Black-glaze vases were produced in large quantities already from the late 6th c. BC (even though they were not unknown in earlier periods) and throughout the 5th and 4th c. BC. The superb shapes with the glossy black surface owed a great deal to metal models, which they apparently tried to imitate. They were, of course, cheaper than decorated vases. Already from the first half of the 5th c. BC some of these vases were discreetly embellished with incised and impressed motifs, such as palmettes, thus acquiring a more attractive aspect. Vases similar to the column krater (below) were made in workshops of the Athenian Kerameikos and were frequently offered as ex-votos in major sanctuaries. They were also traded mainly to Italy, where the Etruscans used them in symposia or placed them as offerings in tombs. Kantharoi were characteristic drinking vessels, closely associated with the god Dionysos in artistic representations. This particular example (above) is a product of a Boeotian workshop. The large number of black- glaze kantharoi found in Boeotian graves emphasised the particular importance of this shape in local mortuary customs.