The ''epinetron'' (, : ''epinetra'', ἐπίνητρα; "distaff");

Beazley Beazley is a surname, and may refer to * Charles Raymond Beazley, British historian * Christopher Beazley, British politician * David M. Beazley, American software engineer * John Beazley, British classical scholar * Johnny Beazley, American ba ...

also called them ''onoi'', : ''onos'') was a shape 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. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

worn on the thighs of women during the preparation of

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

, not unlike a

thimble A thimble is a small pitted cup worn on the finger that protects it from being pricked or poked by a needle while sewing. The Old English word , the ancestor of thimble, is derived from Old English , the ancestor of the English word ''thumb''. ...

for the thigh. Decorated ''epinetra'' were placed on the graves of unmarried girls, or dedicated at temples of female deities. Because of the strong association between wool-working and the Ancient Greek ideal of women and wives—as in the case of

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius (Spartan), Icarius and ...

weaving in the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

''—it is a shape associated with the

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

. The theme of its decoration tended to be related to its use. The top surface was often incised to make it rough in order to rub the wool fibers. There was often a female head placed at the closed end, where the knee was covered. ''Epinetra'' were often decorated, sometimes depicting black figure

Amazon women The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. They were female wa ...

, as in the case of an ''epinetron'' painted by the Sappho painter between 500 and 490 BCE.

References

External links

Ancient Greek pot shapes {{ceramics-stub