Black Figure Vessel Sherd

This fragment comes from a rectangular plaque that originally served as an offering to the goddess Athena, quite possibly on the Akropolis of Athens. The plaque would have been suspended from a tree or nailed to a wall. It depicts combat: a warrior, facing left, stands behind his comrade, who is falling before an enemy. The tip of their enemy’s spear is visible at far left, just above the injured warrior’s helmet.

The inscription on this votive plaque reads ATHENAI : KALOS. The form of Athena’s name on this plaque translates as "to or for Athena." The adjective kalosis usually applied to handsome youths or accomplished men, and its appearance on a votive plaque – a gift to Athena – is unusual. The dots between the words, known as interpuncts, are a device borrowed from masonry. Early Greek texts often had no breaks or spaces between words. When clarity was especially important, interpuncts were used to space texts. In this case, they associate the humble clay plaque with more costly offerings that would have been made in stone. Through this simple device, the inscription on the plaque acquires some of the permanence or stability of a monumental inscription.