Greeks in Italy

Painted pottery brings Greek stories into objects made in southern Italy. The gallery follows the Greek communities of that region and Sicily, where settlers developed identities and connections of their own. They lived alongside other Italian peoples and exchanged goods and ideas around the Mediterranean. Coins, terracotta, jewellery and metalwork add to the evidence of pottery. The objects connect settlement and trade with local choices about making and use. Give a red-figure vessel time to show you its arrangement. The clay-coloured figures and dark background had to fit the body and handles of the pot. Comparing it with pottery from mainland Greece can reveal both a shared technique and different decisions about shape, decoration and the space available for a scene.