Marble grave relief with a funerary banquet and departing warriors

Greek

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 162

Two brothers, sons of Apollonios, are represented in both reliefs, and their names are inscribed below. They are shown in a manner associated with hero worship. The ancient Greeks devised a category of powerful demigods known as heroes, who were not unlike Christian saints. Local cults flourished at the tombs of certain deceased men who were thought to exert power for good or evil from their grave. During the Classical period, votive reliefs dedicated to such heroes often represented them on horseback or dining at a funerary banquet. The reliefs on this grave monument drew on such imagery and thus enhanced the memory of the deceased brothers.

Marble grave relief with a funerary banquet and departing warriors, Marble, Greek

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Marble grave relief with a funerary banquet and departing warriors, Marble, Greek
Marble grave relief with a funerary banquet and departing warriors, Marble, Greek

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