Libation Cup Or Kylix, Ancient Greece, 5th–3rd Centuries B.c.

This cup is an example of ancient pottery, more specifically a kylix (or a skyphos—a low bowl with handles), typical of ancient Greece or southern Italy (Etruscan culture or Greek colonies in Magna Graecia), generally dating from the Classical or Hellenistic periods (around the 5th–3rd centuries BCE). It features a characteristic coating called black glaze (which is actually a very fine clay slip that turned black and glossy upon firing)

Its primary function was for wine tasting during the symposium (the Greek banquet). These banquets were occasions for social interaction, political and philosophical debates, and entertainment reserved for men.

Diluted wine: The Greeks almost never drank their wine undiluted (considered a “barbarian” custom). The wine was mixed with water in a large vessel (the krater) before being served in these cups.

How to hold it: The two large horizontal handles made it easy to grasp the cup, often with just one hand by slipping a finger through the handle, while the guests lay on benches (banquet beds).