The upper zone in this Corinthian krater is decorated with dancing revelers (komasts), while on the back there are Sphinxes and a Siren. The lower zone on both sides is decorated with a frieze of felines and ibexes. The krater was the principal vase for mixing wine with water in ancient Greece. There were various kinds of kraters, among which the column type of Corinthian origin was particularly popular.The use of these vases at symposia (banquets or drinking parties) justifies their frequent decoration with lively scenes. The komasts, a group of jocular and jovial dancers, appeared on Corinthian vases in the last quarter of the 7th c. BC and were quickly adopted as a decorative theme by other regional workshops. They wore short, close-fitting chitons and danced vigorously, slapping their buttocks and flinging out their legs, while sometimes they were accompanied by females. Some komasts were portrayed naked and, shortly before the mid-6th c. BC, in Corinth, they began to be identified with Satyrs and to feature in Dionysiac scenes. Komasts have been interpreted in many ways: as daemons associated with fertility; as members of ritual dances in honour of Artemis; as participants in wine festivals in honour of Dionysos or as members of the retinue (thiasos) of Dionysos and precursors of the Satyrs. Indeed, some researchers see in the komasts’ dances the beginnings of Comedy. The Athenian komasts, who dressed up as Satyrs, contributed to the creation of ancient Greek drama and in the 5th c. BC their padded costume was donned by actors in Attic Comedy.