Lekythoi

A lekythos (plural lekythoi) is a type of ancient Greek vessel used for storing oil (Greek λήκυθος), especially olive oil. It has a narrow body and one handle attached to the neck of the vessel, and is thus a narrow type of jug, with no pouring lip; the oinochoe is more like a modern jug. In the "shoulder" and "cylindrical" types which became the most common, especially the latter, the sides of the body are usually vertical by the shoulder, and there is then a sharp change of direction as the neck curves in; the base and lip are normally prominent and flared. However, there are a number of varieties, and the word seems to have been used even more widely in ancient times than by modern archeologists. They are normally in pottery, but there are also carved stone examples.

Lekythoi were especially associated with funerary rites, and with the white ground technique of vase painting, which was too fragile for most items in regular use. Because of their handle they were normally only decorated with one image, on the other side from the handle; they are often photographed with the handle hidden, to show the painted image.

Function

The lekythos was used for anointing dead bodies of unmarried women and many lekythoi are found in tombs. The images on lekythoi were often depictions of daily activities or rituals. Because they are so often used in funerary situations, they may also depict funerary rites, a scene of loss, or a sense of departure as a form of funerary art. These drawings are usually outline drawings that are quite expressionless and somber in appearance. The decoration of these ceramic vessels consists of a dull red and black paint. These colors may have been derived from the Bronze Age, but were not used until 530 BC in Athens. Many artists of these vessels attempted to add more color to the figures, but later abandoned the idea, which provides more of a contrast. These vessels were very popular during the 5th century BC, however there are many that have been found dating all the way back to 700 BC.

They contained a perfumed oil which was offered either to the dead person or to the gods of the underworld. Some lekythoi were fitted with a small, inner chamber, limiting the amount of oil required to fill them. The Lekythos was used to smear perfumed oil on a woman's skin prior to getting married and were often placed in tombs of unmarried women to allow them to prepare for a wedding in the afterlife.

Types

Lekythoi can be divided into five types:
* the standard or cylindrical lekythos, which measures between 30 and 50 cm though there are much larger "huge lekythoi", up to 1 m, which may have been used to replace funerary stele,
* the Deianeria lekythos which originates from Corinth, this form has an oval profile and a round shoulder and is generally of a small size (20 cm), it was produced from the beginning of the black figure period until the late 6th century,
* the shoulder or secondary lekythos, a variation on the standard type produced from the mid 5th century on. These have a fuller, swelling body;Beazley most are decorated with the white ground technique and measure around 20 cm,
* the squat lekythos, usually less than 20 cm in height with a rounded belly and a flat base,
* the acorn lekythos, a rarer form, which has an oval profile and at the bottom of the body a raised cup with protrusions, like the cup of an acorn.

There are also "plastic" lekythoi, with bodies formed in the shape of a head, animal, or other form.

Image:Achilles Ajax dice Louvre MNB911.jpg, Achilles and Ajax playing a board game (Attic shoulder ''lekythos'' by the workshop of the Diosphos Painter, ''ca.'' 500 BC)
File:Lekythos hoplite Petit Palais ADUT01575.jpg, Shoulder lekythos
File:Aias body Akhilleus Staatliche Antikensammlungen 1884 full.jpg, Shoulder lekythos, c. 510
File:Komos Dejanira lekythos Louvre CA3329.jpg, Deianeria lekythos
Image:Lekythos by the Group of the Huge Lekythoi Antikensammlung BerlinF 2684 (1).jpg, ''Prothesis'' ( lying in repose) (Attic plychrome ''lekythos'' (type V), from Alopeke, Group of the Huge Lekythoi, late 5th century BC)
File:Objects from an inhumation, 475-450 BC.jpg, Squat (left) and plastic (right) shapes
File:Squat Lekythos with Two Youths LACMA M.80.196.24.jpg, Squat type
File:Acorn-lekythos Louvre MNB1320.jpg, "Acorn" type, Louvre
File:Beldam Painter - Herakles and Pholos - Walters 48229 - Top.jpg, A view from above
File:Ancient vases Athens Agora Museum.jpg, Group in Athens
File:NAMA Hermès & Myrrhinè.jpg, alt=A carving of a noble robed man and woman apparently leading a demure, robed woman. The man's robe is open, exposing his penis. He holds the hand of the woman., Relief from a carved funerary ''lekythos'' ( National Archaeological Museum of Athens): Hermes conducts the deceased, ''Myrrhine'', to Hades, c. 430–420 BCE

See also

* Ancient Greek vase painting
* Corpus vasorum antiquorum
* Lekythion, literally "small lekythos", a metric pattern in poetry named after this type of vessel
* Loutrophoros
* Pottery of ancient Greece
* Reed Painter

Notes

References

*"Beazley"
"Lekythos"
Classical Art Research Centre, University of Oxford. Archived fro

1 December 2016
*Woodford, Susan, ''An Introduction To Greek Art'', 1986, Duckworth,
*

{{Greek vase shapes

Ancient Greek pot shapes