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The hydria ( el, ὑδρία; plural hydriai) is a form of Greek pottery from between the late Geometric period (7th century BC) and the
Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
(3rd century BC). The etymology of the word hydria was first noted when it was stamped on a hydria itself, its direct translation meaning ‘jug’. It is a type of water-carrying vessel, but it had many other purposes. As time progressed the hydria developed into many forms, some of which were smaller or of a different material. These variants were decorated with detailed figures to represent Greek mythological stories, as well as scenes of daily life, providing extensive insight into Ancient Greek culture and society.


Function

Originally, the hydria's purpose was for the collection of water, but it also held oil and the votes of judges. The design of the hydria allowed for the efficient collecting and pouring of liquids as it possessed three handles: two horizontal ones at its sides and a vertical one on its back. The shape of the hydria was altered in the 5th century BC from having a wide body and broadly rounded shoulders, to a design that incorporated flatter shoulders that met the body at an angle. This was done to ease the task of carrying water to and from the home and places of gathering. The vessel itself could be carried, and the vertical handle allowed the person to pour it easily, which aided in tasks such as diluting wine in a
krater A krater or crater ( grc-gre, , ''kratēr'', literally "mixing vessel") was a large two-handled shape of vase in Ancient Greek pottery and metalwork, mostly used for the mixing of wine with water. Form and function At a Greek symposium, k ...
. The hydria also acted as a funerary urn containing ashes. This function was primarily associated with the hadra hydria. The funerary ceremony was conducted by a royal official who recorded the name of the deceased, their origin, the date of burial and a general
inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
. The bronze hydria acted as a prize in
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
s and competitions. This is evident from the painted scenes on vases that illustrate victors carrying a hydria as a reward and inscriptions that identified the bronze hydria as a prize. The high value of a bronze hydria meant it could also function as a dedication to sanctuaries.


Types


Hydria

The earliest form of the hydria was a large, round shouldered, full-bodied vessel. This shape was commonly used for
black-figure pottery Black-figure pottery painting, also known as the black-figure style or black-figure ceramic ( grc, , }), is one of the styles of painting on antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE, although there are ...
during the 6th century BC. Its characteristics included a well-delineated shoulder, an articulated neck and an overhanging ring-shaped (
torus In geometry, a torus (plural tori, colloquially donut or doughnut) is a surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three-dimensional space about an axis that is coplanar with the circle. If the axis of revolution does not ...
) lip. The hydria was manufactured with three handles: two horizontal ones at its sides and a vertical one on its back. It ranged from 33 cm to 50 cm in height and it was glossed on the outside and not on the inside.


Kalpis

The kalpis became popular during the 5th century BC and became the preferred vessel of choice for
red-figure Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 520 BCE and remained in use until the late 3rd century BCE. It replaced the previously dominant style of black-figure va ...
painters. The kalpis differed from the hydria as it was typically smaller in size, ranging from 25 cm to 42 cm, and its body, shoulder and neck had a continuous curve. Another term associated with a small hydria is hydriske (also called hydriskos, plural hydriskai) which is a diminutive for small hydria. Its vertical handle was cylindrical, attached at the lip rather than the rim, and possessed an in-curved rim compared to the torus lip of the earlier hydria.


Hadra hydria

This style developed during the
Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
and consisted of a wide squat neck, low pedestal and flaring base. Rather than being cylindrical, the hadra hydria's vertical handle was ribbed and its side handles were gently curved. They were named hadra hydria after the suburb "Hadra" in
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...
, where they were first discovered in the 19th century. There were two sub-classes of hadra hydria, one categorised by a thick layer of
whitewash Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used. ...
applied for
Polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statue ...
decoration, a feature that is absent from the other forms of the hydria. These were produced in
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...
and intended to reside in
Tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immuremen ...
s. The second class of hadra hydria are named "Clay Ground". These differed from whitewashed hadra hydria as they used dark brown or black paint for decoration, which was directly applied to the vessel's surface. "Clay Ground" hadra hydria were produced in
Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...
rather than Egypt.


Bronze hydria

Developed from the 4th century BC onwards, the bronze hydria was a prized form of the hydria. It had a shallow neck and a capacious body. It was highly polished and was often decorated with silver inlays. Bronze hydria were also decorated with objects and patterns. For example, one bronze hydria depicted
Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
and a
satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, σειληνός ), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exa ...
. Unlike other forms of the hydria, the bronze hydria had a lid, highlighted from the traces of
soldering Soldering (; ) is a process in which two or more items are joined by melting and putting a filler metal ( solder) into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the adjoining metal. Unlike welding, soldering does not in ...
and the presence of rivet holes found on its rim. Having a lid meant the bronze hydria could act as a funerary urn. There are over three hundred and thirty bronze hydria known, including both complete and incomplete vessels.


Manufacturing


Body

The process began by "throwing" (from the Old English word ''thrownاا'' which means to twist or turn,) the body of the hydria on a
potter's wheel In pottery, a potter's wheel is a machine used in the shaping (known as throwing) of clay into round ceramic ware. The wheel may also be used during the process of trimming excess clay from leather-hard dried ware that is stiff but malleable, ...
, starting with a large ball of
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay part ...
. This clay ball would be formed into a tall cylinder and then expanded outwards through the use of the potter's hands. With one hand on the outside and one on the inside, the potter's hands would press together and form the upward curve of the hydria. At the shoulder level, the potter would smooth the clay inwards, forming the base of the neck. The shoulder was then smoothed out with a
rib tool This is a list of pottery and ceramic terms. :''Definitions in Wiktionary are noted as "(W)".'' A B C D E ...
to remove any throwing striations. The body was then cut off the potter's wheel and set aside to harden.


Neck/mouth/lip

The neck, mouth and lip were thrown right side up, through a similar process of expanding a smaller lump of clay which was then thinned out and shaped. Once a short cylinder was formed, the clay was then angled outward to form the lip of the hydria. The lip was rounded with a sponge and the neck, mouth and lip were cut off the wheel and left to harden. Similar to the
neck amphora An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...
, the neck walls of the hydria were also tapered, starting thicker at the base and becoming thinner towards to lip.


Joining

Once the body and neck had dried, they had to be joined. This was completed through the application of a slip between the shoulder and the neck. The potter would place his hand inside the hydria where the shoulder joined the neck and apply the slip which bonded both the neck and the shoulder. The joining was smoothed out to remove any signing that the sections had been joined.


Turning

Once the vessel had dried to a leather hard stage, the potter inverted the hydria and began to turn it to form its base into its parabolic shape.


Foot

The foot was thrown upside down, through a small ball of clay which was spread outwards. The potter would use his thumbs to shape the walls of the foot whilst using his fingers to round the edge of the foot, giving it a
Torus In geometry, a torus (plural tori, colloquially donut or doughnut) is a surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three-dimensional space about an axis that is coplanar with the circle. If the axis of revolution does not ...
shape. It was cut off the potter's wheel and left to dry. Once dried, it was attached to the rest of the hydria through the application of a slip.


Handles

The hydria has three handles, two horizontal ones at its sides and a vertical one on its back. The horizontal handles were pulled from balls of clay which were then attached below the shoulder on the hydria. The handles were cylindrical and upturned. The vertical handle was also pulled from a ball of clay but it was centre-ridged and oval shaped. It was attached at the lip and shoulder of the hydria. The handles were then burnished by hand rather than on the potter's wheel.


Bronze hydriai

Beginning with two sheets of bronze, the thin walls of the bronze hydria are hammered and shaped. Bronze hydrias with a pronounced shoulder were hammered in two parts. First, a metal disk was shaped to form a neck. Then, a tube flaring at both ends was welded to where the shoulder met the neck of the hydria. The other parts of the hydria; the foot, handles and mouth were not hammered, but instead cast and attached through
welding Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as br ...
or
soldering Soldering (; ) is a process in which two or more items are joined by melting and putting a filler metal ( solder) into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the adjoining metal. Unlike welding, soldering does not in ...
. For its decoration, the bronze hydria was polished, as it created a bright sheen and lustre, but silver inlays were also used for its decoration. Its handles were sometimes decorated with patterns or objects, such as
Palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art o ...
s.


Contribution and examples

The contribution of the hydria is displayed through its decoration and inscriptions. Its decoration often depicted mythological stories and scenes of daily life. The inscriptions provide information such as the potter's name, date and purpose of the hydria. Inscriptions can increase scholarly understanding of Ancient Greek culture, and its development over time, as well as help create a chronological timeline of the development of pottery in Ancient Greece. Decorations can also highlight the particular use of the hydria. For example, bronze hydrias decorated with figures relating to love were gifts to brides, whilst those decorated with Dionysus, were used by men at gala dinner parties.


Caputi hydria

The Caputi hydria provides insight into the role of working women in classical Athens. Due to the lack of written sources surrounding working women in Athens during the 5th century BC, it was noted that women in trades were non-existent and confined to household duties. However, the Caputi hydria depicts women decorating a vase in a pottery workshop, although scholars have debated whether it was a metal workshop. Notwithstanding the academic debate, scholar such as G. M. A. Richter and J. D. Beazley agree this proved the existence of female painters, and women in trades.


Inscribed hadra hydria

Inscriptions noted on several hadra hydria in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 100 ...
contain the names of artists, potters, important historical figures and dates. These inscriptions are important as they provide contextual information that helps to establish the date of the pottery which contributes to its chronological timeline. Important figures that existed during that time are also highlighted which can fill information that written sources cannot provide. For example, on one hadra hydria, the inscription translates to "Year 9; Sotion son of Kleon of Delphi, Member of the Sacred Embassy announcing the Soteria; by Theodotos, agorastes". From this inscription, a date can be approximated, which was 212BC. insight into the political offices that existed is also provided, as well as the names of government officials.


The Friedlaender hydria

This 6th century
black-figure Black-figure pottery painting, also known as the black-figure style or black-figure ceramic ( grc, , }), is one of the styles of painting on antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE, although there are ...
hydria is decorated with multiple mythological reliefs. On the body of the hydria, it shows
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted th ...
struggle with the Triton (otherwise known as
Nereus In Greek mythology, Nereus ( ; ) was the eldest son of Pontus (the Sea) and Gaia ( the Earth), with Pontus himself being a son of Gaia. Nereus and Doris became the parents of 50 daughters (the Nereids) and a son ( Nerites), with whom Nereus ...
or the
Old Man of the Sea In Greek mythology, the Old Man of the Sea ( grc-gre, ἅλιος γέρων, hálios gérōn; grc-gre, Γέροντας της Θάλασσας, Gérontas tēs Thálassas) was a primordial figure who could be identified as any of several water-god ...
) with
Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...
and
Amphitrite In ancient Greek mythology, Amphitrite (; grc-gre, Ἀμφιτρίτη, Amphitrítē) was the goddess of the sea, the queen of the sea, and the wife of Poseidon. She was a daughter of Nereus and Doris (or Oceanus and Tethys).Roman, L., & Rom ...
watching on the side. Two more figures reside on the left of Hercules, identified as
Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...
and
Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...
, longtime companions of Hercules. On its shoulder, five figures are about to engage in battle. The central figure of the five is a herald, whilst the figures on either side are dressed with
Corinthian helmet The Corinthian helmet originated in ancient Greece and took its name from the city-state of Corinth. It was a helmet made of bronze which in its later styles covered the entire head and neck, with slits for the eyes and mouth. A large curved ...
s and armour, holding Boeotian shields. The shoulder relief is reflecting the mythological battle between
Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
and
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
that occurred in the
Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...
. The central figure represents the herald Idaios, who tries to interrupt the battle. The reliefs on the Friedlaender hydria and its shape help to place it chronologically in the 6th century BC and establish a timeline for different series of hydrias.


See also

* Aquamanile * Olla


References


External links


Galleries of Greek hydriai (German)

Glass hydriske at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Glass hydriske at the Art Institute of Chicago

Glass hydriske at the Toledo Museum of Art
{{Educational assignment Storage vessels Ancient Greek pot shapes