Vase Catalog Number: Boston 97.368

Decoration:

Side A: the battle between Achilles and Memnon. At the center of the scene, Achilles strides forward, holding his sword in his right hand and a Boeotian shield in his left, while Memnon, wounded, falls back. Both warriors are youthful and unbearded. Achilles, with long locks, wears a chitoniskos, a leather cuirass strengthened with metal scales, a helmet with palmette decoration, and greaves. The shoulder flaps of the cuirass are decorated with a lion and lioness. Memnon wears a similar helmet and cuirass (the central part imbricated instead of scaled, and with panther's heads at the lower corners of the shoulder-piece and nape-piece), but no greaves. His shield has a gorgon device surrounded by snakes, and the cheek-piece of his helmet is ornamented with a lizard. Memnon's mouth is open, and the upper part of his cornea is concealed by his eyelid as his eyes close in death.

Between the two heroes is a fallen warrior, labelled Melanippos, who apparently serves the same role in the version of the myth illustrated here as Antilochos does in the better-known version recorded in the Aethiopis, the opponent of Memnon (or Achilles?) whose death triggered the battle between the two heroes. Melanippos is wounded in the neck, side and left thigh, and lies without his corslet, his helmet fallen from his head. His left arm is still in his shield, and his right leg extends straight out and foreshortened.

Behind Achilles, Athena approaches, holding her arm out to protect the hero. She wears a high crested Attic helmet (the crest extending into the palmette band above the scene), a thick chiton and himation, the aegis with a simple gorgoneion, and holds a spear in her right hand. On the other side, Memnon's mother Eos stretches out her left hand to support her falling son, while her right arm is extended in entreaty. She is wingless, as often, and wears a chiton with two overfalls, a himation and a stephane.

The figures are all labelled. In addition, LACHEAS KALOS ("Lacheas is beautiful") is inscribed inside Melanippos' shield.

Side B: combat between Diomedes and Aeneas. Diomedes advances from the left and wounds Aeneas with a spear. Aeneas has drawn his sword but falls, helpless. Diomedes wears a chitoniskos, a leather cuirass with scales, a Corinthian helmet but no greaves. Aeneas wears an Attic helmet, a cuirass with imbrications instead of scales, and a baldric with a scabbard. On the shoulder flaps of both heroes are stars (Diomedes' cuirass has only one star, however). Aeneas' sword is a long, single-edged weapon with a swan's head handle. To the left, Athena encourages Diomedes, and Aphrodite comes to rescue her son Aeneas on the right. Athena wears the same costume as on Side A, but less ornamented; Aphrodite wears a chiton, himation, and a stephane. The figures are labelled.

In the Iliad, Diomedes wounds Aeneas with a boulder rather than with a spear (Hom. Il. 5, 300).

Inscriptions:

Side A: ATHENAIA, ACHILEUS, MELANIPPOS, MEIMNON, hEIOS ("Athena", "Achilles", "Melanippos", "Memnon", "Heios"). On Melanippos' shield, LACHEAS KALOS "Lacheas is beautiful". Side B: ATHENAIA, DIOMEDES, AINEAS, APHRODITE ("Athena", "Diomedes", "Aeneas", "Aphrodite").

Collection History:

Formerly in collection of Count Michael Tyszkiewicz.

Sources Used:

Caskey & Beazley, 2, 13-21

Essay: C & B No. 70

(Beth McIntosh)