K7.9 THE BIRTH OF ATHENA
| Museum Collection | British Museum, London |
|---|---|
| Catalogue No. | London B424 |
| Beazley Archive No. | 301068 |
| Ware | Attic Black Figure |
| Shape | Kylix, Little Master Lip |
| Painter | Signed by the Phrynos Potter |
| Date | ca 560 B.C. |
| Period | Early Archaic |
DESCRIPTION
Side A: Hephaestus splits open the skull of Zeus with a mallet to birth the goddess Athena from his head. The
king of the gods is seated on a swan-backed chair and holds a lightning bolt in his hand. A miniature Athena
springs from his head equipped with a shield. Hephaestus waves a hand in imitation of an Eileithyia
(birth-goddess)and carries a two-headed mallet or axe.
Side B: The arrival of Heracles on Olympus (see other image).