Das Wunder vor der Schlacht

The Niobid Krater (calyx krater G341), has on its main side one of the few vase paintings of the fifth century BC that is not immediately understandable. Eleven armed figures are shown standing motionless, with no specific interaction discernible among them. At first glance, only Heracles, at the center of the image, and Athena, to his left, are recognizable. Luca Giuliani reviews the history of the interpretation of this enigmatic image, from the first discovery of the calyx krater in 1880 to the most recent studies. A detail of the image, having first come to light after a new restoration of the krater, finally provides an answer, supported by archaeological, literary, and iconographical sources: the vase painting depicts a group of Athenian warriors waiting by the sanctuary of Heracles at Marathon in 490 BC, before the Persians have launched their attack. In this study, Giuliani not only presents a conclusive identification of the imagery of the Niobid Krater, but also gives insight into the procedures of archaeological hermeneutics.