After dinner, groups of between about 14 and 22 men, but sometimes as many as 30, reclined on couches around a room to engage in drinking, conversation, and song. 2 The symposium provided men in the higher echelons of society with a formal social context for drinking. This krater was discovered in the tomb of the Princess of Vix, along with the other banquet utensiles presented in the display case on the left as you enter the room.Drinking in classical Greek society (about the 5th and 4th centuries BC) took place in various contexts.
She was certainly holding a drinking cup and a pitcher. Look closely, she must have been holding two objects, that have since disappeared over time. Yes, you see, when wine was stored in amphoras, certain ingredients had to be added that left residus.Īnd in the center you can see a small statue of a young girl.
Hey ! As a matter of fact, let's climb those steps there, to observe the top of the vase… Wow, do you see that ? The cover is perforated so as to filter the wine. More precisely, it was used to mix some water into the wine before merry-makers could partake of the beverage ! « But .» you might be thinking, « What could this vase possibly have been used for. ? » Well, actually, it was used for banquets ! Or, uh, festive dinners, if you see what I mean. If you look at it really carefully and you walk all around the vase, you'll see that none of the figures are identical. Then, around the neck of the vase you can see a frieze : it depicts a procession of Greek soldiers and horse-drawn chariots. On the two handles you can see the grimacing figure of Medusa with her boar-like teeth ! Medusa is a monster from Greek mythology that would turn you into stone if you looked into her hideous face. in a Greek workshop located in southern Italy.īut, now, let's take a closer look at it ! This type of vase is known as a « krater »… And this one was produced in around 530 B.C. Do you realize it stands 1.64 meters high and can contain up to 1,100 litres of liquid ?!Īnd despite these impressive dimensions, the belly and neck were produced from a single sheet of bronze that was hammered into shape ! And it's only 1.2 millimetres thick ! Can you believe it ? It's the largest existing bronze recipient dating back to antiquity. And now, for your wonder and amazement we have the pleasure to present you the pride and joy of our museum : the one and only : Vix vase !
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