Skyphos in Gnathia style
| Measures | h 9,3; ø edge 8; ø foot 3,9 |
| Place and chronology | Salentino - Tomb. 25. Second half of the 4th century BC |
In the ancient world, along with the commonly-used and rustic pottery, without decoration, fine pottery began to be produced, characterized by its thinness and brilliant and protective surfaces which the craftsmen decorated with ornamental figures and motifs. This type of pottery has been found throughout the Apulian world, in response to specific needs, whether practical, ritual or symbolic. Vases were powerful vehicles of communication through their decorated scenes, representing themes of religion, myths and everyday life. The dove, for example, was considered sacred to the goddess Aphrodite (Venus in the Roman world). The skyphos was a small cup used to drink, almost cylindrical in the most ancient examples but more and more tapered over time; it is characterized by the presence of two handles set just below the rim.
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