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Attic Funerary Relief

The Attic funerary relief is a Pentelic marble grave relief now displayed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, inventory number 3344. Found in 1948 near the Larisa metro station, it preserves two slabs, with a third section on the left presumed to be missing. The relief shows a horse running to the right, with a groom at the front left raising a whip as if to strike it. The groom wears a chiton and high boots and is identified as an exotic foreign slave, probably from Africa, most likely Ethiopia. Its date is disputed: it is usually placed at the end of the 4th century BC, though some scholars date it to the 1st century BC and connect it with a monument for Mithridates VI.

Attic funerary relief showing a horse with a groom beside its head
Attic funerary relief depicting a horse and its groom.
May 2018 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Attic funerary relief showing a horse with ornate covering and a young groom holding its lead beside it.
Attic funerary relief depicting a horse and a young groom on a weathered stone slab.
March 2009 © · CC BY 2.0
Attic funerary relief showing a horse facing right with a groom beside its neck.
Attic funerary relief with a carved horse and attendant figure on a marble panel.
© Unknown artistUnknown artist · CC BY 2.5
Attic funerary relief showing a large horse in profile with a small groom reaching toward its head.
Attic funerary relief with a horse and attendant groom, carved in weathered stone.
July 2016 © · CC0
Attic funerary relief showing a horse with a draped blanket and a small attendant holding its bridle.
Attic funerary relief depicting a horse with a draped covering and a figure at its side.
March 2009 © · CC BY 2.0

Identification

TitleAttic funerary relief
TypeAttic grave relief
Alternative nameFunerary relief of Mithridates

Location and ownership

Current locationNational Archaeological Museum, Athens (NAMA)
Inventory number3344

Materials

MaterialPentelic marble

Historical context

DateDisputed; commonly dated to the late 4th century BC, but other datings place it in the 1st century BC

Discovery and provenance

Discovery locationNear the Larissa metro station
Discovery date1948

Physical characteristics

DimensionsAbout 2 m high and 1.9 m wide
Preservation stateWell preserved; only minor damage, with part of the horse's nose/muzzle missing
Preserved partsTwo panels are preserved; a third left-hand panel is assumed, which would have included at least the horse's tail

Appearance

Human actionHe is drawing back a whip to strike the horse
Boy hairShort hair
Boy clothingChiton and high boots (endromides)
Horse poseThe horse's head is turned and inclined out of the relief to the right; the left foreleg is raised and bent, the right foreleg is extended and planted on the ground, and the hind legs rest on the ground, with the left hind leg only minimally worked out from the background
Human figureA stable boy stands at the left front of the composition
Horse accessoryA panther skin is draped over the horse's back and extends to its chest
Main motifA horse moving to the right

Iconography and meaning

Boy identity interpretationThe curls identify him as an exotic foreigner
Boy ethnicity hypothesisProbably an African slave, most likely from Ethiopia
Historical iconographyArabs and Africans had been depicted in Greek art since the 4th century BC
Earlier dating interpretationIf dated earlier, the relief is thought to have belonged to a larger grave naiskos
Later dating interpretationIf dated later, it is often associated with the funerary monument of King Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus
Associated historical figureKing Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus
Dating basisThe broad dating range reflects differing interpretations rather than a settled chronology

Other

Cultural contextGreek art