The focus of this article is the two exceptional items held by a boy on an Athenian red-fig- ured lekythos in Atlanta. They take the form of a fletched dart, too large to be an arrow, and a stick. Similar equipment is identified on a... more
The focus of this article is the two exceptional items held by a boy on an Athenian red-fig- ured lekythos in Atlanta. They take the form of a fletched dart, too large to be an arrow, and a stick. Similar equipment is identified on a second lekythos, while examples of large darts occur on two or three further vases. It is suggested that the two items are a spear- or rather a dart-thrower and a large fletched dart, a weapon known from a number of hunting cultures around the world. The other piece of primitive hunting equipment, the throwing stick, is also briefly considered. Finally, it is concluded that, although the history of the dart-thrower technology in Athens is uncertain, it is clear that it was still known in the decades 490-470 BC when it served a special and rarely seen role as sports equipment used by boys and youths and was associated with the young Herakles.
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This article begins with a red-figured cup, painted by Douris and now in a Hong Kong private collection. It examines the scene depicted on its interior and goes on to consider images on Athenian pottery of wine production and wine sales... more
This article begins with a red-figured cup, painted by Douris and now in a Hong Kong private collection. It examines the scene depicted on its interior and goes on to consider images on Athenian pottery of wine production and wine sales in their historical and social setting. It also looks briefly at other sale scenes, especially of oil, before finally considering the unusual shape of the cup and the workshop context in which Douris decorated it.
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The sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, conceived at the height of Athens’ power, was deeply rooted in the culture and aspirations of the city-state. The group of huge figures carved completely in the round and set in the triangular... more
The sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, conceived at the height of Athens’ power, was deeply rooted in the culture and aspirations of the city-state. The group of huge figures carved completely in the round and set in the triangular gable at the east end, the front of the temple, were perhaps among the most important.
This new study by Dyfri Williams uses all the visible clues provided by the sculptures and the floor blocks on which they were once mounted to reconstruct the figures and the way they interacted. Securer identifications for the figures are thus reached and a better understanding of the allusive way the pediment’s subject, the birth of Athena, was treated. To aid the process, a series of sketch-drawings of each figure seen from the front, combined with a bird’s eye sketch of it in place on the pediment floor, has been prepared by Kate Morton.
Detailed observation and analysis leads to an unexpected identification of the superb Figure D that opens up new ways of reading the remaining groups. It also reveals how the arrangement of the sculptures that has come down to us is in fact Roman rather than Classical, for several sculptures were disturbed by a rarely mentioned Roman repair. Finally, a highly intriguing historical context is suggested for this repair and its motivation.
This new study by Dyfri Williams uses all the visible clues provided by the sculptures and the floor blocks on which they were once mounted to reconstruct the figures and the way they interacted. Securer identifications for the figures are thus reached and a better understanding of the allusive way the pediment’s subject, the birth of Athena, was treated. To aid the process, a series of sketch-drawings of each figure seen from the front, combined with a bird’s eye sketch of it in place on the pediment floor, has been prepared by Kate Morton.
Detailed observation and analysis leads to an unexpected identification of the superb Figure D that opens up new ways of reading the remaining groups. It also reveals how the arrangement of the sculptures that has come down to us is in fact Roman rather than Classical, for several sculptures were disturbed by a rarely mentioned Roman repair. Finally, a highly intriguing historical context is suggested for this repair and its motivation.