The testimony of nuptial vases as a source for the interpretation of the social place of music in Greek Antiquity

Abstract

This article aims to analyze how the music-themed iconography found on ceramic vases of Greek origin, especially from the Classic Period, can be seen as a source for the interpretation and understanding of the social role played by music in the Athenian culture of the 5th century BC. Using the representation of figures playing musical instruments in everyday contexts, this type of documentation allows us to understand the spaces in the city where music was a cultural element, as well as the role of the musician in these contexts. In this way, we also value the role of these images within those same contexts, as a record of everyday life and a message to be transmitted publicly. For this purpose, we analyze the testimony of vases in forms typically related to the nuptial context, such as the lebes gamikos, exclusively used in marriage ceremonies, and the lutrophores, whose use is related to nuptial and funerary rites.