In the pottery of ancient Greece, a kylix ( , ; grc, κύλιξ, pl. κύλικες; also spelled cylix; pl.: kylikes , ) is the most common type of wine-drinking cup. It has a broad, relatively shallow, body raised on a stem from a foot and usually two horizontal handles disposed symmetrically. The main alternative wine-cup shape was the ''

kantharos A ''kantharos'' ( grc, κάνθαρος) or cantharus is a type of ancient Greek cup used for drinking. Although almost all surviving examples are in Greek pottery, the shape, like many Greek vessel types, probably originates in metalwork. In i ...

'', with a narrower and deeper cup and high vertical handles. The almost flat interior circle of the base of the cup, called the tondo, was generally the primary surface for painted decoration in the

black-figure Black-figure pottery painting, also known as the black-figure style or black-figure ceramic ( grc, , }), is one of the styles of painting on antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE, although there are ...

or red-figure pottery styles of the 6th and 5th century BC, and the outside was also often painted. As the representations would be covered with wine, the scenes would only be revealed in stages as the wine was drained. They were often designed with this in mind, with scenes created so that they would surprise or titillate the drinker as they were revealed.

Etymology

The word comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''kylix'' ("cup"), which is cognate with Latin ''calix'', the source of the English word "

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

" but not related to the similar Greek word κάλυξ : ''calyx'' which means "husk" or "pod". The term seems to have been rather more generally used in ancient Greece. Individual examples and the many named sub-varieties of kylix are often called names just using "cup". Like all other types of Greek pottery vessels, they are also covered by the general term of "vase".

Purpose

The primary use for the kylix was drinking wine (usually mixed with water, and sometimes other flavourings) at a symposium or male "drinking party" in the

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

world, so they are often decorated with scenes of a humorous, light-hearted, or sexual nature that would only become visible when the cup was drained.

Dionysos In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

, the god of wine, and his

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, σειληνός ), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exa ...

s or related komastic scenes, are common subjects. On the external surface sometimes, large eyes were depicted, probably also with humorous purposes (

eye-cup Eye-cup is the term describing a specific cup type in ancient Greek pottery, distinguished by pairs of eyes painted on the external surface. Description Classified as '' kylikes'' in terms of shape, eye-cups were especially widespread in Ath ...

). Other humorous purposes would include designs on the base of the cup, such as the male genitals on the ''Bomford Cup'', a late 6th century kylix. The shape of the kylix enabled the drinker to drink whilst recumbent, as was the case in the symposia. It also enabled them to play

kottabos Kottabos ( grc, κότταβος) was a game of skill played at Ancient Greek and Etruscan symposia (drinking parties), especially in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. It involved flinging wine-lees (sediment) at a target in the middle of the ro ...

, a game played by flinging wine lees at targets. A typical bowl held roughly 8 oz/250ml of fluid, though this varied greatly with size and shape.

Sub-types

There are many sub-types of kylix, variously defined by their basic shape, the location or subject of their painting, or their main place of production, or often a combination of these. Several of these are grouped under the term of

Little-Master cup Little-master cups are a type of Attic black-figure cups, produced around the middle and third quarter of the sixth century BC. Their name is based on their fine small-format decoration. Little-master cups are later in origin than Siana cups, bu ...

. The sub-types include: Image:Type A kylix MOS 1983 1157.JPG, Kylix type A, no turned or "offset" lip; a "fillet" at the top of the short stem. Image:Triptolemos Painter MOS 1887 213.JPG, Kylix type B, no turned or "offset" lip, nor a "fillet", so the profile runs smoothly from lip to foot Image:Band cup Louvre F75.jpg, Band cup, with the main painting in a band low on the body. Image:Droop_cup_Louvre_CA2512.jpg, Droop Cup Image:Eye-cup kantharos Louvre F144.jpg,

Eye-cup Eye-cup is the term describing a specific cup type in ancient Greek pottery, distinguished by pairs of eyes painted on the external surface. Description Classified as '' kylikes'' in terms of shape, eye-cups were especially widespread in Ath ...

, painted with eyes Image:Kassel_cup_Louvre_E673.jpg,

Kassel Cup Kassel cups are a specific type of Attic Little-master cups, produced in Athens around 540 to 520 BC. Kassel cups are quite similar to Band cups, but shallower and usually rather small. The lip and body of the vase are usually decorated with simple ...

Image:Komast_cup_Louvre_E742.jpg,

Komast cup The Komast cup (also Comast cup) is a cup shape at the beginning of the development of Attic drinking cups. Komast cups were widespread especially in Ionia and Corinth. Like other vase painters of the time, the Attic painters were under strong in ...

, Athenian black-figure, with short stem, angled "offset" lip. Image:Lakonian cup BM GR 1968.2-13.1.jpg, Lakonian cup File:Lip-Cup sexual intercourse Ialysos black background.jpg,

Lip cup Lip cups are a type of ancient Greek Attic Little-master cups. Lip cups were produced from the middle of the sixth century BC in Athens. They resemble Gordion cups, but their lips or rims were more clearly distinguished from the rest of the body. ...

, with the main painting just below the lip; the stem and foot are lost in this example Image:Siana_cup_Louvre_F67.jpg, Siana cup, Similar to Komast, with slightly longer stem, and painted on the inside. File:Merrythought Cup Antikensammlung Berlin.jpg,

Merrythought cup The term Merrythought cup is used by scholars to describe a specific type of Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a ''loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''s ...

, with distinctive "wishbone" handles File:Boeotian kantharos Louvre MNC670.jpg, For comparison, a black-glaze

with Boeotian inscription (

Thespiae Thespiae ( ; grc, Θεσπιαί, Thespiaí) was an ancient Greek city (''polis'') in Boeotia. It stood on level ground commanded by the low range of hills which run eastward from the foot of Mount Helicon to Thebes, near modern Thespies. Histo ...

, 450–425 BC)

Decoration

Colmar Painter - Running Warrior - Walters 481920 - Detail(1)

After the kylikes were formed, an artisan drew a depiction of an event from

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

or everyday life with a diluted glaze on the outer surface of the formation. Inside the drinking bowl was often a portrait of dancing and/or festive drinking.Allen, Douglas
Attic Red-Figure Kylix
''Utah Museum of Fine Arts'', 2008-02-19. Unique compositional skills were necessary for the artisans to attain due to the lack of verticals and horizontals on the surface. Onesimos, Makron, and Douris were famous painters in this field, renowned for their works.

Famous pieces

Individual kylixes with articles include: * Arkesilas Cup, very unusual because it shows a then-living political figure, Arkesilaos II, king of Kyrene (d. 550 BC). It is dated to about 565/560 BC, and is now in Paris. * Dionysus Cup, famous for its painting, 540–530 BC. It is one of the masterpieces of the Attic

Black-figure Black-figure pottery painting, also known as the black-figure style or black-figure ceramic ( grc, , }), is one of the styles of painting on antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE, although there are ...

potter

Exekias Exekias ( grc, Ἐξηκίας, ''Exēkías'') was an ancient Greek vase painter and potter who was active in Athens between roughly 545 BC and 530 BC. Exekias worked mainly in the black-figure technique, which involved the painting of scen ...

and one of the most significant works in the Staatliche Antikensammlungen in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

.Inventory number 8729 (formerly 2044); evaluation of worth by John Boardman, ''Schwarzfigurige Vasen aus Athen.'' Mainz 1977, and

Thomas Mannack Thomas Mannack (born in 1958) is a German classical archaeologist. Mannack obtained his Doctorate in 1992 with at the University of Kiel. The thema of his dissertation was ''Beazleys spätere und späteste Manieristen''. He is a specialist in ...

: ''Griechische Vasenmalerei.'' Stuttgart 2002, * Berlin Foundry Cup, a

red-figure Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 520 BCE and remained in use until the late 3rd century BCE. It replaced the previously dominant style of black-figure va ...

kylix from the early 5th century BC. It is the

name vase In classical archaeology, a name vase is a specific "vase"In the study of ancient Greek pottery a "vase" is a general term covering all pottery shapes. whose painter's name is unknown but whose workshop style has been identified. The painter is co ...

of the Attic vase painter known conventionally as the

Foundry Painter The Foundry Painter (german: Erzgießerei-Maler) was an ancient Greek Attic red-figure vase painter of the Late Archaic period. His real name is unknown; the conventional name is derived from his most famous work, the Berlin Foundry Cup. Toge ...

. Its most striking feature is the exterior depiction of activities in an

Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

bronze workshop or

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

. It is an important source on

metal-working technology. * Brygos Cup of Würzburg, an Attic

kylix from about 480 BC. It was made by the

Brygos Brygos was an ancient Greek potter, active in Athens between 490 and 470 BC. He is known as a producer of excellent drinking cups. About 200 of his pieces are known. The workshop of Brygos employed a red-figure vase painter who is conventionally c ...

potter and painted by the man known as the

Brygos Painter The Brygos Painter was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek Attica, Attic Red-figure pottery, red-figure vase painter of the Late Archaic Greece, Archaic period. Together with Onesimos (vase painter), Onesimos, Douris (vase painter), Douris and Makro ...

. Its symposium scenes are some of the best-known images of Greek pottery.

References

External links

{{Authority control Ancient Greek pot shapes Wine accessories Drinkware History of wine