Browse Items (20 total)
- Collection: Greek in the Wild: Inscriptions Explained
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Mantiklos "Apollo"
Mantiklos “Apollo” is an 8 inch (20.3 cm) bronze votive statuette of Apollo. The statuette is an offering to the god, Apollo, and is missing his right arm and lower half of his legs. In his left hand, there is a hole, possibly once held a bow. His…
Nikandre
Standing at 1.75m tall, this statue, so-called Nikandre, is wearing a dress with a wide belt at the waist. Her hair is parted into two large sections, one on either shoulder, and her hands rest at her sides. The lower part of her right arm is missing…
Pitsa Plaque
The plaque is wooden with a scene painted on the surface. The wood is covered with stucco and the image painted on top with several colors. The painting depicts a procession moving to the right toward an altar for a sacrifice. There are six fully…
Osios Loukas
The mosaic depicts Jesus wearing a neutral tunic, wrapped in blue cloak, and holding a book in his left hand. The second part of the inscription is located on the book, which is open in about the middle of its pages. On either side of him, above his…
Hediste
This grave marker for Hediste is in the form of a naiskos. Under the geison is a painted scene, underneath which is a 6 line inscription in ancient Greek. The grave monument is restored from two pieces found separately but clearly joining. The…
Phrasikleia
This grave marker has both a Parian marble statue and a limestone base with an inscription on both the front and right side. The statue and base inscription were found separately; the former being found in excavation in modern day Merenda (ancient…
Corinthian Aryballos
There are two inscriptions on this Corinthian black-figure aryballos. On this aryballos, Herakles battles the Hydra while Athena stands with her hands raised up as if supporting the hero. Herakles grasps one head of the Hydra as he stabs at the…
Black Figure Dinos Fragment
This fragment of Attic pottery dates back to the 6th-century workshop of Sophilos, who is one of the oldest Attic potters we can still call by name thanks to the artist signatures he wrote on his works. This reconstructed rim depicts a scene from the…
Monastery of Aghia Panaghia Goumenissa
This modern inscription is written on a trash can that was found outside of a monastery in Gouménissa. This inscription is a common Greek phrase associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church that is thought to have originated from Saint Gregory of…
Stratonikos, son of Stratos
The stele is in the form of a naiskos, with carved and painted architectural details; the roof is indicated with incisions. There is a preserved tang at the bottom to fit into a base. The epistyle block is inscribed with the deceased name, and a…
Mosaic of Zeus and Ganymede
This is a Roman floor mosaic made out of glass and stone tesserae. This mosaic depicts Ganymede offering a drink to Zeus disguised as an eagle. Below Ganymede is the inscription “ΝΕΙΚΙΑCΕΨΗΦΟΘΕΤΗCΕΝ” that is the signature of the artist. At the end of…
Horos B Inscription (Aegina)
On a tall rectangular stone, the inscription is written from left to right in the top section of the boundary marker. Most of the letters are clear, except a few have worn away. This boundary stone marked the sanctuary of Apollo and Poseidon as a…
Attic Black Figure Eye Cup
At 0.12 m in height (4.48 inches), this wide-brimmed cup with two low placed handles is fired using the black figure technique. There are two figures on the front. The figures, although not labeled, can be identified as Herakles and Athena thanks to…
Akraiphia Grave Stelae
This grave stele marks the tomb of a young man named Mnasitheos. His likeness is depicted in a high relief on the stone unclothed and in profile facing left. He stands on a predella with legs separated as if walking forward. With his right hand, he…
Altar of the Chians
Called either the Temple of Apollo Pythios or the Altar of the Chians, this altar was erected by the people of the island of Chios during the 5th century. This was likely done in honor of their role in the Persian War and Ionian Revolt. It would have…
Horos Inscription A (Aegina)
On a tall rectangular stone, the inscription is written from left to right in the top section of the boundary marker. It is unusual that both the omicrons and the thetas use the same character which is a circle with a dot in the middle. Most of the…
Knossos Tablet ( KN 903)
This oblong clay tablet is between 0.1 and 0.15m (4-6 inches) long and has been inscribed with Linear B. This script is a syllabic representation of ancient Greek that was used before the Phonecian alphabet arrived. Many of the tablets that have…
Nymph Dedication
This small terracotta representation of a architectural pediment is molded in one piece with an overhanging sima and slight stylized gutter embellishments at the corners. The lowest and longest part of the triangular space of the pediment is filled…
Lamella Orphica
The lamella is a small, thin, rectangular sheet of gold, with dimensions 2.2 × 3.7 × 0.1 cm. The surface of the lamella is wrinkled, but the letters are still legible. There are 6 lines of text, with no word breaks except at the line ends. In the…
Archidike
The grave marker is in the form of a pedimented stele with rosettes. The pediment survives with carved and painted details including acroteria carved in the form of palmettes and a painted pomegranate centered in the triangular space. Under the…