Campanian Neck-Amphora

The front of this red-figure amphora shows an episode from the story of The Seven Against Thebes, when a group of heroes banded together and attacked the Greek city to reinstate the rightful king. Holding a burning torch, the hero Kapaneus climbs a ladder, while two defenders and the usurping ruler look down from the wall. Kapaneus was killed for claiming that he did not need the gods' help, and at the top left of this scene, Zeus’s thunderbolt falls towards the boastful warrior. On the right, Nike, goddess of Victory, flies above a chariot team. The main scene on the other side of the vase shows maenads and satyrs, the companions of Dionysos, the god of wine.

This amphora, with its twisted handles, elongated body and tall neck, is a typical shape produced by potters in Campania, around the Bay of Naples. Dramatic themes often provided the subject of mythological scenes on South Italian vases, and the story of the Seven against Thebes was related in a play by Aeschylus. Yet there is nothing on this vase that allows us to argue that the depiction of Kapaneus’s demise was inspired by a performance on stage, unless the wooden-looking bricks of the city wall derive from theatrical scenery.