Postcards from the Underworld: Loutrophoros

The word loutrophoros means, "to bring a bath." This tall, slender vessel with an egg like body was used both in wedding and funerary rites. Most vessels of this type were made of clay and in antiquity were used on the wedding day to bring a bath to the bride. Others, such as the one shown above, were made of marble and used a grave markers for those who died unmarried. This exquisitely carved example is in the Kerameikos cemetery of Athens. The buildings of the city and the peak of the hill called Lykavittos can be seen in the distance.