Geometric pyxis with horse and snake design

Material: Terracotta (fired clay)
Date range: 750-700 BC
Origin: Greece (likely Athens/Kerameikos cemetery)

This pyxis was placed in a child’s grave as a sacred offering, reflecting Greek beliefs about death and the afterlife. The horse on the lid symbolizes the journey to the underworld and divine favor, while the snake-like forms suggest chthonic powers linked to earth and the dead.

In the Geometric period, children’s burials often included vessels that served both practical and religious roles. Such offerings were meant to honor underworld deities like Hades and Persephone and to help guide the child safely into the afterlife.

The careful decoration of the pyxis shows the family’s desire to perform proper funeral rites, even for a young child. The geometric patterns may have been protective, helping connect the burial to both the divine realm and the world of the dead.

Museum label reference: Child burial, 750-700 BC. Items include: 19. figurine of a horse carrying four amphoras on its back, 20. skyphos, 21. jug, 22-23. bird figurines, 24-25. horse figurines, 26. kalathos, 27. pyxis with horse figurines on the lid, 28. amphora-kalathos with a representation of a groom, 29. clay pomegranate, 30. gold band

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