A Greek vessel of earthenware, metal, or stone, and sometimes in the form of an animal head. It was a deep vessel with a single handle intended for the pouring of libations or liquid offerings to the gods and spirits ofthe dead. The mouth at the upper end is often balanced by a hole at the lower end. It is presumed that the covering of this aperture by the celebrant would control the pouring of the libation until the right moment in the ceremony. Rhytons were often made of precious materials and in elaborate forms. They are typical of the Minoans, Mycenaeans, classical Greeks, and the Achaemenid Persians. It is technically a ritual vessel, found from the Bronze Age onward.
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology, Barbara Ann Kipfer, 2000Copied