Shape and Size

Late Protocorinthian (650-630 BCE)
Transitional (630-620/15 BCE)
Early Corinthian (620/15-590 BCE)
Middle Corinthian (590-575 BCE)
Late Corinthian (575-550 BCE)

The alabastron is introduced around the middle of the 7 th century BCE in Corinth and becomes increasingly popular in the late 7 th century BCE. Its popularity fades during the 6 th century BCE when the alabastron is gradually replaced by the globular, footless, aryballos.(1)

There is a gradual trend from the short and squat alabastra of the late Protocorinthian period towards the more elongated and narrow Early Corinthian alabastra. Transitional alabastra bridge the gap. They have a more defined curve at the neck than the Protocorinthian models and appear attenuated because of the clear separation between body and lip. Most Early Corinthian alabastra have an average height of 8-10 cm and are only slightly taller than the 7-8 cm tall Transitional alabastra. However, there are some alabastra that are considerably taller, such as an Early Corinthian example from 620-590 BCE, which is 35.9 cm tall.(2)

Author: Gina Hander

(1) Humphrey Payne, Necrocorinthia: A Study of Corinthian Art in the Archaic Period (Oxford: Clarendon Press 1931 ):281.

(2) Ibid , 270-271, 274, 281, 284.