Forme vascolari e pratiche rituali in attica tra la fine dell’VIII e il VII secolo a.C: il caso dei krateriskoi su altopiede

From the end of the 8th to the first half of the 7th century b.c., profound changes in vessel types, decorative techniques and pictorial subjects can be observed in the ceramic workshops of Attica. Alongside innovative tendencies, however, conservative phenomena can also be identified. One example is the high-footed krateriskos. Having evolved from the bowls with pronounced lips of the Geometric period, this type remained unaltered until the mid-7th century. It is analysed by the author particularly in relation to burial contexts, where pairs of krateriskoi often occur as the sole grave goods. The question as to what their function might have been is particularly interesting. Some signs appear to suggest that they were used for offerings, either as the tomb was being closed or immediately afterwards, at the end of the burial ritual. With a few exceptions, the krateriskos seems to disappear from the repertoire of the ceramic vessels used as grave offerings after the middle of the 7th century. However, it continues to be found in Attic shrines dedicated to Artemis, a goddess also linked to the chthonic sphere. Perhaps the krateriskos had come to be particularly associated with the chthonic sphere precisely because of its use in burial rituals and a certain religious conservatism therefore perpetuated its use for votive offerings in the cult of this goddess.