Skyphosscyphos

Skyphosscyphos is a term used in contemporary discussions of Greek vase morphology to describe a class of vessels that blend attributes of the skyphos and scyphos. The name combines two Greek-derived terms—skyphos and scyphos—both referring to cup-like vessels used in antiquity, and it is used as a hybrid label rather than a formal typology in standard catalogs.

Description: In form, skyphosscyphos vessels typically offer a shallow to mid-depth cup with a broad body and two lateral handles projecting from the upper rim, aligning with skyphos morphology, while decorative programs or manufacturing techniques borrow from scyphos traditions, such as particular lip treatments or incised ornament. They may be produced by workshops that also produced conventional skyphoi, or may reflect stylistic fusion across workshops. Attested examples are relatively scarce and primarily circulate in museum inventories or scholarly articles about morphological hybridity.

Historical context and reception: The term is not widely adopted as an official category in standard typologies (such as Beazley’s or Cook’s schemes); rather it appears in niche publications, online glossaries, and digital humanities projects as a way to discuss blurred boundaries between vase types during the late Archaic to early Classical periods. It serves as a tool for examining how ancient artisans combined features and how modern scholars classify such forms.

Significance: The skyphosscyphos concept highlights form–decoration experimentation and the fluidity of ceramic typology, emphasizing that classification can be a spectrum rather than a set of fixed boxes.