Panathenaic Prize Amphora with Athena Promachos and Hoplite Runners

The name painted down the left-hand column of this jar is Kephisodoros, the archon of Athens for 323 to 322 BC. He took office in the summer of 323, only weeks after Alexander the Great had died in Babylon. In the months that followed, Athens led a revolt of Greek cities against Macedonian rule, the conflict known as the Lamian War, and by the autumn of 322 it had been lost.

On the back of the jar three runners race to the right, naked except for their helmets, each carrying a large round shield. This was the hoplitodromos, the race in armour, run in a foot soldier's gear, and part of the Olympic Games since 520 BC. Earlier runners had also worn greaves, but by this date the kit was down to helmet and shield.