Marble votive relief dedicated to a hero

late 4th century BCE

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 158

Inscribed to the physician

A hero was a deceased person who exerted from his grave a power for good or evil and demanded appropriate honor. The cult was concentrated at the grave, which was marked off as a special precinct and known as a heroon. As with the Olympian gods, there were animal sacrifices and offering of food and libation. The principal cultic activity was a feast of the living in company with the dead hero and in his honor. Votive reliefs often show the hero, as here, reclining at such a meal and being approached by worshipers, shown in smaller scale.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

References

Title: Marble votive relief dedicated to a hero
Period: Late Classical
Date: late 4th century BCE
Culture: Greek, Attic
Medium: Marble
Dimensions: Overall: 9 7/16 x 10 1/2 x 2in. (24 x 26.7 x 5.1cm)
Classification: Stone Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of Joseph V. Noble, 1957
Object Number: 57.42
Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

More Artwork

In the same gallery

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Fragment of a limestone grave relief with a banquet scene, Limestone, Cypriot — Fragment of a limestone grave relief with a banquet scene
Cypriot
ca. 450–425 BCE

Marble stele (grave marker) of a woman, Marble, Greek, Attic — Marble stele (grave marker) of a woman
Greek, Attic
mid-4th century BCE

Lion felling a bull, from a marble pediment, Marble, Parian, Greek, Attic — Lion felling a bull, from a marble pediment
Greek, Attic
ca. 525–500 BCE

Fragment of the marble stele (grave marker) of a hoplite (foot soldier), Marble, Hymettian, Greek, Attic — Fragment of the marble stele (grave marker) of a hoplite (foot soldier)
Greek, Attic
ca. 525–515 BCE

Marble head of a goddess, Marble, Greek — Marble head of a goddess
Greek
4th century BCE

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.