Black-figure panel amphora
Greek, last quarter of the 6th century B.C.
Ceramic
18 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (46.4 x 28.2 cm)
Munger Fund, 1965.29.M

One of the basic shapes of Greek pottery was the amphora, a large, two-handled vase used primarily to hold wine or oil. The panel scenes on either side of this amphora depict armed warriors fighting. The chief scene probably shows the Greek hero Achilles fighting over the dead body of Antilochus with the Trojan hero Prince Memnon. To either side stand the warriors’ mothers, as mourning figures. The scene has a heraldic grandeur and a sharply pointed sense of tragic dignity.