Two-handled jar (amphora) - Achilles and Ajax

These two versions of the same scene from the Trojan War appear on either side of an amphora, one painted in black-figure and the other in red-figure technique. During a lull in the fighting, the two most fearsome Greek warriors-Achilles and Ajax ( Achilleus and Aias, as they were known to the Greeks)- sit playing pessoi, an ancient game akin to backgammon. The two heroes face each other across the table as equals; no winner is declared. Their equality emphasizes their distinction-often mentioned by Homer-as the strongest of the Greeks. 

Vases that have both red-figure and black-figure decoration are called "bilingual." In its earliest form, the red-figure technique was essentially a reverse of the black-figure.  Andokides Painter is credited with the red-figure composition on this vase and the Lysippides Painter with the black.

H. about 27 cm 

Archaic period

C. 520 B.C

Museum Boston