The Panathenaic games were held in Athens every four years in honor of the goddess Athena. In contrast to other games in ancient Greece in which the prizes were purely symbolic wreaths, the Panathenaic games awarded victors large decorated storage jars (amphorae) filled with olive oil from the sacred groves of Athena. Although today we prize these amphorae as works of art, it was the olive oil that was the real prize.

The scene on the front of this amphora shows the goddess Athena. It is a composition found on all Panathenaic amphorae. The other side of the vessel shows the competition for which this prize was awarded: the Pankration. This was a particularly vicious combat sport involving boxing, wrestling, kicking, and twisting. There were some rules, however: biting and gouging were forbidden—except at Sparta. Here, the two competitors stand with their arms raised in front of them and a judge between them.

Manner of the Kleophrades Painter, Panathenaic Prize Amphora.Wheel-thrown, slip-decorated earthenware with incised details, about 490 BCE. Height: 25 in. (63.5 cm); diameter of body: 16 5/32 in. (41 cm). Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 1961.24. On view in the Classic Court.