Although the skyphos is a Greek form of pottery, this cup is not Greek in its origin, but is from Gnathia, a region of southern Italy. Southern Italy was populated by a vast number of Greek colonies from the 8th Century BC onwards – so much so that to the Romans the area was known as Magna Graecia – ‘Great Greece’. These Greek colonies were instrumental in the bringing of Greek culture and thought to Italy, and so greatly influenced Roman literature, philosophy and material culture. Gnathia pottery is usually characterised a glossy black glaze.
To find out more about different types of Greek vessel please see our relevant blog post: Collecting Greek Vases.
