Editing Amphora (section)

====Greek amphora types====
Various different types of amphorae were popular at different times:

=====Neck amphora (c. 6th–5th century BC)=====
On a neck amphora, the handles are attached to the neck, which is separated from the belly by an angular carination. There are two main types of neck amphorae:
* the [[Nolan amphora]] (late 5th century BC), named for its type site, [[Nola]] near [[Naples]], and
* the [[Tyrrhenian amphorae|Tyrrhenian amphora]].
There are also some rarer special types of neck amphora, distinguished by specific features, for example:
* the [[Pointed amphora]], with a notably pointed toe, sometimes ending in a knob-like protrusion
* the ''[[Loutrophoros]]'', used for storing water during ritual ceremonies, such as marriages and funerals.

=====Belly amphora (c. 640–450 BC)=====
In contrast to the neck amphora, a belly amphora does not have a distinguished neck; instead, the belly reaches the mouth in a continuous curve. After the mid-5th century BC, this type was rarely produced. The ''[[pelike]]'' is a special type of belly amphora, with the belly placed lower, so that the widest point of the vessel is near its bottom. The ''pelike'' was introduced around the end of the 6th century BC.

=====Panathenaic prize amphora=====
Another special type is the [[Panathenaic amphora|Panathenaic prize amphora]], with [[black-figure vase painting|black-figure]] decoration, produced exclusively as prize vessels for the [[Panathenaia]] and retaining the black-figure technique for centuries after the introduction of [[red-figure vase painting]]. Some examples bear the inscription "ΤΩΝ ΑΘΗΝΗΘΕΝ ΑΘΛΩΝ" meaning "[I am one] of the prizes from [the goddess] Athena". They contained the prize of oil from the sacred olive tree of the goddess [[Athena]] for the winners of the athletic contests held to honour the goddess, and were evidently kept thereafter, and perhaps used to store wine, before being buried with the prize-winner. They depicted goddess Athena on one side (as seen on the second image on this page) and the athletic event on the other side, e.g. a scene of wrestling or running contest etc.

<gallery widths="145px" heights="200px">
File:Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora MET GR147.jpg|[[Panathenaic amphora|Panathenaic prize amphora]] for runners; {{Circa|530 BC}}; terracotta; height: 62.2&nbsp;cm (24{{fraction|1|2}} in.); [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] (New York City)
File:Hellenistic Glasamphora from Olbia Antikensammlung Berlin 3.jpg|Greek amphora; 2nd half of the 2nd century BC; glass; from [[Olbia]] ([[Corsica and Sardinia|Roman-era Sardinia]]); [[Altes Museum]] (Berlin)
</gallery>