greek pottery

Greek Pottery

Who, What, When, Where?

• Very few Greek Painted Pictures have survived the 2500 years since they were painted. So most of what we know about Greek art comes from the pictures they painted on fancy pottery. Pottery, even if it gets broken, can be put back together, and a good deal of it has even survived whole, mostly in Etruscan Tombs.

Why?• Greeks made pottery for a variety of reasons. Many

are the same reasons we have pottery today: to hold food items, wines, water, materials, perfumes, supplies etc. etc.

Greeks also made pottery as gifts, awards, and prizes.

Grecians were cremated when they died. Many pots were created to hold the ashes of a loved one. What kind of pictures do you think were painted on those pots?

Greeks LOVED storytelling and they often painted the pictures from a Greek story onto their pots.

Greeks highly valued art, so a well made pot was a valued item.

Greek Pattern Pottery• This is the earliest style of pottery that we are studying.

Black Figure Pottery• Grecians began to paint more and more stories on their pots. As

they did this, there was less room for patterns. They began to paint Black Figure Pottery.

Red Figure Pottery• Grecians potters didn’t like painting the Black Figure pottery as much because you couldn’t have figures that overlapped as easily. They developed the Red Figure Pottery Style. It was harder to do,

but they liked the results better.

End of Greek Pottery Creation

• About 40 years after the invention of Red Figure pottery, the Greeks stopped making all pottery except for funeral urns?

• Why do you think this happened?Historians believe that Greeks stopped making pottery because they suddenly developed a way to make cheaper plates, cups, and vases out of metals. Do you think this is likely? Why or Why not?

Judgment of Paris

Project• You will be creating a Greek-Inspired

pot.

1. You must write your own greek myth. It should be at least one page long single spaced.

2. You must design at least three patterns to go around your pot in rings.

3. You must choose a design and build your pot out of clay.