Attic Red-Figure Skyphos (Side A)

An unusual scene decorates both sides of this red-figure skyphos or drinking cup. On the front, an older woman stoops to drink from a large skyphos. The servant girl behind her balances a full wineskin on her head and carries a bowl and a jug. The reverse shows a storeroom full of household items. At the left, a stand with lion's-paw feet supports a skyphos and various wine-serving utensils--a ladle, a sieve, and an oinochoe--hang from its hooks. In the center of the room, a cooking pot and grill hang from the wall. Chests and large wine vessels complete the scene. The two sides of the skyphos suggest that the woman has just left the storeroom and is getting drunk. In the male-centered society of fifth century BC Athens, which celebrated group drinking at the symposium, a woman getting drunk at home alone defied standards of proper behavior.