View of Athens from the River Ilissos, Johann Michael Wittmer, 1833
Athenian silver dekadrachm. On the obverse, the head of Athena; on the reverse, an owl with wings spread and the letters ΑΘΕ (ΑΘΗΝΑΙΩΝ = “of [the] Athenians”). Artist unknown; 467-465 BCE. Photo credit: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com
Decorative ivory plaque in the shape of a satyr. Artist unknown; 2nd cent. CE. From Athens; now in the Stoa of Attalos, Museum of the Ancient Agora, Athens. Photo credit: Giovanni dall’Orto/Wikimedia Commons.
Head of a helmeted warrior, carved from Cycladic marble. Artist unknown; ca. 490 BCE. Found at the western corner of the Propylaea to the Acropolis, Athens; now in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
Funerary stele for Eukoline, daughter of Antiphanes. Artist unknown; ca. 380 BCE. Now in the Kerameikos Archaeological Museum, Athens. Photo credit: Tilemahos Efthimiadis/Wikimedia Commons.
Two horses flank a tripod, with a goat above. Detail from a Geometric oinochoe (wine jug) made in Athens and attributed to a painter of the Concentric Circle Group; ca. 735-730 BCE. Now in the British Museum. Photo credit: Zde/Wikimedia Commons.
Trefoil-mouthed vase in the shape of a boy’s head. Artist unknown; 3rd cent. CE. Found in the Agora, Athens; now in the Museum of the Ancient Agora (Stoa of Attalos), Athens.
An Athenian Statesman’s Warning
Solon, fr. 9 (=Diodorus Siculus 9.21) Out of the cloud there comes The might of snow and hail; After a blinding flash Of lightning comes the thunder. But it is through great men That a city-state is ruined; The people, in their ignorance, Become enslaved to a monarch. When you’ve sailed out too far, Returning to shore’s not easy In time to come; no, now Is the time to make all fine plans. ἐκ νεφέλης πέλεται χιόνος μένος ἠδὲ χαλάζης, βροντὴ δ’ ἐκ λαμπρῆς γίγνεται ἀστεροπῆς· ἀνδρῶν δ’ ἐκ μεγάλων πόλις ὄλλυται, ἐς δὲ μονάρχου δῆμος ἀϊδρίηι δουλοσύνην ἔπεσεν. λίην δ’ ἐξάραντ’ <οὐ> ῥάιδιόν ἐστι κατασχεῖν ὕστερον, ἀλλ’ ἤδη χρὴ <καλὰ> πάντα νοεῖν.
Storm at Sea, Pieter Mulier II (Cavalier Pietro Tempesta), 2nd half of 17th century
Grave stele from Brauron in Attica, featuring two individuals identified by inscriptions as Menon (left) and Cleobulus (center). Artist unknown; ca. 410-400 BCE. Now in the Archaeological Museum, Brauron.
Silver Athenian tetradrachm in the “new style,” depicting an owl standing atop a Panathenaic prize-amphora full of olive oil, surrounded by an olive-wreath. Artist unknown; ca. 200-150 BCE. Now in the Glyptothek, Munich. Photo credit: Matthias Kabel/Wikimedia Commons.
A charioteer in action. Side B of a black-figure Panathenaic amphora, attributed to the painter Lydos; ca. 550-540 BCE. Found at Orvieto; now in the National Archaeological Museum, Florence.
The goddess Athena. Panathenaic black-figure amphora, artist unknown; 332-1 BCE (the archonship of Nicetes). Found at Capua; now in the British Museum.
Silver didrachm issued by Athens, ca. 520 BCE, bearing a Gorgon’s head. Now in the British Museum. Photo credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons.
Panathenaic black-figure victory amphora, depicting the victorious athlete standing beside Nike, goddess of victory. The pair are flanked by a defeated competitor (left) and a judge (right). Artist unknown; 363-2 BCE. Now in the Getty Villa, Malibu. Photo credit: Dave and Margie Hill/Wikimedia Commons.
A Greek Aristocrat’s Definition of Happiness
Solon, fr. 23 West (= Plato Lysis 212E) Happy is he who has dear children And horses with their solid hooves, Dogs that are skilled in the hunt, and a friend Who dwells in a foreign land. ὄλβιος, ᾧ παῖδές τε φίλοι καὶ μώνυχες ἵπποι καὶ κύνες ἀγρευταὶ καὶ ξένος ἀλλοδαπός.
The Grosvenor Hunt, George Stubbs, 1762
Lycian Apollo. Reconstituted ivory statue of the 3rd cent. CE, thought to be a copy of the original by Praxiteles that stood in Aristotle’s Lyceum. Now in the Museum of the Ancient Agora, Athens.