The earliest is the olpe (Ancient Greek: ὀλπή, romanized: olpḗ), with no distinct shoulder and usually a handle rising above the lip.

The "type 8 oenochoe" is what one would call a mug, with no single pouring point and a slightly curved profile.

At its most distinct development, the trefoil mouth offers three alternative directions of pouring, one opposite the handle, and two to the side, an advantage at a crowded table not afforded by English pitchers.

Their size also varies considerably; most, at up to 25 centimetres (9.8 in) tall, could be comfortably held and poured with one hand, but there are much larger examples.

Low-economy oenochoae remained so, but gradually incised bands with simple motifs such as zig-zags and spirals, or burnished, monochrome surfaces, became common.