Phormiskos (Shape, Concept)

Canonical URI: https://kerameikos.org/id/phormiskos

Labels

Preferred Label
Phormiskos (en), Phormiskos (de), φορμίσκος (el)Additional labels
Plural Form
Phormiskoi (en)

Definitions

English
The term phormiskos in ancient literary sources applies to all manner of woven bags, sacks, or baskets made from materials including cloth, leather, or rushes. The ceramic Athenian phormiskos is a rare type of gourd-shaped vase that was produced from the 6th c. BCE until around 480 BCE. The shape ranges from spherical, to pear-shaped, to ovoid, to elongated ovoid; all have a slender neck that forms a single contour from lip to a rounded bottom. They are false vases, since the hollow interior of the body connects to a solid neck. Because of this, along with their name, and their largely funerary iconography, they were likely made specifically as a type of grave good that mimicked astragal (knucklebone) sacks made of perishable materials.

Additional definitions

Data Provenance