Corinthian Pyxis: A Relative Dating and Contextual Analysis of Origin

Abstract

Pyxide jars are not uncommon to excavate, as they were standard possessions of women throughout a significant portion of ancient Greece. However, the pyxis jar on display at the W.G. Hardy Classics Museum in Edmonton, Alberta, is suggested to be from a time period that is limited in terms of comparable pyxides. The W.G. Hardy Classics Museum gives no explanation as to where the pyxis jar was contextually found beyond originating from Corinth, and an estimation of being produced sometime within the seventh–sixth century BC. This article narrows the suggested time of production from the two-hundred-year period, as claimed by the museum, to specifically the Early Corinthian period, through a process of relative dating, as Corinth was becoming the production centre for pottery during the time within ancient Greece. Through an analysis of the physical condition, artistic motifs, and comparable pyxides, we are able to ascertain the particular context in which it would have been found, in addition to the timeframe of production, and the likely tools used through the manufacturing process.