Athena, patron goddess of the city of Athens, was also known as Athena Hippia and inventor of the bridle, the protector of horse riders and equestrian pursuits. Athenian citizens could compete in races at the Panathenaic games held annually in honour of Athena; every fourth year the contests were open to all Greeks. One of the prominent sports featured was chariot racing.
This plaster cast is a copy of the decoration on a marble statue base found on the Acropolis in Athens, which shows a horse and chariot driver. They are competing in an apobates contest in which chariots were drawn by teams of four horses, driven by a charioteer and carried an armed warrior.
As the chariot raced along the course of approximately 700 metres, the warrior had to dismount periodically, run alongside and then remount, before finally jumping off to dash for the finish line.
