A ''kalos'' inscription (''καλός'') is a form of epigraph found on Attic vases and graffiti in antiquity, mainly during the Classical period from 550 to 450 BC. The word ''kalos'' (καλός) means "beautiful", and in the inscriptions it had an erotic connotation.

Overview

The ''kalos'' inscription is typically found on vessels used for a

symposium In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...

. The scenes that accompany the inscription vary, and include athletic exercises and

myths Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

. Some inscriptions are generic, reading only "the boy is beautiful" (ὁ παῖς καλός). The inscription more often took the form of the beloved's name, in the

nominative In grammar, the nominative case (abbreviated ), subjective case, straight case or upright case is one of the grammatical cases of a noun or other part of speech, which generally marks the subject of a verb or (in Latin and formal variants of Engl ...

singular, followed by "kalos" (''X kalos'', i.e. "X is beautiful"). The beloved is most often a male youth, but a few times girls or women were spoken of as ''kalē'' (καλή). In one early cataloging of the inscriptions, among the individuals labeled as beautiful were 30 women and girls, and 528 youths. Male names outnumber female by more than twenty to one. At least some of the women labeled ''kalē'' were ''

hetairai Hetaira (plural hetairai (), also hetaera (plural hetaerae ), ( grc, ἑταίρα, "companion", pl. , la, hetaera, pl. ) was a type of prostitute in ancient Greece, who served as an artist, entertainer and conversationalist in addition to pro ...

'', courtesans or prostitutes. The names designated as ''kalos'' are characteristic of aristocratic citizens. Some ''kalos'' inscriptions are associated with certain vase painters or pottery workshops. The

Antimenes Painter The Antimenes Painter was an Attic vase painter of the black-figure style, active between circa 530 and 510 BC. The real name of the Antimenes Painter is not known; his current name is an archaeological convention, derived from the Kalos ins ...

, for instance, is named for the ''kalos'' inscription to Antimenes on his pots, and the Leagros Group pottery workshop is named for the youth Leagros, a widely popular object of ''kalos'' praise. These associations suggest a cult of celebrity or a concerted effort by a given youth's family to increase their son's public standing. The purpose of these inscriptions remains uncertain, and many examples may be declarations of love as part of same-sex courtship in Athens. In some cases, the inscriptions or vessels may have been made to order. ''Kalos'' names are also found as graffiti on walls, the most abundant example being the find on

Thassos Thasos or Thassos ( el, Θάσος, ''Thásos'') is a Greek island in the North Aegean Sea. It is the northernmost major Greek island, and 12th largest by area. The island has an area of and a population of about 13,000. It forms a separate re ...

of 60 ''kalos'' inscriptions carved on rock dating from the 4th century. The non-epigraphic literary evidence consists of two references in

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states ...

. Both of these instances, however, praise the ''

demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * plural for Demo (computer programming) ...

'' (the citizenry as a whole) rather than any individual, and suggest the public performance role of the ''kalos'' tag.

Examples

File:Janiform aryballos Louvre CA987.jpg, Janiform

aryballos An aryballos (Greek: ἀρύβαλλος; plural aryballoi) was a small spherical or globular flask with a narrow neck used in Ancient Greece."aryballos" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., ...

(520–510 BC) with ''kalos'' inscription File:Euphronios krater side A MET L.2006.10.jpg, Death of

Sarpedon Sarpedon (; grc, Σαρπηδών) is the name of several figures in Greek mythology * Sarpedon, a son of Zeus, who fought on the side of Troy in the Trojan War. Although in the ''Iliad'', he was the son of Zeus and Laodamia, the daughter of Bell ...

, with a ''Leagros kalos'' example (

calyx 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, krat ...

, 520–510 BCClark, Elston, and Hart, ''Understanding Greek Vases,'' p. 7. File:Tondo Minotaur London E4 MAN.jpg,

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...

with generic "the boy is beautiful" inscription (ca. 515 BC) File:Woman laver Met 1986.322.1.jpg, ''Kalē'' woman bathing (ca. 500 BC) File:Metropolitan kylix - Man bargaining for sex.jpg, A sexual solicitation (5th century BC), with generic inscription File:Nike youth Met 28.167.jpg,

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

offering a wreath to an athletic victor (460–450 BC) File:Draped youths MAR Palermo.jpg, Double inscription

References

Sources

*Neil W. Slater. "The Vase as Ventriloquist: Kalos-inscriptions and the Culture of Fame", in ''Signs of Orality: The Oral Tradition and its Influence in the Greek and Roman World'' (ed. E. Anne Mackay). Leiden: Brill, 1999, pp. 143–161. *Kenneth J. Dover. ''Greek Homosexuality''. 2nd edition. London: Duckworth, 1989. *François Lissarrague. ''Publicity and performance. Kalos inscriptions in Attic vase-painting'', In: ''Performance Culture and Athenian Democracy'', Cambridge 1999, pp. 359–373. *H. Alan Shapiro. ''Leagros the Satyr'' in ''Greek Vases: Images, Contexts and Controversies.'', ed. Clemente Marconi, 2004, pp. 1–12.

External links

{{Greek vase painting 6th-century BC inscriptions 5th-century BC inscriptions Ancient Greek pottery Greek inscriptions