"The Battle of the Amazons" | "La Battaglia delle Amazzoni" Sarcophagus I.

• Museo Archeologico di Santa Giulia in Brescia on Sun 13|09|20:
"The Battle of the Amazons" | "La Battaglia delle Amazzoni"
Front panel of Attic Sarcophagus,
2 - 3 AD.
Proconnessus or Himettius Marble
[ From "the floor of the church of San Salvatore", found Oct 1998 ]
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• Txt © Museo di Santa Giulia:
"The slab was part of a Sarcophagus made between the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD in Attica - a Greek region where, from the 2nd to the middle of the 3rd c., some workshops specialised in carving sarcophagi, mainly in Proconnesus marble, depicting mythological battle scenes.
The front side of the Sarcophagus shows naked Athenian heroes and Amazon warriors on horseback.
The Amazons were of oriental origin and can be seen wearing a particular cap and robe that bares their right shoulders and breasts.
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The complex relief represents a fight that took place on the slopes of the Acropolis in Athens, when the Amazons tried to free their queen, Antiopes, abducted by Theseus, with the help of other Athenian warriors.
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This Amazonomachy is one of the many battles fought by those mythological women-warriors.
Often, in decorating sarcophagi, mythological themes dealing with death and heroic deeds were chosen in order to praise the dead person, usually identifying him with the protagonist of the myth.
The use of precious materials and the skilled craftsmanship employed, show that these sarcophagi were made for people of high social status.
Attic sarcophagi were exported all over Mediterranean area.
Across the Adriatic Sea, they reached Aquileia and from there they were distributed throughout northern Italy."
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MdSG | Michael Svetbird ©msp | 13|09|20 6500X4100 300dpi I.
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