Why Study Greek Vases?
Pots are a wonderful way to learn about the cultures and societies of antiquity. Potsherds survive the years by the thousands and afford archaeologists, art historians, and social historians unparalleled insights into the lives of the people who made, used, and broke them. The shape of a vase can suggest its use; its decoration can tell us about the tastes and lives of the people who used it. The relative quantities of sherds, or the findspots of vases, can let us think about the ways their users lived, the kinds of food the people ate and liquids they drank, how they stored things (and what they stored), or even the kinds of things they considered important. Some vessels are spectacularly beautiful. And even the most utilitarian of pots was a thing touched and used by people in their day-to-day existence. This exhibit has been created by students in a graduate seminar at the University of Colorado, CLAS 7109: Greek Vase Painting. Each student has been responsible for two or more of th
