Metope

The metope was part of the decoration of the Doric frieze of a naiskos (aedicule or small temple functioning as a funerary marker, indicating the presence of a chamber tomb below the surface). It features scenes of combat between Greeks and barbarians, recognisable by their nakedness and crescent-shaped shields (peltae). In this example, a horseman is depicted in the act of crushing a downed enemy beneath his horse’s hooves, in accordance with an iconographic scheme made famous by the sculptor Lysippus in his depiction of Alexander the Great at the Battle of the Granicus.