I cantaroidi matt-painted nell’Enotria interna gravitante sul Tirreno: forma, diffusione e sintassi decorativa

Abstract

From the 7th century B.C. onward, among the matt-painted ceramic forms widespread in the centres of Inner Oenotria
and, from the mid-6th century B.C., in the area of Tyrrhenian Oenotria, the cantaroid represents the vessel most frequently
attested in all burials. The present contribution analyses the morphological characteristics and some specific
complex geometric motifs of the cantaroids found in the Oenotrian burials investigated in the sites of south-western
Basilicata, southern Campania and upper Tyrrhenian Calabria. The archaeological investigations carried out in this
vast territory have revealed areas of necropolis that share two factors: the burials are characterized by the supine funerary
ritual and the locally matt-painted pottery are referable to the same class (the so-called West-Lucanian Class).
The formal characteristics and ornamental syntax of cantaroids are quite common throughout the area in question with
multiple local varieties. From the mid-6th century B.C., alongside the cantaroid, in Sala Consilina and in particular in
sites located in the area of the Gulf of Policastro, a larger version called crater-kantharos appears, which must have
fulfilled different functions than the small-format vase.