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| Altar with Herakles and Acheloos (about 470-450 BC) Locri Epiziphirii, necropolis Terracotta, mold-made, hand-finished Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria, inv. 94062 [Cat. no. 40] |
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Altar with Herakles and Acheloos (about 470-450 BC)
This terracotta altar features a scene depicting the most popular Greek hero, Herakles, struggling with a man-faced bull, the personification of the River Acheloos, the longest in Greece. This exploit is not one of Herakles's legendary twelve labors imposed on him by a vengeful Hera, wife of Zeus. The battle is one of his numerous other mythical feats of strength. The balanced composition pits the valorous hero against a raging force of nature, represented in animal form. Such altars were used to make offerings in religious ceremonies.Page 8 of 11 | On the next page: Altar with Scene from a Greek Tragedy (about 400-350 BC)