The Swallow Has Come: Birds, Summer, and Ancient Pottery

The swallows arrived late in Athens this year. Usually, we begin to see them in April, cutting through the spring air with their quick, elegant flight. Their appearance in late May felt almost like a small announcement — as if summer had been waiting for them.

Swallows are among the most familiar and beloved birds of the Mediterranean. They travel every year from Africa to Europe, returning to nest close to human homes. Their lively, friendly voices — quick, bright, and restless — are part of the soundscape of Greek spring and early summer.

In Greek, the word χελιδόνι comes from the ancient χελιδών. The same word appears on a famous red-figure pelike in Saint Petersburg, associated with the Pioneer Group and dated around 510–505 BCE. Three figures look up and point to a swallow. The words painted beside them turn the scene into a short, vivid conversation:

ΙΔΟΧΕΛΙΔΩΝ — “Look, a swallow!”
ΝEΤΟΝΗΕΡΑΚΛΕΑ — “Yes, by Heracles!”
HΑΥΤΗΙ — “There it is!”
ΕΑΡEΔΕ — “It is already spring.”

It is a simple moment, but a very beautiful one. The bird is not only part of the decoration; it is noticed, named, and understood as a sign of the season.

This June, inspired by the late arrival of the swallows in Athens, we welcome summer with a selection of birds on pottery — swallows, water birds, and other winged creatures from different styles and periods.

On ancient ceramics, birds often move between nature and symbol. They may suggest migration, fertility, the changing seasons, or simply the pleasure of observing the living world. Like the swallows that build their nests near us, they remain close companions of human life.

So this month, we welcome the summer with wings.