Terracotta fragments of a kylix (drinking cup)
Unknown Artist
490–480 BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Late Archaic
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dietrich von Bothmer, Distinguished Research Curator, Greek and Roman Art, 2011
Accession Number
2011.604.1.33a–d
Art Historical Context
These terracotta fragments from a kylix, a shallow drinking cup, hail from Attic Greece during the Late Archaic period (490–480 BCE). Crafted in the bustling pottery workshops of ancient Athens, kylikes like this were essential for symposia—lively social gatherings where elite men reclined, drank wine mixed with water, and engaged in philosophical debates, poetry, and games. Though incomplete, these shards offer a glimpse into the refined daily life of classical antiquity, just before the Persian Wars reshaped Greek history. Attic terracotta vases represent a pinnacle of ancient ceramic artis...