Black-glazed skyphos, Attic Type B (Glaux, meaning 'Owl'), 480-450 BCE.
An Attic Type B skyphos with thin walls and a ring foot, featuring two handles—one horizontal and one vertical—both attached just below the rim. Skyphoi with differing handle orientations are rarer than those with two horizontal handles. This style first appears in the early 5th century BCE, with many examples decorated with an owl standing to the right and facing forward, flanked by two olive sprigs, the symbols of Athena. This motif draws a parallel to the owl depicted on Athenian coins and was even called ΓΛΑΥΚΕΣ (Owls) in antiquity.
Skyphoi of this type are sometimes simply covered in black glaze and are primarily found in the Athens Agora and throughout Attica, whereas the decorated 'owl-skyphoi' were widely exported.
The vertical handle allowed for drinking or dipping the cup into the drink, while the horizontal handle made it possible to hang the cup on a hook when not in use.
Dimensions H: 9cm, max L: 15cm, rim D: 9cm