Chariot race on an alabaster urn

An alabaster cinerary urn from the Tomb of Calisna Sepu near Malacena illustrates a scene from the legend around Pelops. At the time this scene takes place, the main plot has already reached its conclusion: Pelops, who courted Hippodamia, had bribed Myrtilus, the charioteer of his prospective father-in-law Oinomaus. Thus Myrtilus provided for Oinomaus death in the decisive chariot race, which was to determine Pelops' courtship. The following event is illustrated on the front of our cinerary urn: The death of Myrtilus, who desired Hippodamia for himself after her father's death and was slain by Pelops in return. The charioteer who has fled to an altar is at the centre of the picture, grasped by his hair by Pelops approaching from the right, while Hippodamia fleeing to the left attempts to wrench a chariot wheel from Myrtilus' hands. A figure on the right margin denoted as a pedagogue impassively observes the events. The motif described above is particularly prevalent on cinerary urns from Volterra. As of the end of the fourth century BC, the figurative reliefs on the sarcophagi and cinerary boxes were supplemented by portraits of the deceased on the lids. Initially, they were depicted lying down, as is the case still on the lid of a clay tub-shaped lenos sarcophagus from Chiusi from the second century BC with a woman wrapped in her cloak up to her chin and her head resting on a low pillow.