Black-Figure White-Ground Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Athena between Cocks and Hieropoioi (Officials)
The helmeted war goddess Athena strides forward on this oil vessel, raising her spear and a round shield emblazoned with a red snake. Flanked by two cocks, her pose recalls that on Panathenaic prize vases, the large black-figure amphorae awarded to athletic and equestrian victors in the Panathenaic Games. Beside the roosters stand two bearded, wreathed men, each holding a forked stick. Inscriptions identify the men as hieropoioi (doers of sacred things), officials charged with administration of sacred ceremonies and contests.
Inscription
{"inscription":"IEPOS","inscription_translation":"for HIEROS","inscription_remark":"before the lefthand figure","sortorder":null}; {"inscription":"NOLO and UON","inscription_translation":null,"inscription_remark":"apparent nonsense on either side of Athena","sortorder":null}; {"inscription":"O.EROIPOS","inscription_translation":"for HIEROPOIOS","inscription_remark":"before the righthand figure","sortorder":null}
Provenance
2 recorded events
Discovery
Reportedly found at Gela in Sicily
First recorded
Cleveland Museum of Art
Current location
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)