The Earliest Attic Potter/Painter Known By Name? The Epigraphy and Materiality of an Early Black-Figure Amphora from Mt. Hymettos

Abstract

ABSTRACT: A black-figure amphora from the sanctuary on Mt. Hymettos preserves one of the longest Attic inscriptions of the 7th century b.c., presenting a remarkable case for the integration of a postfiring inscription into the morphology of an early Greek vessel. This article explores the materiality of the amphora and its lacunose inscription, proposing a new reconstruction of the text. The inscription’s peculiar arrangement and unusual verb suggest that it once included one of the earliest signatures of a craftsman in Attica. The study also investigates—but does not embrace—the possibility that the individual mentioned is the earliest Attic potter/painter known by name.