preview

Greek Pottery Research Paper

Decent Essays
Open Document

Pottery can not only tell us about the past, but it can also tell us about people’s beliefs and what people did in the past. Pottery was used for many purposes. It was made in many different shapes and sizes. Some pieces of pottery had unique pictures and designs on them. The pictures and designs expressed different types of things that went on in the daily lives of ancient Greeks. Music and entertainment, religious beliefs, death and burial traditions are a few aspects of Greek life that are pictured on many different types of ancient Greek pottery. Music was a big part of the daily life of ancient Greece. Greek children learned a musical instrument at a young age. Music continued to be a part of their lives throughout adulthood. It was …show more content…

The ancient Greeks loved music so much that they put scenes of music on their pottery. One piece of pottery is a water jug. This piece of pottery has a rounded top with a rigged edge. The neck of the pot is short and comes down into a kind of vase. On the vase, there is a person playing a flute. Another person is holding a lyre, which is a wooden stringed instrument. It looks like a music teacher is teaching a student to play an instrument. The handles on the pot are curved outwards like ears. There are spiral-like designs that go around the neck and center of the pot. The pot is entirely black aside from the pictures around the pot. The pictures stand out because they are in gold. This jug was probably used to collect water for special events. Another piece of pottery is used for storage. This jar has very little inward curved handles on each side of the neck. Around the neck of the jar, it looks like a string of olive leaves. From the neck, …show more content…

The Greeks took care of the dead by washing them, putting them in tombs, and bringing offerings to their grave. The women’s role was to wash and wrap the dead bodies in cloth. They also decorated them with flowers and herbs. The men dug the area in which the body was to be buried. On this first piece of pottery, it looks like people are walking as if they were in a funeral procession. Women are surrounding the dead person and men are following the women. The pottery has a top that looks like a funnel which comes down and narrows out into a long neck. At the bottom of the long neck it starts to get wider and forms a shape that looks like a vase. The vase sits on a very small pedestal. On the sides of the narrow neck there are two handles that look like very long and thin wings. On the neck of the pot, there is one women standing there. The design above her head looks like a wreath. She looks like she is crying over a body. She is on top of everything that is on the pottery which leads me to conclude that she is an important part of this piece. The dead person may have been her son or husband. At the bottom of the pottery there is a design that looks like black spikes. The pot is entirely black with the picture in gold paint. This pot was called a Loutrophoros. It was used for holding water to wash the dead body. After the body was buried, the Greeks put offerings on the graves of the people who have passed away. This next

Get Access