The Attic Red Figure Vase Circa 520Bc

Front 1

Chiron had a great concern

Back 1

for the young and was the teacher of most of the important heroic figures in Greek mythology, such as Jason and Herakles among many others, and was seen as a source for all sorts of wisdom

Front 2

The character Chiron reprersents an anomaly in the ancient

Back 2

Greeks attitude towards the primitive, especially their rendition and stories of other centaurs, who were depicted as being barbaric and uncivilised.

Front 3

Contrasting to the centaurs Chiron was known

Back 3

for being very cultured, he was the eldest and wisest of the centaurs and was known for his skill in medicine, music and hunting and passed his knowledge onto many of the younger heroes of the time.

Front 4

The contrast between the centaurs and Chiron is

Back 4

further evidenced in the vase, where Chirons appearance is that of a ful body of a man, with a horse rump "attached" to the end of him.

Front 5

He is also fully clothed

Back 5

in a robe, unlike the centaurs who were depicted unclothed with fully equine forms below the waist.

Front 6

This was either a comment on the distinction

Back 6

between the two forms of centaur and the contrast between civilised and uncivilised, or could have been also reflecting his appearance in Greek drama around the time that the vase was made, reflecting the limitations of costume in portraying half man/half horse, whilst the centaurs didnt often appear in drama.

Front 7

The scene depicted on the vase is significant in that it shows

Back 7

Chiron as a teacher and a carer for the younger generation of heroes, and it is through his teachings that many of the young men achieve greatness.