500 BC), whose identity is still debated among specialists. Where is this stunning specimen of ancient Greek, wine-related art? In the depths of central-eastern France, about 240 km southeast of Paris, housed in the new museum of Châtillon-sur-Seine.ĭiscovered in late 1952 by a French farmer and excavated by archaeologist René Joffroy, the Vix Krater turned out to be the centerpiece of a vast array of extraordinary objects that accompanied the burial of a mysterious woman (ca. 530-520 BC) is lavish: two Gorgons with serpentine legs grimace from the base of the handles a procession of Greek hoplite warriors in full armor march or drive horse-drawn chariots in a sculpted frieze below the rim a small female figure, perhaps a goddess, wearing a peplos and veil, serves as the handle of the concave lid – which is perforated with tiny holes to allow the straining of the wine as it was poured into the crater. With two curving volute-like handles that rise above the rim, the Vix Krater closely resembles in form the much smaller François Vase (66 cm Archaeological Museum of Florence) and Derveni Krater (90.5 cm Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum). A giant bronze crater or mixing vessel, in which wine was blended with water before being served at symposia (drinking parties), the Vix Krater stands 1.64 m tall, weighs 208 kilos and had a capacity of 1,100 liters. The Vix Krater represents one of the most impressive monuments to the expansion of the ancient Greek wine trade known today.
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