Abstract/Summary

This article deals with the wide distribution of the Attic lekythos in Thessaly. A variety of shapes and decorations can be seen among the black-figure lekythos and related types. The tastes and the choices of the Thessalians were probably based on what was offered in the local market by the merchants. From the data available so far, it seems that in the Thessalian region there was a particular preference for this shape, which was probably considered an object of value for its owner and functioned as an element of display as exemplified at New Ionia. Contrary to the views expressed until now, it seems that the choices of the goldsmiths were not simply limited to the mass market of low-quality vases, as lekythoi of well known painters (e.g. Phanyllis Class and by the Sappho Painter) were also found. The presence of Attic lekythos in areas such as Nea Ionia and Krannon confirm their known activity with Athens according to ancient sources, while their presence in places such as the Agia Triadha & Karditsa, where no similar contacts are witnessed, prove Attic manufacturers reached a wider range of audiences.