Greek Bronze Hydriai Open Access
Sowder, Amy Ann (2009)
Abstract
Strategies for collecting, transporting, and storing clean water are essential to successful human societies. The name and form of the Greek water jar, or hydria, seems to have been standardized as early as the Bronze Age and remained essentially the same for millennia. Because the need for hydriai spanned every socioeconomic class, it is no surprise that the shape was made in large quantities and in diverse materials and sizes. Although the vessels made of precious metals have largely vanished, at least 600 bronze examples survive. This dissertation offers an assessment of the form, functions, and value of Greek bronze hydriai made between the Archaic and Hellenistic periods, from the late seventh through the first century BC. The substantially increased corpus, more than double the number of vessels known at the time of the last synthetic publication in 1964, allows for more nuanced considerations of chronology and typology for the series and for more closely identifying products of the same craftsman, workshop, and region. The first part addresses the development of shape, technique, and decoration, as well as problems of manufacture and exchange. Locating centers of production and examining the circulation patterns throughout the Mediterranean affords new examinations of the relationships between the Greeks and their neighbors in Italy, central Europe, Asia Minor, and the northern territories surrounding the Black Sea. Chapters 1-4 offer investigations of form and manufacture for the Archaic, Early Classical, High Classical, and Late Classical and Hellenistic vessels, respectively. The fifth chapter assesses the significance of the iconographic motifs adorning the vessels broadly within the Greek artistic tradition and specifically on jars made for water. Finally, in Chapter 6, I propose that this ubiquitous shape in this specific material was held in high cultural esteem, far outweighing its economic worth. Broader considerations of the diverse functions of bronze hydriai as attested in ancient literature, inscriptions, and art demonstrate that the shape occupied a much more central position in Greek culture than traditionally has been acknowledged, serving men as well as women, the living and the dead, in both domestic and sacred contexts.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents Acknowledgements List of Plates List of Figures Introduction 1 Prologue: Bronze Age and Geometric Predecessors 12 Chapter 1: Archaic Bronze Hydriai 19 Group 1: Non-Figural Ornaments 31 Group 2: Swan's Heads 37 Group 3: Foreparts of lions 41 Group 4: Palmettes and animals 48 Group 5: Female protomes, lions, and rams 54 Group 6: Female protomes, palmettes, lions, and rams 70 Group 7: Gorgoneia 79 Group 8: Ivy leaves 88 Group 9: Anthropomorphic handles (kouroi) 97 Group 10: Zoomorphic handles (lions) 105 Group 11: Elaborate groups of figures and lions 107 Group 12: Anthropomorphic handles with elaborate groups of figures and Animals (lions, horses, birds, hares, and snakes) 113 Group 13: Archaic varia 127 Chapter 2: Late Archaic and Early Classical Bronze Hydriai 133 Group 14: Female protomes 138 Group 15: Lions turned inwards, facing over the mouth of the vase 159 Chapter 3: Classical Bronze Hydriai and Kalpides 179 Group 16: Sirens 185 Group 17: Plain, no added decorations 202 Group 18: Attacking lions 208 Group 19: Classical varia 209
Chapter 4: Late Classical and Hellenistic Bronze Hydriai and Kalpides 211 Group 20: Mythological appliqués 215 Group 21: Late Classical and Hellenistic varia 289 Chapter 5: Significance of the Iconography 296 Swans 299 Snakes 301 Lions 303 Gorgoneia 305 Female figures 307 Horses 311 Eagles 316 Sirens 317 Mythological couples 322 Dionysiac revelry 323 Eros with religious implements 323 Maenads 324 Nikai 324 Chapter 6: Functions and Value: Greek Bronze Hydriai in Life and in Death, as Attested in Literature, Inscriptions, and Art 327 Sources: Advantages and Limitations 330 Inscriptions on Bronze Hydriai 330 Representations 331 Water containers 335 Extinguishing Fires 346 Voting 347 Weapons 350 Symposia 351 Repositories for money, tribute, and valuables 352 Prizes 353 Sacred implements and dedications 373 Gifts 385 Inscriptions with Personal Names 389 Weight/Value 394 Burial Containers and Funerary Offerings 398 Conclusions 413
Abbreviations 418 Bibliography 419 Catalogue Plates 454 Archaic Bronze Hydriai 611 Group 1: Non-Figural Ornaments 611 Group 2: Swan's Heads 613 Group 3: Foreparts of lions 617 Group 4: Palmettes and animals 619 Group 5: Female protomes, lions, and rams 631 Group 6: Female protomes, palmettes, lions, and rams 636 Group 7: Gorgoneia 640 Group 8: Ivy leaves 644 Group 9: Anthropomorphic handles (kouroi) 652 Group 10: Zoomorphic handles (lions) 657 Group 11: Elaborate groups of figures and lions 659 Group 12: Anthropomorphic handles with elaborate groups of Figures and Animals (lions, horses, birds, hares, and snakes) 660 Group 13: Archaic varia Late Archaic and Early Classical Bronze Hydriai 674 Group 14: Female protomes 674 Group 15: Lions turned inwards 682
Classical Bronze Hydriai and Kalpides 692 Group 16: Sirens 692 Group 17: Plain, no added decorations 712 Group 18: Attacking lions 725 Group 19: Classical varia 727 Late Classical and Hellenistic Bronze Hydriai and Kalpides 732 Group 20: Mythological appliqués 732 Group 21: Late Classical and Hellenistic varia 757 Appendix I: Geographic Distribution of Findspots 762 Appendix II: Inscriptions on Bronze Hydriai 789 Appendix III: Greek Silver Hydriai 793 Comparative Figures: Prologue 797 Chapter 1 800 Chapter 2 816 Chapter 3 823 Chapter 4 828 Chapter 6 871
Museum Index 889
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