There are few fields of Greek study which are not illumined by the light of these earthen yes sell. For the history of the language and of the alphabet, the inscriptions are of the utmost, value. Consult Kretsehmer, Die griechischea Paseninsehriften ihrcr Sprache nach untersucht (Giitersloh, 1894). It is, however, in the field of the personal life of the Greeks that the impor tance of the vases becomes most clearly manifest. The scenes represented by the artists cover the entire range of human life. We see the children at play, the young men at their gymnastic sports and at their feasts, amusements, and dissipa tions, the soldiers arriving for battle or return ing home, and the girls and women in their se cluded life within the house, spinning, weaving, at their household tasks, and at their toilet. The marriage procession, the sacrifice. the theatrical performance, and finally the various ceremonies connected with the burial of the dead and the of ferings at the grave are all vividly shown on the vases. the artists drew a very large part of their inspiration from the mythological literature, and freely reproduced the versions then most popular. Hence these works are often valuable authorities for myths imperfectly rep resented in extant literature.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. See the "Bibliography by AuBibliography. See the "Bibliography by Au- thors," in Reinach. 1'Ypertoire des rases prints grccs et Orusques, vol. ii. Paris, and the "Bibliography by Subjects," in Huddilston, Les sons from Oreek, Pottery (New York, 1902). The history of Greek vases is not treated fully from the most modern standpoint in any work. Still valuable are: Rayet and Collignon, LI istoirc de la et'ramiqne grecque (Paris, 1888) ; and Chaplain, Les eeramigitcs de la OHee propre (Paris, 1881-90) ; Von Rohden, "Vasenkunde," in Baumeister, Denkmiiler des klassi schen, Alter toms 1885-88) ; Robinson, Cata/orme of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman in the Boston Musennt of Fine Arts (Boston, 1893) ; Pottier, Catalogue dc's rases antiques dr tcrre euite du Lourre (Paris, 1896, 1899, two vol umes of photographic plates with a text ), is of great value for the general characteristics of Greek vase-painting, a history of the study, and the early styles. Excellent works are:
Furtwiingler and Loescheke, Mykcnische Tiacge ftis.se (Berlin, and .11ykenischr 1 risen (Berlin, 1886) : Thiersch, Tyrrbevisthe Ampho tf'll (1.01117.1g, 1899) ; Gerhart, A userlesenc gricebi.selcr (Berlin, 184058) ; Le momant and Be Witte, Elite dos monuments et'ramographiques 1 Bark, 1844-61) ; Genick and Furtwiingler, Uricchisehe lierumik ( Berlin, ; Lan. 1)7c a scm i hr rurvl Decont t ionsyst cm (1.pipzig, 1877) ; Ilemalorf, t1riechisc/ce und sicilisehe V a senbi tiler ( : Ilarrison and MacColl, arct.l,- rase Paintings ( London, 1891) ; Furl wangler and gcirh!sche 1 aSCI1111cc1CrCi.
I uswer/d hirrorrayrndcr 'ascnid I ( unieh, 1900), still unfinished, but probably the most accurate publication of l:reek vases yet at tempted. The Vases scattered in expensive pub lications and periodicals are collected in small outline drawings in Beinach's wire, cited above. important also are the eatalQgnes of the collections at. Athens by ('once and Coln grm ( Paris, 19(12), Berlin by Furtwiingler ( e'er lin, 1885), the British Thiseillti by Smith and Walters, vols. (London, 1893 9(;), by Masner (Vienna, 1892), and Munich by Jahn (Munich, 1855), with an introduction which laid the foundation for the scientific study of Greek vases.