Relief votive plaque
Archaeological museum Messenia, Kalamata
M 3475 1
Link copied
Relief votive plaque
4th century BCE
Archaeological museum Messenia, Kalamata
Antheia, Messenia
Relief plaque
TerracottaLength: 19 cm Height: 20.5 cm
Terracotta relief votive plaque of the classical period found in the mycenaean tholos tomb of Antheia. It is formed in the shape of a temple, with a pediment top and a relief frame at its base. It bears a depiction of a funerary banquet. To the right of the scene is a male figure on a daybed, reclining to his left. Supported on his left arm, he stretches out his right one, holding a phiale to the left. His head and torso are facing forward. He wears a wreath; a himation covers the lower body. An offering table is depicted in front of the daybed. The female figure is seated, facing forward, with crossed legs. She wears a long chiton and a polos and peplos on her head. A snake is depicted to the right of the woman and a round shield over the right hand of the male figure. More votive plaques with depictions of hoplites, funerary banquets, horse riders and triads of women were found in the mycenaean tholos tomb. They have been associated with practices of ancestral or hero cult during historic times, a custom that was common in many mycenaean burial monuments in Messenia.