Siren-Shaped Perfume Flask
600–480 BCE
A half-bird, half-woman creature, a siren lured sailors to death by the sweetness of her song. The most famous sirens appear in the ancient epic the <em>Odyssey</em>. Shaped like a siren, this vessel likely held valuable perfumed oil. Its small mouth limited spillage, and a string attached to the loops on its back allowed it to hand or hold a stopper.
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)