Object Description
A warrior/soldier clad in skirt and helmet, wielding a shield and spear on a chariot (with two wheels that function) driving two horses (mid-trot) attached to the warrior's shield by a golden chain. The warrior poses with his front leg bent and with his arm raised. This object is a souvenir.
Origin
The arrangement of this statue is a part of a very popular Greek souvenir and artistic iconography. The warrior's costume is ambiguous and non-specific (it could be Roman rather than Greek). The statue's entirety generally represents a classic warrior who has a determined and prepared stance that will ensure his victory.
Chariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine sports. Chariot racing was often dangerous to both driver and horse as they frequently suffered serious injury and even death, but generated strong spectator enthusiasm. In the ancient Olympic Games, as well as the other Panhellenic Games, the sport was one of the most important equestrian events.
It is unknown exactly when chariot racing began in Greece, but it may have been as old as chariots themselves. It is known from artistic evidence on pottery that the sport existed in the Mycenaean world, but the first literary reference to a chariot race is the one described by Homer, at the funeral games of Patroclus. The participants in this race were Diomedes, Eumelus, Antilochus, Menelaus, and Meriones. The race, which was one lap around the stump of a tree, was won by Diomedes, who received a slave woman and a cauldron as his prize. A chariot race was also said to be the event that founded the Olympic Games; according to one legend, mentioned by Pindar, King Oenomaus challenged his daughter Hippodamia's suitors to a race but was defeated by Pelops, who founded the Games in honor of his victory.
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