The year 490 bc was a memorable one for the people of athens.
Birth of athena attic wine cup.
Attic black figure band cup c.
The goddess athena in full armour springs out of the head of an enthroned zeus.
Athena pouring wine to hercules cup by douris painter c.
Odysseus in the cave of polyphemos seven figures.
490 470 bce hercules and the serpents with athena by berlin painter c.
According to the greeks athena was born in this astonishing manner after her father zeus had swallowed her pregnant mother metis the goddess of wisdom.
Athena stands behind odysseus as his guardian.
By having the two opponents take shelter behind them the unknown vase painter cleverly incorporated the large eyes which ornament both sides of the cup into the narrative.
Odysseus appears at right with an oinochoe containing more wine.
The birth is depicted in great detail on the shoulder of this amphora.
10 000 of the city s soldiers crushed the much larger persian army of darius the great.
Demeters stands to the right of zeus.
Olive sprig to left.
The birth of athena athena s birth zeus came to lust after metis and chased her in his direct way.
The pair are flanked by the twin eileithyiae birth goddesses who act as midwives with raised arms.
Polyphemos is the central figure kneeling on one knee in a state of drunkenness.
550 bce athena and votary by myson c.
The king of the gods is seated on a stool and holds a royal sceptre in his hand.
And the modern marathon was born when a messenger with good news supposedly ran 26 miles to the city before dropping dead.
Helmeted bust of athena right a above θ h across fields standing right wings open tail left amphora in right.
In the 500s b c greek vase painters frequently placed eyes on cups perhaps because they were believed to be apotropaic that is they had the power to ward off evil or so that the cup would be transformed into a mask when a drinker raised it to.
Work commenced on the first temple of athena parthenos on the acropolis.
Athena stands upon the lap of zeus following her birth from his brow.
Archaic head of athena right in crested attic helmet aθe with archaic θ owl standing right head facing.
Athena also spelled athene in greek religion the city protectress goddess of war handicraft and practical reason identified by the romans with minerva she was essentially urban and civilized the antithesis in many respects of artemis goddess of the outdoors athena was probably a pre hellenic goddess and was later taken over by the greeks.
Birth of athena by painter of berlin 1686 c.
Athena depicted as a child brandishes a spear and is equipped with a shield and a peaked helm.
Odysseus companions bring more wine from the left.
The main side of the cup depicts athena the greek warrior goddess confronting two partially hidden opponents.
Metis tried to escape going so far as to change her form many times.
She changed into various creatures such as hawks fish and serpents.
