At parties in ancient times, the Greeks drank wine mixed with water from round cups like this one. The shape of the bowl may remind you of the shallow dishes we sometimes use for broth today, and you can imagine what it would be like to drink wine from such a bowl. The handles served mainly for hanging the vessel when it was not in use; the Greeks would have held it by the foot. At a party in ancient times, wine would have been available in a large mixing bowl. From it, a servant would fill a jug to pour wine into cups like this one.

Midway between the handles are two pairs of eyes, each with an armed warrior between them. Eyes like this appear on vessels of almost every shape; you see a number of other examples in this same case. The eyes must have something to do with warding off evil. There are some inconsistencies in the decoration of this cup that perhaps make most sense to someone who has been drinking. Two ships seem to fuse under each handle. If you follow the waves under them to where the warrior stands, you'll see that he is walking on water, or else the sea has turned to dry land under him.

The comparison between wine and the sea was one the Greeks particularly loved. It is a favorite theme in poetry, especially in lyrics that were sung at drinking parties. One goes like this: “I Hold in my hands my wealth, a shard of a broken cup, a shipwreck of feasting men; so many vessels has the wind thrown to the shores before the might of Dionysos.” Walk around the case to see the inside of the cup. Here is the face of the Gorgon, a female monster whose gaze turned men to stone.