Jar (pelike) with Odysseus and Elpenor Jar (pelike) with Odysseus and Elpenor A pelike was a ceramic container that the Greeks used as storage/transportation for wine and olive oil. As seen in the picture on the right, it had a large belly with thin, open handles. Unlike other transportation jars (like the amphora), a pelike would have a flattened bottom so that it could stand on its own. Pelikes often had one large scene across the belly of the jar with minimal distractions around. This would focus the viewers eyes to the center of the pelike which was often a mythological scene of sorts. This red-figure
Names of the Greeks words have a positive meaning in the Greek language if they are used in the preferred context. Names of the Greeks The Greeks () have been identified by many ethnonyms. The most common native ethnonym is "Hellen" (), pl. Hellenes (); the name "Greeks" (Latin: "Graeci") was used by the ancient Romans and gradually entered the European languages through its use in Latin. The mythological patriarch "Hellen" is the named progenitor of the Greek peoples; his descendants the Aeolians, Dorians, Achaeans and Ionians correspond to the main Greek tribes and to the main dialects spoken in Greece and Asia Minor