Terracotta fragment of an oinochoe: chous (jug)? 600 BC

This fragment of an oinochoe, a wine jug, was crafted in ancient Greece, likely during the 5th century BC, by an artist of the Class of Vatican G 50. Notice the band of circles, a motif that echoes across centuries. This "dotted" motif appears in various forms throughout art history, in the Bronze Age, the Minoan civilization, and Egyptian pottery. These repeated circles, or ovals, evoke primitive forms of visual expression, an attempt to represent the cosmos. Like stars in the night sky, there is something deeply rooted in the collective unconscious. What does it mean? Perhaps, at its core, it symbolizes unity or wholeness, the idea of everything being interconnected. A timeless expression resonating through cultures and eras, it remains a basic yet profound element of human visual language.