In 1882, in an Etruscan tomb near Veii, about 16 kilometers north of Rome, a Greek pitcher—an olpe—was discovered. It had remained hidden in a burial chamber that had been sealed off in antiquity due to a collapse, which allowed it to reach us in an exceptional state of preservation.

It was not Etruscan but had been crafted in Corinth around 640 BCE and somehow made its way to Italian lands, likely as a luxury item imported by the Etruscan aristocracy. Alongside it, there was also a bucchero amphora (a type of black pottery) inscribed with five lines in two different Etruscan alphabets.

The production of this vessel coincides with the period of rule of the Cypselid dynasty in Corinth, whose tyrants promoted the arts and the city’s artistic prosperity, attracting the finest craftsmen from other Greek city-states.

Chigi olpe phalanxes, paris judgement
The Chigi olpe is considered to be the earliest known representation of hoplite phalanxes. Credit: ArchaiOptix / Wikimedia Commons

Known as the Chigi Olpe, named after the princely Roman family on whose land it was discovered, it is not only a masterpiece of Protocorinthian pottery from the 7th century BCE, but also the earliest known visual representation of the myth of the Judgment of Paris and the formation of hoplite phalanxes.

Standing at 26 centimeters in height, the vessel displays three narrative levels, each illustrating a facet of Greek society and thought at the time:

The upper frieze transports us to a battlefield where a group of hoplites advances in a phalanx formation, a military innovation that would soon define the power of Greek city-states. A musician playing an aulos (double flute) sets the rhythm of the march, adding dynamism to the scene. This is the oldest known depiction of hoplite phalanx formation.

The upper register, painted in black, white, and two shades of brown over the cream-colored terracotta, shows infantrymen equipped with helmets, shields, and spears, entering combat with a vigor and freedom superior even to those of coeval Assyrian sculpture.

Frederick Hartt, Art
Chigi olpe phalanxes, paris judgement
The central frieze shows a lion hunting scene. Credit: ArchaiOptix / Wikimedia Commons

In the central frieze, the painter’s artistry reaches its peak, depicting a lion hunt scene, raising the question of whether lions still inhabited the Peloponnese in the 7th century BCE. Hidden beneath the vessel’s handle is the only mythical element among the otherwise realistic scenes: the Judgment of Paris. A young man named Alexander (the other name for Paris) is surrounded by three goddesses—Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite—along with Hermes, the messenger of the gods.

Through what seems like a trivial decision—choosing the most beautiful goddess—Paris will unleash the most legendary conflict of antiquity, as his choice of Aphrodite will grant him the love of Helen and, with it, spark the Trojan War.

The myth of the Judgment of Paris does not appear in Homer’s Iliad but rather in an earlier epic poem called the Cypria. Now mostly lost, this work recounted the events leading up to the Trojan War, providing the necessary background to understand the conflict’s origins.

Chigi olpe phalanxes, paris judgement
The scene of the Judgment of Paris is very deteriorated, but the artist included the names of the characters depicted, something novel at the time. Credit: ArchaiOptix / Wikimedia Commons

The fact that the Chigi Olpe depicts this scene—the earliest known representation of the myth—suggests that it was already widely known in the 7th century BCE, confirming the existence of a rich oral tradition before Homer composed his epics.

However, some scholars interpret the scene’s almost marginal placement as emblematic of the Orientalizing Corinthian art’s indifference toward myth and narrative in general.

The lower frieze presents another lively hunting scene, where hunters and dogs chase hares through a windswept landscape, adding an unusual sense of movement to the composition.

Chigi olpe phalanxes, paris judgement
Horsemen and hunting scene with dogs in the lower frieze of the vase. Credit: ArchaiOptix / Wikimedia Commons

The creator of the Chigi Olpe remains a mystery, though experts have named him the “Chigi Olpe Painter” or the “Ephantos Painter” (a Corinthian painter to whom Pliny the Elder attributes the invention of polychrome painting). His style is unique within Protocorinthian pottery, as he introduces innovative techniques, such as overlapping figures to suggest depth and using additional colors beyond the typical black and red.

Furthermore, this artist was ahead of his time in including inscriptions identifying the characters. In an era when pictorial storytelling was still in its early stages, labeling the names of Paris, Aphrodite, Hera, Athena, and Hermes on a vessel was a true revolution. It is possible that the painter was inspired by the great murals of the time, now lost, which also used text to complement images.

Today, the Chigi Olpe is housed in the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome, alongside other masterpieces of Etruscan culture.

This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on March 18, 2025: El extraordinario Olpe de Chigi, la representación más antigua del Juicio de Paris y de la formación de falanges hoplitas

SOURCES

Matteo D’Acunto, Il mondo del vaso Chigi

Frederick Hartt, Arte

Fernando Echeverría Rey, Ciudadanos, campesinos y soldados. El nacimiento de la “Pólis” griega y la teoría de la “revolución hoplita”

The Beazley Archive, Chigi olpe

Wikipedia, Olpe de Chigi

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