poor and limited in number (see p. 79), the chances are fairly probable that they had never
OINOCHOAI 111 The arrangement of the colored lines differs throughout the series. For the most part there
seems to be no correlation between the shape and the system of decoration. Only two examples have incised and painted tongues on the shoulder, 161-3 and 264-3. A few comparatively early pieces have at the shoulder a band of five lines alternating white and red (wrwrw), and on the lower body one red between white lines (131-2, 160-7, 162-4, and see also the variant system on the later 249-4). The consistent group of very large mid-century pitchers shows a simpler arrangement with two red between white lines (wrrw) and two red lines only on the lower body. A few preserve only red lines, both at shoulder and below, perhaps accidentally in 203-3, but probably red only was applied on 164-3, 221-3, and 246-1. Late examples have red also on neck and mouth, as in the fifth century. Apparently no color at all was put on the late 252-3 and 257-6.
The globular trefoil oinochoai must have been made primarily if not exclusively for grave furniture. I know of no sixth century examples found in the central excavations at Corinth.
No doubt because of their restricted function, they were not exported. In museum collections, where the provenience is known, all oinochoai of the shape were obtained in Corinth or Athens.62
HANDMADE UNGLAZED TREFOIL OINOCHOAI
Description: soft pale clay, unglazed; paring marks on neck and body; trefoil mouth with narrow lip, high loop handle, wide neck, globular body, flat bottom without foot.
142-c (P1. 19) 163-3 (Pl. 25) 172-i (P1. 26) 174-4 (P1. 28) 143-2 (P1. 20) 163-4 172-j (P1. 26) 182-4 (P1. 28) 166-8 (P1. 20) 170-2 (P1. 27) 173-2 (P1. 27) 206-2
157-g (P1. 23) 170-3 174-3 (P1. 28) X-125
The datable pitchers of this type (Fig. 14) are all Middle Corinthian but the type is a survival from a period at least as early as the Protocorinthian. In the large vases of this series no devel- opment is discernable, though it may be possible that those with the more sharply differentiated shoulder are somewhat later. No. 172-j, though found with Middle Corinthian vases, including another, more developed unglazed oinochoe, seems by far the most primitive. Also of early form is 182-4, with its long neck and small body (cf. 87-5). Nos. 173-2 and 206-2 are small vases which may be wheelmade. For other sixth century handmade vases, see p. 118. See also Corinth, VII, i, pl. 37, no. 301 and pl. 43, no. 357, EC and MC respectively; and note the similarity of shape to that of the bronze pitcher, Perachora, I, pl. 61, 14.
A number of very similar jugs have been found at the Argive Heraeum. It is not impossible that these, like many other dedications found at the sanctuary, were imports from Corinth, but an Argive origin also seems possible. See Hesperia, XXI, 1952, pp. 202ff., pl. 58. An explanation of the survival of such a crude technique may perhaps be found in the "Doric"
pots excavated at Asine, very rude pieces found side by side with well-made sub-Mycenaean vases.63
62 The one exception is the very early piece in Madrid, CVA, II (III C), pl. 2, 7, which is reported to be from Alga.
One wonders, in view of the Greek provenience of the other Corinthian vases from the same collection (Asensi), if this too might not have been purchased abroad. Cf. for the shape our 161-3.
On the basis of the Cemetery series, it may now be possible to date some of the examples in European museums some-
what more accurately: Copenhagen, CVA, II, pl. 83, 10, early second quarter of the sixth century; pl. 83, 8, probably last quarter. Hague, Scheurleer, CVA, I (IIIC), pl. 3, 4, mid-sixth century or a bit later. Paris, Rodin, CVA, pl. 6, 6, second half of the sixth century (cf. our 262-3 and 221-3).
Louvre, CVA, VI (III Ca), pl. 7, 17, perhaps second quarter.
Braunschweig, CVA, pl. 5, 7, mid-sixth century.
6 Asine, pp. 435f.
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OLPAIM4
169-2
187-4 (P1. 29) 189-1 (P1. 27) 194-2 (P1. 92) 267-7 (P1. 34)
No. 189-1 is a large black-glazed olpe of Attic type, with trefoil mouth; 187-4 and 194-2 are miniatures of approximately the same shape. An unusual small vase with round mouth and offset shoulder, 267-7, dates from the end of the sixth century. The typical Corinthian olpe with round mouth and figured decoration is not found in the Cemetery. For 169-2, see catalogue.
BLACK-GLAZED BEAKED OINOCHOE
254-1 (P1. 34)
ROUND-MOUTHED OINOCHOAI65
191-3 (P1. 27) 266-2 (P1. 34) D 5-b (P1. 35) D 6-b (P1. 92) 261-1 (P1. 34) 268-2 (P1. 34) D 5-c (P1. 35) X-127 (P1. 92)
Except for 255-2, a very early form of Type B (pp. 136-137), the above belong to the Type A series of round-mouthed oinochoai (Fig. 14, pp. 134-136). No. 191-3 is by far the earliest, probably from the second quarter of the sixth century; the remainder, most of which have a sloping shoulder, belong to the end of the century and are the forerunners of the large fifth century series.
BOTTLES66
167-h (Pls. 23, 86) 157-i (P1. 23) 169-8 (P1. 24)
The small group of bottles comprises one figured and two pattern vases, and of these the figured vase, 157-h, has, as well as its frieze, the largest selection of patterns. The decoration of 157-i is in the white style, and that of 169-8 is confined to dots and bands. The shapes range from the continuous outline of 169-8 through the intermediate 167-h to the sharply offset shoulder of 157-i. Since two of the three examples were found in grave 157, the vases of which cover a relatively long period, the North Cemetery bottles offer no evidence to con- firm or refute Amyx's suggestion that the slender tapering shape is the earlier.67
HYDRIAI68
135-2 (PI. 18) 160-9 (PI. 24) D 45-a D 46-b (PI. 33)
The hydriai from the Cemetery are pattern vases: one large Late Corinthian example (D 46-b) with a panel of chained lotus buds, and the remainder Middle Corinthian miniatures with simple tongues and bands.
AMPHORAS69
141-5 (Pls. 19, 85, 154-5 (P1. 15) 194-4 (P1. 105) Frontispiece)
64 Necrocorinthia, p. 326; Hopper, p. 242.
65 Necrocorinthia, p. 337; Hopper, pp. 236ff.
66 Necrocorinthia, pp. 313f.; Hopper, pp. 247f.; Amyx, p. 226.
67 Amyx, p. 226. Hopper, p. 247, suggests that both types
are probably contemporary. The Baltimore example, Walters Art Gallery no. 48.192, also Middle Corinthian, has a very wide bottom tapering upward to the mouth.
68 Necrocorinthia, p. 336; Hopper, p. 245.
69 Necrocorinthia, pp. 300, 816, 327; Hopper, pp. 243f.
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ARYBALLOI 113 No. 141-5 is a small amphora strikingly decorated in a heavy Middle Corinthian style. The others are two of a number of large coarse vessels used for the interment of infants (see p. 73).
Some of the large burial pots which were not inventoried may well have been similar amphoras.
ARYBALLOI WITH FIGURED DECORATION70
129-3 (Pls. 18, 124) 163-5 (P1. 25) 172-1 (P1. 26) D 44-f (Pls. 80, 124) 156-9 (Pls. 20, 124) 168-7 (P1. 27) D 42-f (P1. 124) X-128
167-j (Pls. 23, 124) 172-k (P1. 26)
The most distinctive of the ten figured aryballoi is also the earliest, D 44-f, with its tiny sphinxes. Nos. 129-3 and 157-j, with cocks, and D 42-f with panther, are also Early Corinthian, but modest work probably to be dated to the end of the period. The style of the three examples with birds and sirens is late: Middle Corinthian for 168-7 and X-128, and probably a bit later still for 163-5. Also Middle Corinthian are the three komast aryballoi from graves 166 and 172.
For aryballoi with warriors, see below. No flat-bottomed aryballoi were found.
WARRIOR ARYBALLOI71
Description: small spherical aryballoi; black rings on the mouth, dots on the edge;
tongues on the shoulder; bounding lines above and below frieze; two or more horizontal lines on the handle, with blank area below; in frieze, four warriors marching to right, carrying shields with purple centers, and spears held forward; no filling ornament.
142-d (PI. 19) 147-11 (P1. 21) 169-9 (P1. 24) 172-m (P1. 26) 147-8 (P1. 21) 147-12 (P1. 21) 159-10 (P1. 24) 182-5 (P1. 28) 147-9 (P1. 21) 147-13 (P1. 21) 170-4 (P1. 27) 182-6 (P1. 28) 147-10 (P1. 21) 147-14 (P1. 21)
The fourteen examples listed above include three different kinds of warrior aryballoi. Four of them (147-11, 147-12, 159-9, 159-10) show warriors with almost recognizable features, carrying their spears back over their shoulders. The figures on four others (147-13, 147-14, 142-d, 170-4) hold shields of a different kind: three closely-set vertical incisions, glaze on the left half, purple on the right.72 Of the third, and most common type, as noted in the description above, two examples (147-9, 147-10) have patterns under the handle, a detail which at Rhit- sona73 is characteristic of the earlier series. That the first two kinds are Middle Corinthian is clear from their contexts, notably 142 and 169; and the finding of these two in addition to at least some of the third kind in grave 147 shows that they must all be nearly contemporary.
The pair from 182, although they have a much squatter body, need not be much later. Our series in general resembles most closely the Rhitsona aryballoi from the graves of Ure's group B;
his date of 600-590 B.C. for the group appears only slightly early to be consistent with the majority of the large vases found with the aryballoi in grave 147.74
70 Necrocorinthia, pp. 287ff., 303f., 319f.; Hopper, pp.197ff.
71 Necrocorinthia, pp. 288f., 320; Hopper, pp. 200f.;
Ure, Aryballoi, pp. 38ff.
72 This form of shield occurs also on earlier, better-drawn aryballoi, e.g., Clara Rhodos, VI, p. 17, fig. 7, pl. 1, grave 2;
Dglos, X, pl. 24, nos. 274 and 300. Note also the example with hailstone fillers from Selinus, Mon. Ant., XXXII, 1927,
pl. 88, 8; and the amphoriskos, Brussels, CVA, I (III C), pl. 1, 28.
73 Ure, Aryballoi, pp. 38, 39.
74 Aryballoi, p. 23. See also Reading, CVA, I, pl. 4, nos.
7-11, and pp. 8, 9, where the dates given in the earlier publications are maintained approximately (grave 86, with group C aryballoi, is dated 580-570 B.C.).
8
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QUATREFOIL ARYBALLOI75
Description: spherical body; black rings on the mouth, dots at the edge; horizontal bands on the handle, star below handle. On body, quatrefoil pattern: four oval leaves, points outward; connecting member above, three arcs with "comb" along top; at bottom, three or four arcs and one zigzag, with three short tongues below; at center, long ellipse;
purple for large leaves, center line of ellipse and tongues.
147-15 (P1. 21) 157-k (P1. 23) 163-c (P1. 25) D 44-g (PI. 30) 147-16 (PI. 21) 157-1 (P1. 23) 172-n (P1. 26) D 45-b
147-17 (P1. 21) 163-b (P1. 25) 180-5 (P1. 27)
Although quatrefoil aryballoi occur in almost uncountable numbers elsewhere, only eleven examples were found in the Cemetery. The earliest are the two (147-16, 147-17) from grave 147, distinguishable from the rest in having a comb instead of petals between the two lower leaves. A few (157-k, 157-1, 172-n, D 44-g, D 45-b) have petals on the mouth. No. 172-n is exceptional in being larger and more elaborate than the usual kind. The rest are homoge- neous in character, except that 180-5 is small and poor. The combed examples from 147 would date the beginning of the Cemetery series toward the end of the Middle Corinthian period. The remainder follow soo after, and belong to the graves transitional between Middle and Late Corinthian. Although the main group corresponds most closely to the aryballoi from the Rhitsona graves of Group C,76 especially in their use of the three petals, enough early charac- teristics are present, as the dots on the edge of the mouth and the patterns below the handles, to make a transitional position between Middle and Late Corinthian quite reasonable. No examples of the aryballoi with the cinque- and sixfoil type of decoration were found in the Cemetery.
PATTERN ARYBALLOS
147-18 (P1. 21)
BLACK-GLAZED ARYBALLOS
D 44-h (P1. 30)
ALABASTRA77
129-4 (Pls. 18, 124) 163-6 (P1. 25) 163-8 (P1. 25) X-129 129-5 (Pls. 18, 124) 163-7 (P1. 25) 172-o (P1. 26) X-130
The three early figured pieces are small vases with common subjects: cocks (129-4), panther (129-5), and panther-bird (X-129). The one large example (172-o) alternates bands of scale pattern with rows of marching warriors. Less usual is the quatrefoil on the three alabastra from grave 163, a motif found almost exclusively on aryballoi. X-130 is an undecorated vase of local fabric but of a shape foreign to Corinth.
AMPHORISKOI78
188-5 (P1. 29) D 44-i (P1. 30) D 44-j (P1. 30) D 44-k (P1. 30)
75 Nerocorinthia, pp. 320f.; Ure, Aryballoi, pp. 43ff.;
see also Hopper, p. 201.
76 The dating of these, as of the other aryballoi, follows well the chronology established by the Ures; see particularly
Reading, CVA, I, pp. 9f., pi. 5.
n Necrocorinthia, pp. 281ff., 303ff.; Hopper, pp. 192ff.
78 Necrocorinthia, pp. 314, 324; Hopper, p. 245.
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LEKYTHOI, PYXIDES 115