Komast Dancers in Archaic Greek Art

Komast figures (literally 'revellers') on black-figure vases have long been associated with the worship of Dionysos and the origins of Greek drama. In this fully illustrated study, Tyler Jo Smith takes a fresh look at the evidence for komasts, both on vases and in other artistic media producedthroughout Archaic Greece. She concludes that the meaning of the dancing figures differs between different regions, such as Corinth, Athens, and Laconia. Komasts are instrumental to the spread of the human figure in early Archaic Greek art and a vital link in the story of both visual and festivalculture in Greece during the sixth century BC.

Tyler Jo Smith is Assistant Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology at the University of Virginia.