Runners Amphora - Terracotta

Every 4 years, Athens would host the Panathenaic Festival (literally meaning “All Athens”), a festival - featuring Olympic Games - dedicated to the patron goddess Athena.

Winners of the games would claim their prize: an amphora filled with olive oil from the sacred groves. On one side, the vase would traditionally depict Athena, but on the other, there would be the particular game for which the prize could be won.

And so we have this one - a pentathlon in full swing. It’s thought to be by The Euphiletos Painter, and is one of the best preserved prize amphorae in this black-figure style.