There were a lot of different ways to design a pot. One of the
ways was black-figure vessels. This type of design started to happen
in the archaic period. They way they would make this design is by with
slip. The artist would put the slip against the unpainted clay on the
background. Then they would us a sharp too that they would cut
through the slip to the body of the vessel, and incising linear details
within the silhouetted shape by revealing the unpainted clay
underneath. The color contrast only appears in the firing. After if was
fired they would put touches of white and reddish-purple gloss to help
with the decorative effect. Although not all of the figures were not

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black, for example female figures were white with purple-red for the
clothing.
As you can see there is a lot to Greek Pottery than just a bowl
with great designs on them. They all come from different time periods
and different styles. Even they size and type of pot have different
means and different uses. This is a classic example of you cant judge
a book by its cover.

References:
CARTWRIGHT, MARK. "Greek Pottery." Ancient History Encyclopedia.
Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, 12
Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Pottery/>.

"Daily Life in Ancient Greece - The British Museum." Daily Life in

Ancient Greece - The British Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Dec.
2015.
<http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/dailylife/explore/pot_shapes.ht
ml>.

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Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Cothren. "Art of Ancient Greece." Art
History. 5th ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 115-117. Print. 24
Nov. 2015.