Typology of Greek vase shapes
Overview
Greek pottery may be divided into four broad categories, given here with common types:
- storage and transport vessels, including the amphora, pithos, pelike, hydria, stamnos, pyxis,
- mixing vessels, mainly for symposia or male drinking parties, including the krater, dinos, and kyathos,
- jugs and cups, several types of kylix also just called cups, kantharos, phiale, skyphos, rhyton, mastos, and jug-types oinochoe and loutrophoros,
- vases for oils, perfumes and cosmetics, including the large lekythos, and the small aryballos, alabastron, and askos.
In addition, various standard types might be used as external grave-markers, funerary urns containing ashes, or as grave goods. Several types of vase, especially the taller ones, could be made in "plastic" forms where the body was shaped sculpturally, typically to form a human head.Styles of lips and feet