Historical Context: This aryballos is typical of pottery produced in Corinthia during the 9th to 7th century BC. This is the geometric era, before the archaic era, about the time of Homer and the founding of Carthage by the Phonecians (814 BC) and the founding of Rome by the Romans (753 BC).

An aryballos is a narrow-necked, spherical or globular Greek vase. Commonly used as a scent or oil bottle, particularly by athletes at the baths, the aryballos derives from the globular (oinochoe) of the Geometric style (9th century BC), evolving its distinctive shape in the early Proto-Corinthian style (8th century BC). From the many aryballoi that have been found dating from the late 8th and 7th centuries bc, an evolution can be traced from a round to an ovoid shape, then to a pointed, top-heavy version, and finally to a round shape; the round, Corinthian type.

Antiquities
Ancient Greek