Relief of a Hoplitodromos

This fragment of an Attic votive relief depicts the upper body of a warrior in profile to the right. The warrior wears a crested helmet with large cheek guards that leave only his eyes, nose, and lips visible. The curve of a shield protrudes behind his left shoulder. His right arm extends out and bends across his chest. The remnants of an inscription are visible in the upper left corner. Two letters are legible above the helmet: ΟΔ; traces of the bottoms of three letters are on the line above.

One of the events in Panhellenic Games involved the contestants, wearing helmet and greaves and holding a shield, running two, sometimes four, lengths of the stadium track. The figure on this relief most likely represents a hoplitodromos (hoplite-runner), suggested by the helmet, the shield, and the forward thrust of the arms in the pose of a runner.