Inv.-Nr. 115d.2

Freiermord des Odysseus aus dem Südfries des Heroons von Trysa

Wien, Kunsthistorisches Museum I 482
410/400 oder um 380 v. Chr.

In this scene, Odysseus is shown slaughtering men who, in his absence, had sought to marry his wife Penelope and to take his throne on Ithaka. On the left hand side of the scene, he fires arrows from his famous bow, known to be usable only by him. On the right hand of the scene, the suitors lie in death and distress on their banqueting couches, surprised in the middle of their festivities.

Odysseus is wearing a type of helmet known as a pilos helmet. These became especially popular in the fourth and third centuries BCE, as they could be cheaply mass produced. In addition, they had the benefit of allowing the wearer to have a wide field of vision and unobstructed hearing, although the downside to this was they left the face unprotected (in comparison with Corinthian helmets).

The relief on which this cast is based comes from a series that once adorned a monumental tomb in Lykia (modern Turkey), known as the Heroon of Trysa. The Heroon was a roughly square enclosure, covered in rich reliefs depicting both mythical scenes and scenes from daily life. The original reliefs were brought to Vienna in 1882 by Otto Benndorf, and some can be seen today on display in the Kunsthistorisches Museum.