›Ptoiketas kalos‹

Abstract

This paper presents the figured and inscribed pottery from a Boeotian tomb of the first decade of the 5^th century B.C., which contained mostly black-glazed kantharoi as well as a knife, and discusses it in the context of its grave group. The text is supplemented with an osteological analysis and a find list. The only vessels decorated with images are two black-figure skyphoi, while there is one inscribed kantharos bearing the graffito ›Ptoiketas kalos‹. The style of drawing is mediocre and the depicted scenes are generic ones of athletics (boxing and wrestling) as well as the one of a seated woman. The paper discusses the following topics: 1. The tomb’s occupant in association with his grave offerings. 2. Figured and inscribed vessels as part of a mise en scène exalting gender values and social identities. 3. Complementarity between painted scenes and inscription in commemoration of the male deceased. 4. Patterns of consumption and deposition of grave furnishings in early 5^th century B.C. Boeotia.