Black-glazed skyphos, Attic Type B, ca. 480–450 BCE.
An Attic Type B skyphos with thin walls, a low ring foot and two differently oriented handles: one vertical and one horizontal, both attached just below the rim. This asymmetrical arrangement distinguishes the form from the more common skyphoi furnished with two horizontal handles.
The type appeared during the early fifth century BCE and is closely associated with the so-called glaux, or owl skyphoi. These decorated versions usually show an owl facing forward between two olive sprigs—emblems of Athena and the city of Athens—recalling the owl represented on Athenian silver coins, known in antiquity as glaukes, or “owls.”
The same vessel shape was also produced without figured decoration and covered simply in lustrous black glaze. Plain examples are particularly well represented in Athens and Attica, including finds from the Athenian Agora, while decorated owl skyphoi were exported widely throughout the Mediterranean.
The vertical handle provided a secure grip while drinking, while the horizontal handle may also have allowed the vessel to be suspended from a hook when not in use.
Dimensions: H 9cm, max L 15cm, rim D 9cm