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Fig. 1. Athenian red-figure drinking mug ca. 410-400 BCE. © Trustees of the British Museum (1849,060.12).
Description
Description
The image on the left contains an Athenian red-figure drinking mug (1849,0620.12) ca. 410-400 BCE housed in the British Museum (Dimensions: h. 23.0-23.5 cm, d. 12.5 cm, w. 11 cm. and depth. 16.5 cm).
The mug is mould-made and has two main parts. The lower half which contains the base of the mug and its body, and the upper half which is made up of the neck, rim, and handle of the mug. In addition, the two halves are examples of two different decoration styles used in the fifth century BCE.
The lower-half of the mug is moulded to resemble a bearded Persian male. The base is made of the male's neck, and the head is the body of the mug. The head portion of the mug was decorated with a white slip that was applied over the red colour of the clay.
The neck and rim portion of the mug resembles a more traditional Athenian red-figure vase. It has a figural scene in red on a black slip background. The neck of the vase sits atop the crown of the male's head and the handle straddles the two halves of the mug at the back of the head.
Both the moulded head and the red-figure scene reference the Persian Wars which occurred between ca. 490-450 BCE. The head (Fig. 1) is a bearded Persian male wearing a soft skin hat (a kidaris) that is tied beneath the chin. A fillet that wraps around the head, covering the ears, is tied at the base of the back of the head. The face contains an emotive expression made by the furrowed forehead and eyebrows, wide eyes, and open mouth.
The red-figure scene (Fig. 2) on the neck of the mug contains an Athenian woman (right) sitting in a highbacked chair, holding a mirror. She is wearing a chiton with a mantle overtop and is adorned with earrings, bracelets, and a head band (sphendone). The figure on the left is another young woman who is wearing Persian-style clothing. This outfit includes a trouser-suit (a combination of an anaxyrides (trousers) and a kandys (a fitted, sleeved shirt)) covered by a patterned, sleeveless ependytes, and a headdress with ear covers. She is holding a box out to the seated woman.
Use and Interaction
Use and Interaction
This Athenian red-figure drinking mug would have been used during events such as symposia. During such events, Athenian citizen men would drink mixed wine and converse with the other guests while servants, typically enslaved boys or women, would cater to the needs of the revellers. Such catering involved serving food and wine or providing entertainment.
While serving the men, enslaved workers interacted with objects such as this mould-made drinking mug in many ways. The simplest interaction would have come in the form of witnessing the citizen men using the mug and pouring wine into the vessel for their enslavers to drink. While pouring wine into the vessel both the images of the Persian male and the Persian-dressed female would be visible to the enslaved worker. Upon seeing the expression on the male's face, the enslaved worker may have interpreted the furrowed brows and open mouth as an expression of pain which would serve as reminder of their own suffering. Or, they could focus on the role of the servant girl and, especially if the attendant at the party is female, see the roles they play within the household.
Fig. 2. A close-up look at the neck of the Athenian red-figure drinking mug ca. 410-400 BCE. depicting a servant dressed in Persian style clothing next to a seated, presumably Athenian, woman. © Trustees of the British Museum (1849,060.12).
Context
Context
This drinking mug, made at the end of the 5th century BCE was fashioned during the Classical Period, a time when Athenian enslaving practices were at their height.
The figural representations seen on this mug tie into two discussion topics in the study of Athenian slaving practices. The first is the question of where and how Athenian enslavers acquired their labourers. The second discussion focusses on the role of enslaved people, especially enslaved women, in the oikos (household).
The double representation of Persians on the mug suggest some of Athens' enslaved population were a product of war. During the 5th century BCE, Athens suffered a series of wars, the one most relevant here being the Persians Wars (ca. 490 and 450 BCE). Athens was known to take the women and children from areas which Athenian armies had conquered, and turn those conquered peoples into "slaves" upon arriving in Athens (Paus. 4.35.7; Thuc. 5.116). Aside from enslaving women and children of conquered areas, Athens is also known to have received enslaved peoples from slave markets in Thrace and Scythia. Because of the proximity of Thrace and Scythia to western Persia and the simple fact that both groups are from the East, they are represented in what became the stereotypical "Oriental" dress that was based on Persian styles of clothing. By conflating the clothing styles of these three groups, Persian, Thracian, and Scythian, the Athenian enslavers constricted these peoples' attachment to their homelands and their identities. People from these three regions went from being members of culturally different groups to being reduced to one mass group of people from the East.
The second topic brought forward by the red-figure scene concerns the role of enslaved peoples, especially women, in the oikos (household). As mentioned, above, the Athenian woman is seated in a chair, wearing nice clothing and jewellery, and is looking at her reflection in the mirror she holds. The enslaved woman standing opposite her appears to be stepping away from the woman while looking back at her and holding a box with the arm closest to the woman. This scene suggests the Persian-styled female figure is helping her enslaver prepare for the day. This image also supports comments made by ancient authors who have spoken about the role of female enslaved people. Enslaved women are typically given domestic roles; positions Aristotle claims are for trusted slaves (Arist. Econ. 1.1344a), and helping her enslaver dress would be one of those many roles within the house.
Further Reading
Further Reading
Braund, D. 2011. "The Slave Supply in Classical Greece." In The Cambridge World History of Slavery, edited by K. Bradley and P. Cartledge, 112-133. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
duBois, P. 2003. Slaves and Other Objects. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Ducrey, P. 2016. “Slaves and War.” In The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Slaveries, edited by S. Hodkinson, M. Kleijwegt, and K. Vlassopoulos. Oxford University Press.
Glazebrook, A. 2017. "Gender and Slavery" in The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Slaveries, edited by S. Hodkinson, M. Kleijwegt, and K. Vlassopoulos. Oxford University Press..
Kamen, D. 2023. Greek Slavery. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter.
Kyrtatas, D.. 2011. "Slavery and Economy in the Greek World." In The Cambridge World History of Slavery, edited by K. Bradley and P. Cartledge, 91-111. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Porter, J. 2021. "The Sexual Agency of Slaves in Classical Athens" in Slavery and Sexuality in Classical Antiquity, edited by Kamen and Marshall. 89-103. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.
The Trustees of the British Museum. 2023. "Mug." The British Museum. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1849-0620-12.
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