Before the modern advents of trains and automobiles,
trade between civilizations concentrated around th Mediterranean moved foremost by sea. While many bul commodities such as timber and stone could be loade directly aboard a ship with little preparation, othe commodities such as spices, wine, and grain needed t be packed in individual containers for transport bot at sea and on land and to prolong their life span.
Pottery was first created in order to fulfill thes practical needs. Over time, the art form evolved fro large, unadorned commercial transport vessels t refined, specialized works in elegant shapes used t hold precious substances such as perfume or oils.
An entire retinue of terracotta vessels dedicated t the rites of the dinner table began to appear. Thes pieces were based on the luxurious bronze and silve vessels that could only be afforded by the wealth elite and were decorated with fanciful natural motif and painted scenes of everyday life and celebrate myths. These wares were of such beauty that the themselves became prized commodities and were trade throughout the Mediterranean world; perhaps even fo the very substances they were created to contain.
These works are individually classified by thei shapes and their form was inherently linked to thei function, be it preparation, dispensation, o consumption.
The majority of the pots were thrown on a manuall driven potter’s wheel and fired in a wood-burning kil where the artist could determine the color of th vessel by controlling the oxygen flow within. Whil many potters threw and painted their own works,
certain potters excelled in producing specific shapes,
and other artists specialized in painting. Before th 6th Century B.C., the island of Corinth, with thei distinctive black-figure wares that first appeared i the 7th Century, dominated the lucrative potter export trade.
However, by around 525 B.C., the city of Athens, wit their varied styles of vessel shapes and painte scenes, had wrested control from the Corinthians an established a firm monopoly in luxury wares. A first, the Attic painters emulated the black-figur style employed by the Corinthians. In black-figur technique, the vase surface was covered with a dilute wash of clay. A thicker solution of iron-rich cla formed the "glaze" used to paint on figures in soli silhouette. Intricate details were then incised ont the figures. Finally, painted red and white highlight were added before firing.
By 480 B.C., the black-figure style would b effectively replaced by red-figure wares which firs appeared around 530. In the red-figure technique, th process was reversed and the figures appeared in re against a black background. Liquid glaze was used t outline the figures. Contours and inner lines wer then added. The painted lines could be diluted to golden brown or left jet black. After the figures wer drawn, the background was added in black and the po fired. Although the red-figure technique lacks th sharpness of black-figure painting, the increase painterly effects, the greater sense of movement, an the heightened emotions more than make up th difference.
In an overview of Ancient Greek pottery, perhaps n single style is as charming as the works originatin from the Italian province of Apulia. The Gree colonies of southern Italy (known in antiquity a Magna Grecia) were marked by their initial allegianc to the ceramic styles of the Attic mainland. However,
over the years, native traditions and innovation heavily influenced the works of Magna Grecian potters.
Unorthodox forms and painting-styles were seamlessl merged with the standard Greek style, creatin distinctive works of art unique to the Hellenisti world.

This gorgeous hydria is decorated with a red-figur mythological scene likely representing the Greek go of wine Dionysus. The scene is framed above by reserve orange branch that encircles the neck an below by a reserve band filled with a painted meande motif. A nude male figure stands to the left in th main painted composition. The white fillet, o ribbon, that is tied around his head is an attribut associated with Dionysus. He stands in a contrappost stance with his weight resting on his left leg. Wit his left arm, he holds a shallow cup known as a phial out towards the seated female figure on the right.
The seated woman is most likely a maenad, the name fo the female followers of Dionysus. She wears a peplos,
a garment that is gathered at the waist and pinned a the shoulders. Jewelry adorns her body and kekryphalos, the cloth that binds her hair, decorate her head. She holds a branch in her right hand,
similar to the branch that Dionysus holds in his righ hand, thus linking the two figures together. Variou palmette motifs decorated the voids between them a well as the areas around the handles.
In antiquity, this lovely three-handled vessel woul have been used to draw, transport and dispense water.
This water would have been used to mix with wine i another retinue of mixing vessels known as kraters. Therefore, this hydria would have played an integra role during ancient drinking festivities. Thus, th theme of the painted scene is quite fitting. Suc vessels were sometimes used as cinerary urns,
revealing how much they were adored and honored eve in their own time.