Terracotta fragments of kylikes (drinking cups)
Unknown Artist
6th/5th centuries BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Classification
Vases
Culture & Period
Greek, Attic · Archaic/Classical
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
2011.604.5.753a–c
Art Historical Context
These terracotta fragments from kylikes—shallow, stemmed drinking cups—originate from Attic Greece during the Archaic and Classical periods (6th–5th BCE). In ancient Athens, kylikes were essential to the *symposion*, an all-male social ritual blending wine, conversation, poetry, and intellectual debate. Held in private homes, these gatherings fostered philosophy, politics, and, with the cup's wide bowl ideal for mixing and sharing diluted wine. Crafted from fired clay, Attic terracotta vases represent a zenith of ancient pottery innovation. Potters and painters, often anonymous workshops, emp...