Greek grave relief with Ethiopian groom and horse

National Archeological Museum, Athens, Greece

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Material: Pentelic marble
Date range: Late 4th century BC or 1st century BC
Origin: Found near Larisis railway station, Athens, Greece

This grave relief honored a military warrior, shown through the Macedonian helmet symbol carved above the horse. The monument takes the form of a naiskos, a small temple-like shrine structure used to mark sacred burial places and honor the dead in Greek religious practice.

The horse covered in panther skin and the military symbols indicate this was a memorial for a soldier or military leader. Greeks believed that properly honoring fallen warriors through monuments like this was a sacred duty, connecting the deceased hero to the gods and ensuring his memory lived on.

The relief likely had additional carved figures completing the scene, possibly showing the warrior himself and a young servant carrying his equipment. Such monuments served as holy markers where families could make offerings and prayers to remember their loved ones who died in service to their city and gods.

Museum label reference: 4464. Grave relief. Pentelic marble. Found near Larisis railway station, Athens. Two slabs joined together. At the right edge a young Ethiopian groom attempts to restrain a large horse covered with a panther skin. He holds a whip in his raised right hand and the reins in his left. Above the back of the horse there is an impression in the shape of a Macedonian helmet. The prominence given to the horse suggests that the owner of the monument, which has the form of a naiskos, was a military man. The representation will have been completed by other figures, either in relief or carved in the round, possibly the warrior and his young servant carrying his equipment. The relief is thought to have belonged to a funerary monument and has been dated to the late 4th c. BC. However, according to another view, it is a Classicising work of the 1st c. BC, executed in honour of a ruler, possibly Mithridates, king of Pontos.

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Pentelic marble grave relief showing young Ethiopian groom restraining a large horse covered with panther skin

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