Appendix E (to P. 249). the Dating of the Latest Vases From the Forum Cemetery
Among the Forum vases that look late are some skyphoi like the “Later Ionic” of Sieveking and Hackl’s Munich Catalogue, e.g. Notiz. 1903, p. 137, fig. 17, pp. 407 f., figs. 36, 42, 55, 57 (the last two from the same grave as fig. 53, see ibid. fig. 52). These skyphoi are closely related to a series of small, flat, handleless bowls similarly decorated, Notiz. 1903, p. 137, fig. 17, p. 388, figs. 14, 15 (grave G), p. 409, fig. 39 (grave I), p. 425, fig. 56 (grave K): for the stylistic connexion cp. Notiz. 1903, p. 425, fig. 56 (handleless bowl) with ibid. fig. 57 (skyphos). The context in which they were found at Rome points to a date not later than fairly early in the sixth century: Notiz. 1903, p. 137, fig. 17, was found acting as a lid (see ibid. fig. 16) to the skyphos ibid. fig. 17 of the later Ionic style; Notiz. 1903, p. 388, figs. 14, 15, were found in a single skeleton grave (ibid. p. 385 and fig. 11) along with the Proto-Corinthian lekythos, p. 388, fig. 17, that is probably of the seventh century, and other vases that are probably of the sixth: fig. 39 is from a single skeleton grave that contained also the “later Ionic” skyphoi, figs. 36, 42 (ibid. p. 400 and figs. 28, 31); fig. 56 is from a single skeleton grave and had a similar context (ibid. p. 418 and fig. 52). All these handleless cups (figs. 14, 15, 39, 56) are pierced near the brim with pairs of small holes. This is a practice known in Greek pottery of the Geometric and Proto-Corinthian period (J.H.S. XXX. p. 241, n. 42: add Notiz. 1895, p. 238, found in the same grave with two sixth century black figure vases. Two vases apparently somewhat similar in shape, style, and decoration to this flat, handleless series, but without the bored holes, were found at Rhitsona in graves of the end of the sixth century, Arch. Eph. 1912, p. 115, fig. 15) but not to black and red figure Attic pottery: it occurs on the probably seventh century cup from grave M, Notiz. 1905, pp. 151, 155, figs. 9, 12.
Other late-looking vases are the two figured Notiz. 1905, p. 150, fig. 7. Pais, Ricerche, I. (1915), p. 382, quoting Helbig dates them later than the sixth century. But Piganiol, Journ. des Sav. 1915, p. 552, n. 4, supported by Dugas, argues for the possibility of an earlier date on the ground that, though the shape might belong to the end of the fifth century, the decoration, for which cp. Louvre C 44, figured by Pottier, Album, I. pl. 23, points to the seventh. This argument will hardly do as it stands. The vase cannot be older than its shape, which rather recalls the fifth and fourth century festooned cups from Gnathia. But though it so much recalls that period, it does not seem to find an exact parallel in it, and the divergence may be more significant than the similarity. No other vases were found in the same grave with these two, so there is no context to suggest an earlier date: but if I am not mistaken, fifth and fourth century Gnathia ware is similarly recalled with a similar slight difference by another Forum vase, Notiz. 1903, p. 408, fig. 37, found in a grave with nine others (including figs. 36, 38, 39, 42, quoted above) which all point to a sixth century date. It must not be assumed that features common to early Greek and Italic wares always began earlier in Greece: a whole series of Etruscan bucchero vases has broad ribbon-shaped vertical handles that in Greek ware are distinctive of the late sixth century potter Nikosthenes: yet one of these bucchero vases comes from the early (seventh century) Regulini Galassi tomb at Caere, see Roem. Mitt. XXII. p. 126, fig. 18, p. 207. For Forum examples see Notiz. 1903, pp. 408, 422, figs. 38, 53.