Pelike

Woman and a youth, Apulian red-figure pelike, ca. 370 BC, British Museum (F 316)

A pelike (Ancient Greek: πελίκη) is a one-piece ceramic container similar to an amphora.

It has two open handles that are vertical on their lateral aspects and even at the side with the edge of the belly, a narrow neck, a flanged mouth, and a sagging, almost spherical belly.

Unlike the often-pointed bottom of many amphorae, the pelike's bottom is always flanged so it will stand on its own.

Pelikes are often intricately painted, usually depicting a scene involving people. The shape first appeared at the end of the 6th century BCE and continued to the 4th century BCE.

External links

• Red-Figure Pelike by the Darius Painter
• Neck-pelike with aulodic contest
• British Museum: Red-figure pelike, attributed to the Marsyas Painter
• Shapes of Greek pottery