Black-Figure Panathenaic Amphora Fragment: Inscription

Panathenaic amphorae were vases that held olive oil awarded as a prize to victors at the Panathenaic Games. The games occurred every four years in Athens and consisted of athletic and musical contests, as well as a grand procession to the Parthenon, a temple to Athena, in whose honor the games were conducted. On the front, these vases always depicted a helmeted Athena, the patron goddess of Athens, carrying a shield and a raised spear. Columns supporting various figures flanked her. It is thought that these images of Athena may represent a statue that once stood on the Akropolis, and the columns an outdoor sanctuary. The image also included two inscriptions, one on each side of Athena, running vertically in parallel with the columns. This is one of two Panathenaic amphora fragments in the museum’s collection. This fragment is from the right side of the image and shows the middle four letters of the name Aristodemos. This was the name of the archon, the leading elected official in Athens, who gave his name to the year (in this case 352/351).

Running vertically from top to bottom, the inscriptions may allude to the numerous dedications on columns on the Akropolis. The Akropolis was the religious center of the city and the location of the Parthenon. In addition to dating the oil and naming the contest at which it was won, the inscriptions bestow honor upon the archon, the city, the goddess Athena, and upon the oil itself by guaranteeing its genuineness and its Athenian origin.