Archaic Terracotta loutrophoros (ceremonial vase for water)

On the body, obverse, six women at a bier; reverse, five menOn the neck, obverse, three women; reverse, three menThe most frequently represented part of Attic funerary ritual is the prothesis, the laying out of the deceased surrounded by mourners. The care of the dead was primarily the task of women; they appear closest to the bier, while the men appear on the reverse of the vase.
Archaic