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450 B.C.This lovely kylix shows the oracle of Delphi reading the signs and portents for Aegeas. The Oracle went by the name of Pythia, as she was embodiment of the Pythian cult, based on the snake Python, son of Mother Earth. The Oracle would sit on a tripod over a fissure in the earth and bathed in rising vapors, go into a trance from which she could advise and warn. This kylix pictures Pythia peering into her bowl which might have contained leaves floating in a liquid, or sacrificial animal organs. Aegeas (Aegeus) was King of Athens, father of Theseus who went to fight the Minotaur. Prior to conceiving Theseus, Aegeas consulted the Oracle at Delphi on a male heir. She gave him the cryptic advice: " Do not loosen the bulging mouth of the wineskin until you have reached the heights of Athens." Aegeas eventually married and celebrated his honeymoon in a drunken state, from which union Theseus was born.

This Red Figure Oracle of Delphi Greek Kylix Vase is made from terracotta, multicolor finish, and measures 7" W x 3" H.

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Related Categories: Greek Vase , Gods & Goddesses , Greco-Roman , NEW ITEMS