3-047-508 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Pitcher (Oinochoe) in the Form of a Head of a Youth, about 510 BC. Additional Info: This jug (oinochoe) belongs to a tradition of Greek head vases, drinking or pouring vessels that incorporate a hollow mold-made head. The most popular face for fifth-century Athenian head vases is that of a young woman. Head vases in the form of Black Africans are much less common. Besides the use of black gloss for their skin, the faces are often rendered with stereotyped physical features - thick protruding lips, flared nostrils, and tightly-curled hair. The Greeks used the term Aithiopes for peoples who lived in the Sahara and south of Egypt. The word translates as 'burnt face', and mythical tales suggest that Greek awareness of Black Africans was deeply rooted.By the time that this vase was made, some Africans may have been present in Athens, either as enslaved servants, freed slaves, or freeborn immigrants.