Terracotta pelike (jar) 430 BC

This terracotta pelike, or jar, was crafted by Mannerists, a group known for their distinctive style in ancient Greece. Imagine it in its original context, amidst symposia, or gatherings of men, a vessel for wine, integral to rituals of bonding and intellectual discourse. Painted in the red-figure technique, a style that emerged in Athens, the pelike depicts two male figures: one playing a double flute, the other holding a skyphos or drinking cup. These scenes were not mere decoration, they offer glimpses into the cultural values of Athenian society, where music, drinking, and male camaraderie were celebrated. Consider how such imagery constructs and reinforces notions of masculinity. The absence of women, except as servers, speaks volumes about the gendered spaces of ancient Greece, where female agency was largely confined to the domestic sphere. It asks us to consider whose stories are being told, and whose are being left out.