Footrace on a Panathenaic Amphora

Footrace on a Panathenaic Amphora is a depiction of an ancient Greek footrace on a terracotta amphora dated about 530 BC. It is said to be by the Euphiletos Painter. The height of the amphora is 24.5 inches (62 centimetres) tall.

The amphora would have been filled with olive oil from the sacred groves at Athens then given as a prize to the winner of a footrace in the Panathenaic Games at Athens. These games were held every four years. The amphora is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

These prize amphores were made to a standardized shape, held about 42 quarts, and were decorated in the black-figure technique. An armed Athena was depicted on the front of the amphora and a picture of the sport on the back. This amphora depicts five men and a youth.

The museum writes, "Notice the wealth of incised lines depicting musculature, a preoccupation of Greek artists for centuries to come ... An inscription on the front of the amphora gives not only the official designation of the vase as a prize, but also the signature of the potter, Nikias, a rare occurrence on pots of this shape."

References

• Panathenaic amphora, Metropolitan Museum of Art, retrieved July 20, 2012