Hydria

The ‘hydria’ was a type of water-carrying vessel, and extremely popular in ancient Greece. Decorated in both red- and black-figure technique, vessels of this type often depicted scenes from Greek mythology that encouraged adherence to particular moral and social codes. As well as holding water, hydriai could be used to contain ashes during burials and to collect ballots during elections. By the mid-5th century BC, Greek artisans were also creating hydriai from bronze, some of which were elaborately decorated with finely detailed figures.