kylix

Kylix is the name given to an ancient Greek drinking cup used in wine-drinking rituals. It consists of a shallow, circular bowl supported by a tall stem and a foot, with two horizontal handles near the rim. The form was designed to be held by the stem; when raised to the mouth, the interior was often visible, sometimes bearing painted scenes. Kylikes were widely produced in Attic pottery and came in a variety of sizes, from small cups to larger vessels used at banquets and symposia. The exterior commonly featured black-figure or red-figure decoration, while many examples also carried internal paintings that could be admired as the cup was emptied.

The term kylix derives from ancient Greek kylix; in English, plurals include kylikes and kylixes. The vessel played a central social role in drinking parties, where wine was commonly diluted with water. Its wide mouth and shallow bowl made it easy to share among participants and to view the interior decoration.

In archaeology and art history, kylikes are valued for their iconography and for documenting everyday life, ritual practices, and mythological imagery in ancient Greece. Surviving kylices are found in museum collections worldwide and remain a primary source for studying Attic vase painting and symposium culture.

Kylix is also the name of a software product: a Linux-based rapid application development environment for the Delphi language, released by Borland in the early 2000s. It enabled cross-platform GUI development on Linux using the CLX library and the Qt toolkit. The project was eventually discontinued but is noted as an early effort to bring Delphi-style development to Linux.