A lekythos (plural lekythoi) is a type of ancient Greek vessel used for storing oil (Greek λήκυθος), especially
olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...
. It has a narrow body and one handle attached to the neck of the vessel, and is thus a narrow type of
jug, with no pouring lip; the
oinochoe is more like a modern jug. In the "shoulder" and "cylindrical" types which became the most common, especially the latter, the sides of the body are usually vertical by the shoulder, and there is then a sharp change of direction as the neck curves in; the base and lip are normally prominent and flared. However, there are a number of varieties, and the word seems to have been used even more widely in ancient times than by modern archeologists. They are normally in
pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...
, but there are also carved stone examples.
Lekythoi were especially associated with funerary rites, and with the
white ground technique
White-ground technique is a style of white ancient Greek pottery and the painting in which figures appear on a white background. It developed in the region of Attica, dated to about 500 BC. It was especially associated with vases made for ritua ...
of vase painting, which was too fragile for most items in regular use. Because of their handle they were normally only decorated with one image, on the other side from the handle; they are often photographed with the handle hidden, to show the painted image.
Function
![Akhilleus Hektor Louvre CA601](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Akhilleus_Hektor_Louvre_CA601.jpg)
The lekythos was used for anointing dead bodies of unmarried women and many lekythoi are found in tombs. The images on lekythoi were often depictions of daily activities or rituals. Because they are so often used in funerary situations, they may also depict funerary rites, a scene of loss, or a sense of departure as a form of
funerary art
Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs ("empty tombs"), tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, and comm ...
. These drawings are usually outline drawings that are quite expressionless and somber in appearance. The decoration of these ceramic vessels consists of a dull red and black paint. These colors may have been derived from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
, but were not used until 530 BC in Athens. Many artists of these vessels attempted to add more color to the figures, but later abandoned the idea, which provides more of a contrast. These vessels were very popular during the 5th century BC, however there are many that have been found dating all the way back to 700 BC.
They contained a perfumed oil which was offered either to the dead person or to the gods of the underworld. Some lekythoi were fitted with a small, inner chamber, limiting the amount of oil required to fill them. The Lekythos was used to smear perfumed oil on a woman's skin prior to getting married and were often placed in tombs of unmarried women to allow them to prepare for a wedding in the
afterlife
The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...
.
Types
Lekythoi can be divided into five types:
* the standard or cylindrical lekythos, which measures between 30 and 50 cm though there are much larger "huge lekythoi", up to 1 m, which may have been used to replace funerary
stele
A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...
,
* the Deianeria lekythos which originates from
Corinth
Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...
, this form has an oval profile and a round shoulder and is generally of a small size (20 cm), it was produced from the beginning of the black figure period until the late 6th century,
* the shoulder or secondary lekythos, a variation on the standard type produced from the mid 5th century on. These have a fuller, swelling body;
[Beazley] most are decorated with the white ground technique and measure around 20 cm,
* the squat lekythos, usually less than 20 cm in height with a rounded belly and a flat base,
* the acorn lekythos, a rarer form, which has an oval profile and at the bottom of the body a raised cup with protrusions, like the cup of an acorn.
There are also "plastic" lekythoi, with bodies formed in the shape of a head, animal, or other form.
Image:Achilles Ajax dice Louvre MNB911.jpg, Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's ''Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, k ...
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 Greek ...
playing a board game (Attic shoulder ''lekythos'' by the workshop of the Diosphos Painter
The Diosphos Painter was an Athenian Attic black-figure vase painter thought to have been active from 500–475 BCE, many of whose surviving works are on lekythoi.
The Diosphos Painter was a pupil of the Edinburgh Painter, who also trained the ...
, ''ca.'' 500 BC)
File:Lekythos hoplite Petit Palais ADUT01575.jpg, Shoulder lekythos
File:Aias body Akhilleus Staatliche Antikensammlungen 1884 full.jpg, Shoulder lekythos, c. 510
File:Komos Dejanira lekythos Louvre CA3329.jpg, Deianeria lekythos
Image:Lekythos by the Group of the Huge Lekythoi Antikensammlung BerlinF 2684 (1).jpg, ''Prothesis'' (lying in repose
Lying in repose is the tradition in which the body of a deceased person, often of high social stature, is made available for public viewing. Lying in repose differs from the more formal honor of lying in state, which is generally held at the pr ...
) (Attic plychrome ''lekythos'' (type V), from Alopeke, Group of the Huge Lekythoi
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
, late 5th century BC)
File:Objects from an inhumation, 475-450 BC.jpg, Squat (left) and plastic (right) shapes
File:Squat Lekythos with Two Youths LACMA M.80.196.24.jpg, Squat type
File:Acorn-lekythos Louvre MNB1320.jpg, "Acorn" type, Louvre
File:Beldam Painter - Herakles and Pholos - Walters 48229 - Top.jpg, A view from above
File:Ancient vases Athens Agora Museum.jpg, Group in Athens
File:NAMA Hermès & Myrrhinè.jpg, alt=A carving of a noble robed man and woman apparently leading a demure, robed woman. The man's robe is open, exposing his penis. He holds the hand of the woman., Relief from a carved funerary ''lekythos'' ( National Archaeological Museum of Athens): 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 ...
conducts the deceased, ''Myrrhine'', to Hades
Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...
, c. 430–420 BCE
See also
*
Ancient Greek vase painting
*
Corpus vasorum antiquorum
Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum ("corpus of ancient vases"; abbreviated CVA) is an international research project for documentation of ancient ceramics. Its original ideal target content: any ceramic from any ancient location during any archaeological ...
*
Lekythion
A lekythion or lecythion, in classical Greek and Latin poetry, is a metric pattern (''colon'') defined by a sequence of seven alternating long and short syllables at the end of a verse (—u—x—u—).Dale, A. M.: ''Lyric Metres of Greek Drama'' ...
, literally "small lekythos", a metric pattern in poetry named after this type of vessel
*
Loutrophoros
A loutrophoros (Ancient Greek: λουτροφόρος; Greek etymology: λουτρόν/loutron and φέρω/pherō, English translation: "bathwater" and "carry") is a distinctive type of Greek pottery vessel characterized by an elongated neck wit ...
*
Pottery of ancient Greece
*
Reed Painter
Notes
References
*"Beazley"
"Lekythos" Classical Art Research Centre, University of Oxford. Archived fro
1 December 2016
*Woodford, Susan, ''An Introduction To Greek Art'', 1986, Duckworth,
*
{{Greek vase shapes
Ancient Greek pot shapes