This Panathenaic amphora, along with the valuable olive oil it contained (about 10 1/2 gallons), was used as a prize in the Panathenaic Games. The 10 1/2 gallons of olive oil would be worth about $890, and the vase, $28 in today's money. These vases typically had a representation of Athena on one side and a depiction of the event for which the amphora was a prize on the other. The figure of Athena above represents the traditional pose of the goddess striding forward agressively, brandishing her spear. She is accompanied by her symbol the owl, which sits on her shield, and she is wearing the aegis, an upper-body armor that is made out of an impenetrable goat-skin with snake-tassels (see the stylized snakes extending out from her left side). Another traditional element is the pair of columns with roosters perched on top that surround Athena.1 The meaning of these cocks is open to question, but it has been reasonably argued that they represent the fighting spirit of Athens. There is also an inscription that is required on these vases as a validation of their authenticity: TÔN ATHÊNÊTHEN ATHLÔN, which means "[one] of the prizes from Athens." Sometimes the word EMI is added to this phrase, in which case the meaning would be: I2 am [one] of the prizes from Athens." You will note the absence of this inscription from the vase above. That is because this vase is only an ancient imitation of a Panathenaic amphora. You can see the inscription on a real Panathenaic vase below.
Below is a composite photograph of both sides of another Panathenaic amphora, intended as a prize for a foot race. On the left side of the front of the vase, notice the script running vertically down the side: this is the official inscription mentioned in the previous paragraph. The script on the right side is the signature of the vase painter.
