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Apollo and the musical challenge
People in Ancient Greece liked telling stories about gods, heroes and famous people.
These stories are referred to as myths. Gods were seen as similar to humans, in that they got into fights, played tricks on each other and fell in love.
One of the ways we know about some of the gods, heroes and myths of Ancient Greece is through the decorations painted on Ancient Greek ceramics.
Watch this video and take a look at this oenochoe from 375-350 BCE. An oenochoe is a type of ancient Greek wine jug, which often has a trefoil-shaped mouth. This one comes from the late classical period.
Things to think about
- Who are the figures painted on the oenochoe? And what is the story being told?
- Why do you think a story like this one is painted on a jug?
What can this object tell us about the role of myth in everyday life in Ancient Greece?
Made in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
Production Date: 2020
Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2020 (except where otherwise indicated).
Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated).
Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners.
Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and National Gallery of Victoria.
This is another vase that's painted with another ancient Greek myth. It's called an oinochoe. It's a little wine jug and it's got what we call a little trefoil lip. So three curved forms. And it would have been used for serving wine. It's a little vase but it's painted with a very well-known myth.
So, Amanda, tell us about the story. Tell us about the myth that this jug tells.
We're looking at the musical contest between Marsyas here and Apollo. Marsyas was a satyr. He was a woodland god. And Apollo is the god of music and he's far more important than the little woodland god. And then there's a third character involved, which is this seated youth here, which is possibly Olympus, the judge of this contest going on. And it looks very light hearted, comical scene almost.
We've got these comical figures on either side. These sort of quite fat little bald men either side, that we don't really know what they are there for but they do add a note of farce to the scene. But it's far from comical in fact because what we're looking at is a contest. A musical contest. Marsyas here, and you can see that he's naked.
He's picked up the flute. You can just see the flute in his hand here, painted in white. And the flute had been discarded by the goddess Athena. And Marsyas had been practicing his musical techniques and his prowess. And he challenged foolishly-- challenged the god Apollo to a musical contest. And you can see him looking very despondent.
He's looking to the left while we see centre stage, the god Apollo, confidently playing his lyre to the seated youth here. And it's quite clear who has won this contest. It was always going to be clear who would win the contest.
Of course, it's the god of music Apollo. And the fact that Marsyas is actually naked and the fact that he's looking off stage left and looking extremely despondent is indicative to anyone who understands this myth that his punishment in losing this musical contest was to be flayed alive.
Flayed alive, what does that mean?
It's not good.
It's not good?
No, you wouldn't want to be flayed alive at all. So effectively, while he was still alive, his skin would be cut off him basically. Literally pulled off his skeleton body. Yes. So not fun. Yeah.
Pretty tough punishment.
Yeah. Yeah. You wouldn't want to challenge the god of music to a competition, would you? Yeah.