Attic amphora with horses and tripod

On the neck of the amphora a tripodic lebes is depicted with a pair of horses tethered to its handles. Βelow the horses, waterfowl can be seen. Besides their functional uses, lebetes were also offered as prizes for sporting events. However, according to the Homeric poems, horses were also used as prizes in games held to honor the deceased, as in the funerary contest in honor of the dead Patroclus, the beloved companion of the hero Achilles (XXIII 257–260).

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  • Athens, National Archaeological Museum, inv. n. A 18135
  • Ca 720 – 700 BC
  • H. 0.32 m. Rim diam. 0.13 m.
  • Clay
  • Provenance: Unknown
Bibliography
  • Tzachou-Alexandri, O. (Εd.) (1989). Mind and Body. Athletic Contests in Ancient Greece. National Archaeological Museum 15th May 1989–15th January 1990, pp. 306, cat. no. 195, Athens: Ministry of Culture.
Attic amphora with horses and tripod
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