Red-figure Kylix

(L’ Escala, Girona)

Gender and social class
Gender and space
Gender and attire

In the pottery of ancient Greece, a kylix is a broad wine-drinking cup found particularly in the context of banquets or at ritualized drinking events known as symposia. The interior of these cups often depicted images related to wine drinking, mythological settings or even erotic scenes, which were revealed once the cup had been emptied. This archetype helped to model the identity of the group participating in the celebration, primarily men pertaining to the nobility. This kylix from the 4th century BC, produced in southern Italy and unearthed in the ancient Greek city of Empúries in the province of Girona, Spain, shows the head of a woman with her hair in a bun. While some have identified the woman as Artemis or Aphrodite, this has not been confirmed. It does, however, allow us to reflect on the presence or absence of women in this type of celebration

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