Oenochoe (Wine Pitcher) with Lion, Goose, Panthers, Gryphon, Sirens, Antelope, and Rosettes

This Corinthian wine pitcher is part of the AMAM's small but wide-ranging collection of ancient ceramics, and is a very wellpreserved example of its type. The buff color of the body comes from the fine white clay around Corinth, in contrast to the red clay of Athens (which is seen in the Epiktetos kylix). The pitcher's geometric designs are enlivened by the frieze of animals and sirens (or sea nymphs) around its widest part. In the second half of the seventh century BC, panthers, lions, and sirens became particularly popular as decoration.

The AMAM collection of ancient ceramics also includes Cypriot jugs from the third, second, and first millennia BC, a Greek drinking cup (skyphos) from the ninth to eighth century BC, and several Corinthian perfume or cosmetic containers (aryballoi ), as well as a number of Greek oil flasks (lekythoi ) and other vessels from the Classical period-all of which contribute to the teaching of ancient art, archaeology, and Classics, as well as other disciplines, at Oberlin College.