Ultimately, Exekias demonstrates knowledge of and skill in Homeric and elite modes of storytelling to expound on the character and fate of these heroes. More than decoration, Exekias thus uses the imagery of Achilles’ and Ajax’s cloaks to draw on the link between stars and heroes in epic poetry—and the concomitant values and ideas bound up in this connection—to express what it means to be a hero. In this way, Exekias’ decoration also offers new insights into the prestige and place of Near Eastern and Italian luxuries in sixth-century BCE Athenian life, in particular the textiles that were critical signifiers of wealth and identity, while also shedding light on the use of magic in the Archaic world.

Ultimately, my interpretation o

(see fig. 14)

epic.82

Abusch, T. 2001. “The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Homeric Epics.” In Mythology and Mythologies: Methodological Approaches to Intercultural Influences, edited by R.M. Whiting, 1–6. Helsinki: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project.

Munich, Antikensammlungen J375 (ARV2 11.1, 1618; Paralipomena 321; Beazley Addenda2 151; BAPD 200000).

common magical palindrome ABLANATHANALBA,

chitoniskos

“association of magic with binding,

But this is not to say that adults did not wear amulets or believe in magic.

arguably

London, British Museum

“so that Achilles may suffer no harm among the Trojans for today; but later he will suffer whatever Fate spun for him with her thread at his birth when his mother bore him.

A close parallel in Exekias’ work for the cloaks worn by Achilles and Ajax on the Vatican amphora is the fallen warrior’s cloak depicted on an amphora in Philadelphia,

The arched placement of the three deeply incised stars toward the top of each cloak brings to mind the long handle of the ladle of what we call the Big Dipper, which is the asterism of the constellation of Ursa Major, or the Great Bear, one of the most distinct and discernable constellations.

Fig. 6.

the Near East

However, in reviewing Himmelmann-Wildschütz’s book on the possible symbolism of Greek ornament, Boardman also raised concerns,

παμφαίνονθ᾽ ὥς τ᾽ ἀστέρ᾽ ἐπεσσύμενον πεδίοιο,

the lotiform shape that Zeus’ lightning bolt takes in vase painting encourages us to see the iconography as fluid.12

Did Exekias select these motifs meaningfully, or are they just filler?

Heroics of Dress:

This article explores how Exekias’ fictive dress ornament evokes epic traditions, appropriates the authority of Near Eastern luxury arts, reflects knowledge of textile traditions in Italy, activates knowledge of the cosmos, and conjures magical associations.

American Journal of Archaeology Volume 128, Number 1January 2024

Anthony F. Mangieri