This 2,500-year-old decorated amphora (a ceramic vessel) features two Greek heroes of the Trojan War — Achilles and Ajax — leaning on their spears as they play a game. They may be playing Petteia, a game of skill in which players attempted to entrap their opponent’s pieces.

Black-figure amphora showing Achilles and Ajax playing a game (c. 525 BCE)
Lent by the Royal Ontario Museum, 925.97

Large Image

(5.1 MB)