---
title: Greek vases: names, shapes and functions
author: Jan van der Crabben
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/243/greek-vases-names-shapes-and-functions/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---
# Greek vases: names, shapes and functions
_Authored by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/)_
The system of names used today for [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) vases has quite rightly been described by one leading scholar as 'chaotic'. Many of the names were first applied in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by scholars who tried to fit the names of pots that they knew from Greek and Latin [literature](https://www.worldhistory.org/literature/) or inscriptions to the pieces then surfacing from excavations. More recent studies of inscriptions on the actual pots have brought some of the correct names to light, and it is becoming increasingly clear that very few of the names used today were used in antiquity. However, the present system is so widespread that it would be very difficult to sweep it away and replace it with something more logical.
Many pots fulfilled a range of functions, being used in both domestic and ceremonial or religious contexts. Clay, cheap and plentiful in many parts of ancient [Greece](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/), was the basic raw material for most containers. At most times the wealthy would have drunk from [gold](https://www.worldhistory.org/gold/) and [silver](https://www.worldhistory.org/Silver/) cups, but practically all households would have been well supplied with a range of clay vessels, both coarse and fine. These would have been used for storage, cooking and for the table.
[  Attic Column-Krater Peter Roan (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/1207/attic-column-krater/ "Attic Column-Krater")The basic shape of a vase can often provide clues to its function. The open form of broad, shallow cups or large wine bowls (kraters), suggests easy access for hands or implements, for drinking, dipping or mixing. Small closed shapes with narrow mouths, such as lekythoi, are more likely to have contained something that was sealed up with wax or a stopper, and they might have been used for storage. The two horizontal handles of the water-jar (hydria) must have been essential for lifting the vessel when it was full and needed to be transported on someone's head, while the single vertical handle would have been used for pouring or for carrying the pot when empty.
Scenes on [pottery](https://www.worldhistory.org/pottery/) may also illustrate the way the vases were used. Cups, bowls, jugs and wine coolers are shown in use at drinking parties, hydriai in fountain house scenes; small aryballoi, holding the perfumed oil that athletes rubbed on themselves after exercise, appear in scenes of the [gymnasium](https://www.worldhistory.org/Gymnasium/). Very often the same vases that were used in these domestic contexts could also be dedicated in sanctuaries or laid in the [tomb](https://www.worldhistory.org/tomb/); but there were also individual shapes, such as the lekythos, that were particularly favoured for special purposes, in this case as funeral offerings.
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## Bibliography
- [British Museum - Greek vases: names, shapes and functions](http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/g/greek_vases.aspx "British Museum - Greek vases: names, shapes and functions"), accessed 1 Dec 2016.
## About the Author
Jan is the Founder & Chairman of World History Encyclopedia and is the organisation's Director of Design & Technology. He holds an MA War Studies from King's College, and he has worked in the field of history-related digital media since 2006.
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/janvdc)
## Cite This Work
### APA
Crabben, J. v. d. (2011, August 02). Greek vases: names, shapes and functions. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Crabben, Jan van der. "Greek vases: names, shapes and functions." *World History Encyclopedia*, August 02, 2011. .
### MLA
Crabben, Jan van der. "Greek vases: names, shapes and functions." *World History Encyclopedia*, 02 Aug 2011, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/ "User Page: Jan van der Crabben"), published on 02 August 2011. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.