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This dissertation was written as part of the MA in Black Sea cultural Studies at the International Hellenic University. The thesis title is: “Kerch vases in the Black sea”. The final decades of Attic red - figured vase paintings are dominated by the Kerch Style . This style, current between 370 and 330 BC, combined the preceding Rich and Modest Styles, with a preponderance of the Rich. Crowded compositions with large statuesque figures are typical. The added colours now include blue, green and others. Volume and shading are indicated by the use of diluted runny glossy clay. Occasionally, whole figures are added as “appliqués”, thin figural reliefs attached to the body of the vase. Some fifty years before Attic red - figure pottery came to an end, a style that has been named after the Crimean city of Kerch made its debut. Kerch is the classical Panticapaeum, and many pots of this type have been discover ed there. (The Kerch style died with red - figure pottery itself). The shapes most commonly found are the pelike, the lekanis , the lebes gamikos , and the crater . As for the subjects, they generally have to do with mythological beings popular among the peoples of the Black Sea: for instance, griffins , Arimaspians, and Amazons. The sites where, Kerch vessels were found prove the trade network of the 4th century BC in areas situated beyond the Greek metropolis. Most cities where Kerch vessels had been distributed were Greek colonies. Kerch vessels are “mirrors” of the merchant and cultural activities, reflecting the needs of the people who used them.