Ancient Greek Pottery/Pottery In Ancient Greece

Pottery plays an important role in Greek civilization. It was used for storing wines, wheat, grains and so on. In early Greece (1000 BC to 700 BC) pottery was made with clay, having geometric designs. The early part of the Greek civilization had Egyptian influences on the designs of their pottery, but the latter half had a strong Athenian influence which included the Greek gods and the goddesses as well as scenes depicting real life.

Ancient Greek pottery included clay which used to turn red when it dried up. The Athenians made the pottery popular by using black and red combinations to make it look beautiful.

Pottery was produced in many regions of Greece which Athens and Corinth had produced as the finest pottery. Amphora, which is also known as the two handled, tall, storage vessel was used to store wine, oil, honey and corns. Even container ships used amphora vessels in large numbers but these potteries didnt have any distinct design, or any design in that matter.

A giant amphora known as Dipylon Vase was used in the tomb of aristocrats and wealthy people, having geometric figures of the deceaseds family and friends.
The vases were sold at area which was known as keramikos and it took around one to two drachmas, depending on the design to buy one. Alabastran which was a small vase with a narrow neck and flat, broad mouth was used for storing perfume and oil.

For fetching water from the fountains or public places, they used Hydria which had an oval body, with two horizontal handles. Kraterq was a large bowl which was used for mixing wine and water, commonly used at drinking parties.

Now ancient Greek pottery also had a pouring jug which was called Oinochoe which was used in wine parties for pouring purposes. For storing cosmetics, power and jewellery, the woman used a box with a lid called Pyxis. The 7th century saw the development of black figures on the vase which was called the Arabic style. Now with the start of the Persian war the black figures were replaced by red ones.

Ancient Greek Life History / Ancient Greece Facts for Kids

We owe a lot to Ancient Greek Civilization. History of ancient Greece is a fascinating. On this site, we have given information on various ancient Greek life aspects - Arts, Boys and Girls, Architecture, Dancing, Gods, Myths, Medicine, Inventions, Houses, Government, Religions, Wars, Politics, Weapons and ancient Greece Cities.