Libation

A libation is a liquid offering, poured out to a god or goddess. They would usually be an offering of wine, water, milk, or honey. In this scene, it is gods themselves making a libation.

There are three deities shown in this image. In the middle is Zeus, king of the gods. The throne and long beard are typical in representations of him and the thunderbolt in his hand confirms that it is him. Zeus ruled over the earth and other gods; he is the father of many gods and heroes. In front of Zeus is Athena, one of Zeus' daughters. She is recognisable from the combination of a female form and clothing with a helmet, spear, and her special cloak, known as an aegis. Athena was patron of many cities, including Athens. She presided over matters involving wisdom, knowledge and technical skill, especially crafts and war. To the left is a winged goddess. It is hard to be certain who this is as there is more than one winged goddess in ancient Greek culture, but it is more than likely Nike, the winged goddess of victory. She brings success to those competing in all sorts of areas, particularly in sports and battle. The other main possibility is Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, but Iris is usually depicted with a messenger staff, which this goddess does not have.

This vase is a hydria, made in Athens c.450BCE in the red-figure style. As a hydria, it would have been used for fetching, carrying, and pouring water. The vase was decorated by an artist known as the Providence Painter. It is a calm domestic scene. Hierarchy is visible all the same: Zeus is in the centre and the only seated figure – a sign that he is the most senior. Athena, his daughter, has the next most prestigious spot – standing in front of him and interacting with him directly. Nike has a less prestigious place, standing behind Zeus on the left. Nike wraps Zeus' long hair with a decorative wreath. Athena holds a jug before Zeus, who is holding a shallow dish. This implies that Athena will pour liquid into the dish so that Zeus can pour a libation from it – a liquid sacrifice. Who does the king of the gods pour an offering to? Perhaps to his ancestor, Gaea, the Earth. The gods in this scene are setting humans a good example with their familial harmony and religious devotions.

The vase is now housed in the National Museum in Warsaw, in Poland (number 142460 NMW).

Libation acts out the scene on the vase. We can see Nike wrapping the decorative wreath into Zeus' hair, adding to the wreath he already wears. The close-up view makes it easier to see that Nike wears a decoration around her own hair as well as a striking earring. Athena twice pours liquid from a jug into Zeus' bowl. He uses that liquid to make his libation.

The music in the animation was created by Prof. Conrad Steinmann playing the aulos and Yiannis Chatzis on drums.

This animation was created as part of the European Research Council (ERC) funded project: Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Children's and Young Adults' Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges (Grant Agreement 681202; ERC Consolidator Grant led by Prof Katarzyna Marciniak). www.omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/

This PowerPoint file and activity sheet are designed to make it easier to integrate the Libation video into your teaching. Feel free to use or adapt them with your class, or if you'd like to do more by yourself :)

• Libation PowerPoint