Black-Figure Neck-Amphora (Storage Vessel): Animal Friezes
Although seemingly simple in design, this amphora populated with animals (some mythological) and vegetal ornaments speaks to complex cultural intermingling in the ancient world. Known as “Etrusco-Corinthian,” the vase was made in Vulci, an Etruscan site with local workshops influenced by the Greek pottery imported there. These imports, especially from the ancient city of Corinth, helped to bring certain motifs and creatures borrowed from the Near East—such as the griffins here—to the Italian peninsula. Among several lively Etruscan elements on this vase are flowering rosettes, including one about to be eaten by a stag foraging in the upper band.
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)