Supervisors info:
Ευρυδίκη Κεφαλίδου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια Κλασικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Στυλιανός Κατάκης, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Κλασικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Νικόλαος Δημάκης, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής Κλασικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Summary:
The project conducted by Attiko Metro SA "Extension of Line 3: Haidari-Piraeus for the construction of a metropolitan railway in Piraeus" prompted the Ephorate of Antiquities of Piraeus and Islands (formerly the 36th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities) to carry out rescue excavations. The archaeological excavation at the "Municipal Theatre" site brought to light numerous underground water supply structures (wells, tanks, tunnels), from which a collection of embossed Hellenistic skyphoi was recovered. This collection was likely deposited there after the destructive raid by Sulla (86 BC) when repairs were carried out in the desolate city.
In the last quarter of the 3rd century BC, a new technique of embossed ceramics in molds was introduced in the Attic Kerameikos. The embossed Hellenistic skyphos appeared around 224/3 BC, with production continuing until the mid-1st century BC. It was used both as a drinking vessel and for various public and private needs.
The aim of the study was the comprehensive examination of 15 embossed Hellenistic skyphoi with figurative scenes, mostly produced by Attic workshops, with one being of Corinthian production, as determined by examining the stylistic rendering of the scenes, the decorative zones of the rim, the calyx, the medallion, and the clay, slip, and shape of the vessel. The scenes in the main decorative zone are categorized into 9 broad groups. Among the skyphos scenes, both common and popular themes of the Hellenistic repertoire and unique, distinctive ones for which no parallels were found are identified.
To identify the scenes, corresponding parallel findings within and outside Attica were sought. Iconographic tracing revealed connections between the Piraeus skyphoi and Peloponnesian workshops, Ephesian-Ionic workshops whose products were distributed via Delos, and those of Lemnos. Additionally, the creation of an Attic skyphos using a mold imported from Delos was confirmed, while perhaps the most interesting finding is the skyphos with the inscription ΜΕΝωΝΟC. Its epigraphic and iconographic examination, combined with the historical context, supports the view of special orders in mass-produced products, evidencing the individuality that characterizes the Hellenistic period.
On another level, the study of secondary stamps, the decorative zones of the rim, the calyx, and the medallion was a crucial factor and significant tool for attributing the skyphoi to specific workshops. Some of these features are original creations of the workshops and have not been found elsewhere.
The choice of themes is closely linked to the iconographic tradition of previous centuries, while also drawing inspiration from contemporary trends. The embossed skyphos, due to its embossed decoration, is compared more to sculpture than to vase painting. In the Piraeus skyphoi, sculptural forms from the models of the 5th and 4th centuries BC were identified, combined with the statuary forms of the Hellenistic period.
Keywords:
Piraeus, rescue excavations, water supply systems, hellenistic moldmade relief skyphos, figurative representations, hellenistic moldmade relief skyphoi workshops
