Terracotta chous

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Toward the end of the 5th century B.C., Athenian potters and painters created a large number of miniature vessels decorated with scenes involving young children. They are connected with the Anthesteria, a three-day celebration of the new vintage of wine and the arrival of spring, in which children also participated. These little vessels are called choes (sing. chous), which means libations, after the name of the second day of the festival. They provide additional insights into the lives of Greek children

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art