Ancient Greek vase paintings are one of the oldest forms of art in the western world. Paintings on ancient Greek ceramic vessels represented scenes from mythology, everyday life, and often showed specific religious beliefs. The earliest decorative pottery dates from the seventh millennium BC, but the first examples of painted vases date from around 6000 BC. For many centuries, Greek ceramic painters used a range of materials including encaustic paint, which was made from a mixture of resin and beeswax.
Today, most ancient Greek vase paintings are displayed in museums across Greece and in several other countries, such as England and Germany. These artefacts have helped scholars piece together complex stories from ancient Greece and reveal much about the way people thought about life and the cosmos back in the ancient world.