Ring-shaped Vessels
Ring-shaped vessels are perfume containers used for storing and transporting perfumes and aromatic oils.
Several examples have been found at Abdera. Most are decorated with painted triangles and date to 650–600 BC. Production and use continued until around 450 BC, when the vessels acquired a slightly different form, with a more flared body and decoration consisting of simple bands.
These perfume containers were also used in trade and export. Their design is highly functional: the ring-shaped body provides stability, while the sharply concave rim helps prevent the unnecessary loss of the precious liquid. This form originated in Ionian workshops.
In archaeological terminology, they are referred to as ring-shaped askoi (flasks) or ring-shaped aryballoi.