A skyphos (; : skyphoi) is a two-handled deep wine-cup on a low flanged base or none. The handles may be horizontal ear-shaped thumbholds that project from the rim (in both
Corinth
Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...
ian and
Athenian
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
shapes), or they may be loop handles at the rim or that stand away from the lower part of the body. Skyphoi of the type called'' glaux'' (owl) have one horizontal and one vertical thumbhold handle.
Examples
Early skyphoi were made during the
Geometric period. Corinth set the conventions that Athens followed. Over a long period the shape remained the same while the style of decoration changed.
Skyphoi were also made of precious metals, generally silver and gold leaf, many examples exist. One possible, well-preserved example is the
Warren Cup,
[In his notes, John Pollini states that uncertainty about the correct name of many ancient drinking vessels exists, however he refers to the object with the "established classificatory term ''scyphus''", Specifically "half-oval variety of scyphus of the calix type". He cites as the "principal work" for such classifacation as: Werner Hilgers, Lateinische Gefassnamen: Bezeichnungen, Funktion und Form romischer Gefasse nach den antiken Schriftquellen, Beiheft der Bonner Jahrbucher, vol. 31 (Dusseldorf: Rheinland-Verlag, 1969). More recently: Stefanelli, 119-24, figs. 84–86.] an ovoid scyphus made of silver, as described by
John Pollini.
A
Roman skyphos of
cameo glass can be seen at the
Getty Museum.
Comparable forms of a handled drinking cup on a base included:
*''
Cotyla'', a more generic term for any cup
*
Kantharos
*
Komast cup
*
Kylix
Modern uses
The word ''skyphos'' has been adopted for the purposes of
biological classification
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon), and these groups are give ...
with regard to
jellyfish
Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...
, which are included in the class
Scyphozoa (), and ''
Sarcoscypha'', the scarlet cup fungus.
See also
*
Black-figure pottery
*
Red-figure pottery
Red-figure pottery () is a style of Pottery of ancient Greece, ancient Greek pottery in which the background of the pottery is painted black while the figures and details are left in the natural red or orange color of the clay.
It developed in A ...
*
Boscoreale Treasure
*
Geometric art
Geometric art is a phase of Greek art, characterized largely by geometric Motif (visual arts), motifs in Pottery, vase painting, that flourished towards the end of the Greek Dark Ages and a little later, . Its center was in ancient Athens, Athens, ...
Notes
References
External links
Skyphoi
Perseus ''Encyclopedia'' skyphos
{{Authority control
Ancient Greek pot shapes
Wine accessories