
Ancient Greek Vases and Pottery
Ancient Greek Pots Tell A Story
Greek potters were constantly changing the shape of their famous vases and pots. In ancient Greece, it was not enough to create something that was beautiful. It also had to be comfortable. If the vase, pot, or pitcher had a handle, that handle had to be easy to hold and fit comfortably into the grip of your hand. The Greeks considered themselves scientists as well as artists. Everything had to be perfectly proportioned.
The designs on their pottery told a story. Some told stories of daily life. Others told stories of wars and heroes. All designs, whatever they were, had to represent something that people would find pleasing. Geometric designs had to be familiar, a design perhaps that could be found in a temple or a fabric. The colors were soothing and comfortable.
Most ancient Greeks were cremated and buried in pots. Even though the pots were to be buried, they still had to be perfect. The ancient Greeks were perfectionists.
Archaeologists have discovered a great many ancient Greek pieces of pottery. Between household vases and funeral pots, archaeologists have been able to piece together a great deal of knowledge about daily life in ancient Greece.
Explore Life in Ancient Greece via Grecian Pots
Vase Paintings Come to Life - Poison for Good, Poison for Evil

Explore Ancient Greece
For Kids: Overview
Early Greece: Minoans, Mycenaeans, Dorians
Rise of Greek City-States
- On Land: Greek Warriors
- At Sea: Greek Ships
- Trojan War
- Persian Wars
- The Delian League
- Peloponnesian War
- Alexander the Great
- The League of Corinth
Investigate Real Life Artifacts
For Kids: Art, Culture, Government
For Kids: Greek Mythology
Ancient Greek Myths for Kids, retold by Lin Donn
- Zeus, Hera, and Little Io
- The Competition, Athena and Poseidon
- Theseus, the Minotaur, and the Maze
- Dionysus and Ariadne
- Icarus and Daedalus, Wings
- The 12 Labors of Hercules
- Demeter and Persephone, Reason for the Seasons
- Apollo's Oracle at Delphi
- Perseus, Andromeda, and the sea god, Poseidon
- King Midas and the Donkey Ears
- And Many More
Ancient Greek Gods & Goddesses
For Kids: Ancient Greek Daily Life
NEW: From the Case Files of the Hercules Detective Agency: Join Herc and his friends as they solve daily life problems of the ancient Greeks
- The Misunderstood Minotaur - How Hercules made a best friend
- The Scaredly Fish
- The Tricked Bully
- The Stone Zoo
- The Bad Barber
- The Constant Chatterbox
- The Monster Under the Bridge
- The Festival Arrow
- The Amazing Matchmaker
- And many more, original short stories by Lin and Don Donn - learn about the ancient Greeks the easy way, through the case files of the Hercules Detective Agency!
For Kids: People
For Kids: Interactive Quizzes
Alexander the Great &
Gifts from the Greeks
For Teachers
For Kids and Teachers: Other Ancient Civilizations
See Also: Early Humans for Kids and Teachers