Bronze hydria

Bronze hydriai were used mainly as luxurious sympotic vessels but also as funeral urns. They appear as offerings at sanctuaries too, or given as prizes at Games. Another public use, that of a ballot box for votes, derived from their presence in sanctuaries. The bronze hydriai that have been preserved down to the present day come mainly from tombs and sanctuaries.

Typological parallels of the Museum’s hydria can be found in Patras and Olympia. According to the prevailing view, the vase dates to around 450 BC and belongs to the group of products of the workshop of the northwestern Peloponnese.