Abstract

This paper analyzes the trends in depictions of women in Athenian vase-painting during the 5th century BCE through an examination of approximately 88,000 vases in the Beazley Archive Pottery Database. It found a 15% increase in depictions of women during the 5th century BCE and a diversification in subject matter in which women appear. By considering these trends within the historical context of the hegemonic position of Athens in the Delian League and its wars, this paper proposes that the changes in representations and subject matter denote an expanded marketability of vases to female viewers. As targeted imagery, the images give perceptible recognition to an increased valuation of women’s work and lives at a time when their roles in Athenian society were essential for the continued success of the city-state. This paper suggests that these changes also point to the fact that a greater share of the market was influenced by women, either directly or indirectly, and successful artists carefully crafted targeted advertisements on their wares to attract that group. This paper provides new insights into the relationships between vases and their intended audiences within the context of the cultural changes occurring in Athens itself.

Highlights

  • During the late 6th through to 5th century BCE, when the majority of the Athenian vases we have today were produced, Athens was a metropolis seeking to expand its hegemonic control over the Greek world and was in constant conflict, first with the Persians and with other city-states.While this tumultuous history is well known, it is not often connected with Athenian vase-painting and its popularity in domestic and foreign markets, that is beginning to change with recent publications such as Robin Osborne’s The Transformation of Athens (Osborne 2018)

  • In order to examine the marketing patterns of Athenian vases in the 5th century BCE and to understand the changes in depictions of women in ancient Athens, first we must consider the wider understand the changes in depictions of women in ancient Athens, first we must consider the wider body of vase-paintings in the Beazley Archive Pottery Database (BAPD)

  • When we examine the dates of vases with Athenian fabric in BAPD, there was an overall dip in the production of vase-paintings after Athens after the middle of the BAPD, there was an overall dip in the production of vase-paintings after Athens after the middle the 5th century BCE (Figure 2)

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Summary

Introduction

During the late 6th through to 5th century BCE, when the majority of the Athenian vases we have today were produced, Athens was a metropolis seeking to expand its hegemonic control over the Greek world and was in constant conflict, first with the Persians and with other city-states. The vase painters target this market by embedding social cues, representing familiar household tasks, and depicting anonymous figures with which women of wide-ranging social statuses could self-identify These represented activities are not new; rather, they are more visible in the cultural landscape within Athens. As targeted imagery, these images give perceptible recognition to the increased valuation of women’s work and lives at a time when their roles in Athenian society were essential for the continued success of the city-state. By linking these changes with the contemporary history, I argue that women became a viable market at a critical political point in Athenian history

Marketing and Advertising
Overall Distribution and Production of Athenian Vases
Relative numbers
Data and Methodology of the Study
Distribution of Depictions of Women in Athenian Vase-Painting
Relative
Depictions
11. Athenian
14. Athenian
15. Athenian pyxis with with women
16. Relative
Targeting Female Viewers
Conclusions
Findings
A Brief History of Ancient Greece
Full Text
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