The huge “Geometric Amphora” dates to around 770 BC. It was purposely created to be placed, as a token of recognition, on the tomb of a woman.
If you take a close look at the extremely detailed decoration, there are two aspects you’ll notice: overall this is a supremely orderly design, and each shape, including those that represent the human figures, is depicted using geometric designs and patterns. This does not indicate a limitation on the part of the artist, but rather of his intention to bring a sense of order to the cosmos, symbolically portrayed on the bands of decoration which divide it. The aim was not to show reality, depicted in previous periods with a vigorously naturalistic approach, but rather to symbolize the world using abstract shapes. Thus, the period the vase was crafted in is referred to as the Geometric Period.
On the band between the handles you can see a representation of death, the culmination of human existence. The dead woman is lying on a bed, and the figures around her with their arms raised are in despair. The other bands feature abstract designs or animals, in series of identical individuals. The artist thus seeks to show that only humans have an awareness of death.
