Attic Middle Geometric Amphora from Kerameikos 800 BC

This Attic Middle Geometric Amphora was made in Greece around the 8th century BC. The potter's wheel had long been in use, but with the rise of the Greek polis, or city-state, such as Athens, we see a renewed interest in monumental vases for civic use. The Kerameikos was the potters' quarter of ancient Athens, and this amphora, made from local clay and decorated with abstract geometric motifs, shows the level of specialization that had developed there. Note the meander patterns and the concentric circles, which are typical of the period. Such imagery, repeated across numerous vases, shows the existence of shared cultural codes and values. It’s likely that this vase was used in a funerary context, perhaps as a grave marker or as a container for offerings to the dead. In studying works such as this, historians look to archaeological records and ancient texts. The role of art in the life of the polis is contingent on these social and institutional contexts.