Asset number
540059001
Description
Marble slab of the Amazon frieze of the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos. It represents combats between Greeks and Amazons. This slab shows three figures, two Greeks and an Amazon, a horse and a figure carved across the join between two slabs (1010 and missing), an Amazon. On the left a mounted Amazon, facing right, fights with a Greek. With her left hand she restrains her horse, which is rearing up. She leans back to launch or thrust a weapon, probably a spear, with her right hand, raised behind her head. The Greek, seen from the back, is leaning to the right and covers his left side with his shield, which retains traces of an inscription carved in the medieval period. His right arm is raised and, probably, held a spear. The Amazon wears a pointed helmet with flaps, double-belted chiton, chlamys and boots. The Greek is nude apart from an Attic helmet with crest. He may, possibly, be identified as Theseus. To the right a Greek leans forward over a fallen Amazon, who is on the slab join. In his right hand he holds a short sword. The carving of his shield continues on the next slab (slab missing). His left foot rests on a low rock. The Amazon has fallen backwards with her booted legs extended to the left. Part of her chiton is visible. The Greek wears a conical helmet with crest, an exomis belted at the waist, leaving the right breast bare, and a scabbard. Long hair covers the nape of his neck. Metal reins were inserted in drill-holes; the weapons were attached in metal, carved or may have been painted. Slab 1010 is part of a sequence that continues on slabs 1007 and 1008.
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Using this image
Commercial use
To license images for charged-for journals and publications, and other commercial uses, please contact British Museum Images.
Contact BM images
Non-commercial use
You are permitted to use images from the British Museum website subject to our terms of use.
The image will be released to you under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. You can read more about the British Museum and Creative Commons here.
Download this image
New photography
If you cannot see an image that you want on the British Museum website, you can order new photography from us.
Order new image