Jar (pelike) with Odysseus and Elpenor in the Underworld

This pelike, a storage jar, illustrates one of the most poignant moments in Homer's Odyssey. Desperate to return home to Ithaka, Odysseus travels to the world of the dead seeking the advice of the prophet Teirisias. Two rams, sacrificed to bring forth the souls of the deceased, lie at his feet. Elpenor, a companion who died when he drunkenly fell from the roof of Circe's palace, appears first; he is restless because Odysseus, in his haste to depart the sorceress's island, did not give him a proper burial. Funerary rituals, especially for soldiers, were sacred to the ancient Greeks. Elpenor describes the traditional rite, requesting: "burn me with my armor, all that is mine, and heap up a mound for me on the shore of the gray sea" (Odyssey 11.74-75). The artist was probably inspired by Homer's description of the two former comrades facing each other with Odysseus's sword drawn. Various details refer to ancient Greek customs of death, as well as attitudes toward age and life. The god Hermes (not mentioned in Homer's description), who accompanied the dead to the Underworld, stands by, wearing his customary winged hat and boots and holding his herald's staff. White paint-now flaked away, leaving only a dull sheen to the black slip-once demarcated a rocky, reedy landscape representing Hades; Homer's description probably inspired the Classical Greek concept of the Underworld. The artist also added white to Odysseus's beard, making him appear old, and pushed his traveler's hat back as a reminder of his weary journey. In contrast, Elpenor's young, fresh face and heroic physique echo the Greek ideal. This legendary figure stands in for the many youths who fell in battle in the prime of their lives, never to return home-a reality of war in ancient Greece.