Darius vase Napoli Museum without background

The Darius Vase is a famous vase painted by an anonymous

Magna Graecia Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; these re ...

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

vase painter Ancient Greek pottery, due to its relative durability, comprises a large part of the archaeological record of ancient Greece, and since there is so much of it (over 100,000 painted vases are recorded in the Corpus vasorum antiquorum), it has ex ...

, commonly called the

Darius Painter The Darius Painter was an Apulian vase painter and the most eminent representative at the end of the " Ornate Style" in South Italian red-figure vase painting. His works were produced between 340 and 320 BC. The Darius Painter's conventional name ...

, the most eminent representative at the end of the "Ornate Style" in

South Italian , altname = , states = Italy , region = Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Marche, Molise , ethnicity = ''Mezzogiorno'' Ethnic Italians , speakers = 5.7 million , date ...

red-figure Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 520 BCE and remained in use until the late 3rd century BCE. It replaced the previously dominant style of black-figure vas ...

vase painting. The vase was produced between 340 and 320 BCE, probably in a large

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

-like workshop in the Greek city of

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

(ancient Taras),

, well before the fall of Taranto to the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

in 272 BCE. It is an important part of

Apulian vase painting Apulian vase painting was a regional style of South Italian vase painting from ancient Apulia. It comprises geometric pottery and red-figure pottery. The legitimate Iron Age sequel to the Neolithic and Bronze Age culture of Matera and Molfetta h ...

. The "Darius Vase" was discovered in 1851 near

Canosa di Puglia Canosa di Puglia, generally known simply as Canosa ( nap, label= Canosino, Canaus), is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, southern Italy. It is located between Bari and Foggia, on the northwestern edge of the ...

and is now on display at the Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Naples (H3253). This work, a volute ''

krater A krater or crater ( grc-gre, , ''kratēr'', literally "mixing vessel") was a large two-handled shape of vase in Ancient Greek pottery and metalwork, mostly used for the mixing of wine with water. Form and function At a Greek symposium, krat ...

'' is of large dimensions. It is 1.3 meters in height and 1.93 meters in circumference. The vase contains several inscriptions, such as naming individual figures, but there are also thematical names (such as ''persai'' – Persians). To some extent these inscriptions can be seen as "titles". All available space on the vase is used for figural depictions, arranged in two or three registers. Some individual zones are structured by opulent ornamental friezes. The Darius Painter is considered the first painter to have fully exploited the possibilities of large-format vase painting. His drawing style is reputed to be especially good, particularly as regards faces, which he often depicts in a three-quarter profile.

Content of the vase

Neck of the vase: Combat scenes

The neck of the vase shows combat scenes between the Greeks and the Persians. It is generally thought that these scenes represents the combats between

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

and

Darius III Darius III ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; c. 380 – 330 BC) was the last Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia, reigning from 336 BC to his death in 330 BC. Contrary to his predecessor Artaxerxes IV Arses, Dar ...

, rather than the earlier combats of the troops of

Darius I Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his ...

during his

First Persian invasion of Greece The first Persian invasion of Greece, during the Greco-Persian Wars, began in 492 BC, and ended with the decisive Athenian victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. The invasion, consisting of two distinct campaigns, was ordered by th ...

Top tier: Greek gods

Above Darius stands a line of Greek Gods:

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

riding a stag,

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

seated holding a

swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...

together with

Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the earli ...

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

holding a winged

thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...

, Hellas standing,

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

holding a shield,

Apate In Greek mythology, Apate (;Ancient Greek: Απάτη ''Apátē'') is the goddess and personification of deceit. Her mother is Nyx, the personification of the night. In Roman mythology her equivalent is Fraus (i.e. "fraud"), while her male counte ...

holding two torches,

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

seated on an altar, next to a pillar holding a head (possibly of

xoanon A xoanon (, el, ξόανον; plural: el, ξόανα , from the verb el, ξέειν, , to carve or scrape ood was an Archaic wooden cult image of Ancient Greece. Classical Greeks associated such cult objects, whether aniconic or effigy, with ...

Middle tier: Darius and his court

is shown seated, wearing a long, ornate, sleeved robe and a high Persian hat. A body guard stands behind him, as Darius is listening to an allegory of the Persian people, enjoining him not to attack the Greeks. Darius could also be simply listening to a messenger.

Xerxes I Xerxes I ( peo, 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ξέρξης ; – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC. He was the son and successor of ...

, still a Prince, is said to be represented, second from right. The scene of the audience given by an Achaemenid ruler seems to have been quite conventional, and also appears in a similar fashion in the frieze on the tomb of

Lycia Lycia (Lycian language, Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; el, Λυκία, ; tr, Likya) was a state or nationality that flourished in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean ...

n ruler

Arbinas Arbinas, also Erbinas, Erbbina, was a Lycian Dynast who ruled circa 430/20-400 BCE. He is most famous for his tomb, the Nereid Monument, now on display in the British Museum. Coinage seems to indicate that he ruled in the western part of Lycia, ...

Bottom tier: tax collection

A tax collector, the Royal Treasurer, is seen receiving payments by various conquered nations, whose representatives crouch before him."the Royal Treasurer is seen calculating the value of the tributes paid in by the conquered nations, whose representatives crouch before him." in On a table lays a calculating table (a reckoning board or

abax A sand table uses constrained sand for modelling or educational purposes. The original version of a sand table may be the abax used by early Greek students. In the modern era, one common use for a sand table is to make terrain models for milita ...

, used for complicated calculations), with a number of small pebbles or counters in front of the

Greek numerals Greek numerals, also known as Ionic, Ionian, Milesian, or Alexandrian numerals, are a system of writing numbers using the letters of the Greek alphabet. In modern Greece, they are still used for ordinal numbers and in contexts similar to tho ...

for calculating large numbers. The symbol "O" appears in the calculation table, a

Boeotian Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its lar ...

symbol for the obol, or small unit. The use of pebbles on a board to make calculations is illustrated down to modern times by the fact that ''calx'' is "pebble" in Latin, which is the etymological root for the word "calculation". The board contains the letters M (= 10.000), Ψ (Boeotian for 1.000), H (= 100), Δ (= 10) and Greek Pi archaic

(=5, or possibly the unit symbol for the

Drachma The drachma ( el, δραχμή , ; pl. ''drachmae'' or ''drachmas'') was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history: # An ancient Greek currency unit issued by many Greek city states during a period of ten centuries, fro ...

). White pebbles are added next to each letter in order to give the number of each quantity unit. Next to them appear the former symbols used to represent the Greek coins: Obol (Boeotian symbol O, 1/6 of a Drachma), half an Obol (С) and a quarter of an Obol (T). These symbols resemble those found in the Salamis abacus. The number here shown is probably 1741 and 4/6 Drachms. The tax collector also holds an open

diptych A diptych (; from the Greek δίπτυχον, ''di'' "two" + '' ptychē'' "fold") is any object with two flat plates which form a pair, often attached by hinge. For example, the standard notebook and school exercise book of the ancient world w ...

(two-leaved wax tablet) in which can be read the letters TAΛNTA:H, presumably meaning ''tal'anta hekaton ("one hundred talents").

Influences

The Darius vase may have represented a scene from a Greek drama. The depiction of Darius on his name-vase is possibly derived in its details from the ''Persae of Phrynikos'', C. Anti concluded in 1952, and Schmidt 1960 follows him. However Oliver Taplin notes in Pots and Plays, 2007, p. 235-7, the only strong indications of tragic reference are Darius himself and the old man in paidagogos outfit on the plinth inscribed ΠΕΡΣΑΙ, who might be performing the messenger role. Taplin speculates that the iconography of tragedy "could be assimilated into other contexts without danger of confusion", op. cit. p. 237.

Gallery

File:Darius detail on the Darius vase.jpg, Depiction of

Darius the Great Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his d ...

and its inscription (ΔΑΡΕΙΟΣ, top right) on the "Darius Vase" File:Darius-Vase.jpg, Drawing of Darius on the vase. File:Darius receiving advice on the Darius vase.jpg, Darius receiving advice from the Persians. File:Abax from Darius Vase.jpg, Abax depicted on the Darius vase File:Darius vase Tax collection.jpg, The Tax collecter scene. File:Darius Vase Battle between Greeks and Persians.jpg, Battle between Greeks and Persians, on the reverse of the Darius Vase.

References

Sources

* Margot Schmidt. ''Der Dareiosmaler und sein Umkreis: Untersuchen zur Spätapulischen Vasenmalerei'', Munich: Aschendorff, 1960. * Jean-Marc Moret. ''L'Ilioupersis dans la céramique italiote, les mythes et leur expression figurée au IVe siècle'', Institut Suisse de Rome, 1975. * Thomas Morard, ''Horizontalité et verticalité. Le bandeau humain et le bandeau divin chez le Peintre de Darius'', Mainz, von Zabern, 2009. * Alexandre Cambitoglou, Arthur Dale Trendall. '' The Red-figured Vases of Apulia'', II, ''Late Apulian'', Oxford, 1982: p. 482-522. Bibliography. * Christian Aellen, Alexandre Cambitoglou, Jacques Chamay. ''Le peintre de Darius et son milieu, Vases grecs d'Italie Méridionale, Hellas et Roma'', Genf 1986. *

Arthur Dale Trendall Arthur Dale Trendall, (28 March 1909 – 13 November 1995) was a New Zealand art historian and classical archaeologist whose work on identifying the work of individual artists on Greek ceramic vessels at Apulia and other sites earned him in ...

. ''Rotfigurige Vasen aus Unteritalien und Sizilien. Ein Handbuch.'' von Zabern, Mainz 1991 (Kulturgeschichte der Antiken Welt Vol. 47), (p. 85-177). * Françoise-Hélène Massa-Pairault. ''Le Peintre de Darius et l'actualité. De la Macédoine à la Grande Grèce'', in ''L'incidenza dell'Antico II: studi in memore di Ettore Lepore'', Napoli, 1996. * Rolf Hurschmann. ''Dareios-Maler'', in

Der Neue Pauly Der or DER may refer to: Places * Darkənd, Azerbaijan * Dearborn (Amtrak station) (station code), in Michigan, US * Der (Sumer), an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq * d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, an oceanic ridge in the south-west Pacific Ocean ...

Vol. 3 (1997), col. 324. * Claude Pouzadoux, ''Guerre et paix en Peucétie à l'époque d'Alexandre le Molosse (notes sur quelques vases du Peintre de Darius)'', in ''Le Canal d'Otrante et la Méditerranée antique et médiévale'', colloque organisée à l'Université de Paris X - Nanterre (20-21 novembre 2000), Edipuglia, Bari, 2005. {{Commonscat, Darius Vase Archaeological discoveries in Italy Art of Magna Graecia Collections of the National Archaeological Museum, Naples Darius the Great Individual ancient Greek vases