A pyxis is a small round box that could be made of wood, bronze, ceramic, ivory or marble. Examples in ceramic such as this first appear in the Geometric period. The pyxis for the most part belonged predominantly to the world of women, both domestic and religious. They were often painted top to bottom in extravagant colour and elaborate pictures or designs. In the home, they were used to hold cosmetics, trinkets or jewellery, serving essential roles in the process of kosmesis (‘adornment’). However outside of the home they could be used for dispensing incense or by physicians to contain medicine.
