The illustrations have been chosen to accompany the texts with the purpose of enlivening the stories by introducing a visual dimension to the text. These visual images are taken from the vast body of Greek material that has survived. Most images do not make specific reference to the stories invented for the teaching of the language; they are affective accompaniments.
The majority are scenes on painted pottery (see below); others are a variety of images such as views (p. 3 (The Athenian Acropolis), p. 72 (Delphi), p. 144 (the Athenian agora, reversed)), maps (pp. 3,28, 38, 227) and plans (p. 92). A few are drawn reconstructions (p. 46 (the Twelve Gods altar), p. 130 (the Athenian agora), p. 148 (the Eponymous Heroes monument), p. 204 (farm)).
A few images help to give particular aid to the background of everyday life (e.g. p. 57 (lamp), p. 53 (coins), pp. 61, 111, 114 (kitchen pots), p. 205 (bronze pitcher)) and of public life (e.g. p. 110 (water-clocks), p. 155 (voting tickets), cover of RG Independent Study (ostrakon)). Some are ‘art’ works, figured marble reliefs (p. 76 (votive of a cobbler), p. 175 (altar frame)), bronze dedications (p. 40 (statuette of Zeus), p. 53 (horse)), terracotta figurines (p. 64 (boots), p. 85 (comic actors), p. 117 (domestic scene)), and a gem (p. 76).
The majority of the objects were made in and around Athens and date from the sixth to the fourth century. Rarities are the Persian relief from Persepolis (p. 24), the gold comb from the Black Sea region (p. 83) and the funerary vase made in Apulia (Southern Italy) (p. 187).
Painted pottery is the most useful medium for furnishing illustrations of scenes of everyday life, myths and deities (see below). Athens was the main producer of painted pottery, particularly in the fifth century. There were two techniques of painting, black-figure and red-figure; black-figure is self-explanatory, as the figures are painted to fire black on the orange surface of the clay; red-figure is the reverse, the figures left in the colour of the background which is itself painted and fires black. There are a few black-figure images (pp. 5 and 7, 11 right, 26, 42, 162, 222, 247), the majority dating to the sixth century.
The shapes on which the decoration was applied were versions in fine ware of household pots which were made for storage, pouring, drinking, etc. Their
conventional names are a mixture of ancient Greek (sometimes wrongly applied) and modern names. For the purpose of showing the figured decoration it is usual to include only details of the pots, but there are a few that show the whole shape: p. 209 (skyphos), p. 224 (amphora), p. 238 (dinos), p. 244 (stamnos), p. 257 (lekythoi); there is also a bronze hydria which resembles the ceramic version (p. 205). The accompanying sheet of profiles contains the major shapes. Very occasionally pots carry the name of the man who made/shaped them, e.g. Amasis, Brygos, Kleophrades (see below); the vast majority were never given the potter’s name.
Even a cursory study of the hand-painted scenes shows that they were carried out in different styles, i.e. by different individuals. Over the years close scrutiny of the details has enabled individual painters to be identified. So, in the Notes on illustrations at the front of RG Text and Vocabulary the names of different painters are given. As only a few painters added their names to the surface of the pots, students of the subject have invented modern names to distinguish the nameless ones. Here we have the different categories of naming:
A. Ancient names:
real names: p. 255 (Aison), p. 128 right (Makron), p. 224 (Myson), p. 26 (Psiax).
ancient nicknames: p. 133 (Epiktetos (= ‘newly acquired’)); pp. 11 left, 128 right and 189 (Onesimos (= ‘profitable’), p. 32 (Skythes (‘Skythian’). These three are likely to have been slaves.
B. Modern names:
painters given potters’ names: p. 162 (The Amasis Painter), pp. 126 and 156 (The Brygos Painter), pp. 16 and 19 (The Kleophrades Painter) names from the subject of a scene: p. 242 (The Nausikaa Painter - name vase), p. 244 (The Siren Painter - name vase), p. 138 (The Amphitrite Painter), p. 110 right (The Foundry Painter), p. 207 (The Pan Painter), p. 103 (The Penthesilea Painter), p. 22 right (The Triptolemos Painter), p. 187 (The Laodamia Painter who worked in Apulia) names from the kalos name written in the background (cf. p. 103 where pais kalos can be read): p. 105 (The Antiphon Painter), p. 52 left (The Euaion Painter), pp. 73 and 102 (The Kleophon Painter), p. 257 right (The Nikon Painter), p. 11 left (The Oionokles Painter), cover of RG Grammar and Exercises (The Akestorides Painter) names from the findspot: p. 183 (The Eretria Painter) names from the present location: p. 238 (The Agrigento Painter), p. 38 right (The Berlin Painter); see also next names from shape: p. 214 (The Dinos Painter), p. 64 right (The Painter of the Munich Amphora - name vase) modern nickname: p. 222 (The Affecter).
There are some painted scenes that have not been attributed to any painter (pp. 42, 152, 209, 257 left) or have been seen to resemble a named painter’s work closely (pp. 105 right and 187 (‘near’), p. 136 (‘manner of’), p. 22 left (‘follower of’), p. 52 right (‘bad imitation of’).
Where painters can be recognized as working together but cannot be certainly separated from one another, the term ‘group’ is applied (pp. 24, 247 and cover of RG Text and Vocabulary); where shapes can be seen to be closely related, the term ‘class’ is applied (p. 11 right).
Scenes on painted pottery ranged from everyday subjects to images of myths and deities. Here are some categories that are to be found throughout the text. Some mythical figures are used to illustrate everyday subjects.
Deities:
p. 16 (Poseidon), p. 222 (Zeus and Hermes), p. 257 (Artemis and Apollo). Myths:
p. 11 left (Herakles), p. 52 left (Theseus), p. 52 right (Telephos), p. 84 (Amazon), p. 102 (maenad), pp. 105 right, 242, 244, 245 (Odysseus), pp. 183 and 187 (Alkestis), p. 214 (Poseidon), p. 238 (Calydonian Boar Hunt).
Everyday subjects:
war: p. 7 (warship), p. 22 left and right (Persians), p. 26 (trumpeter), p. 32 (warrior)
travel: pp. 5 and 7 (trading ship), p. 105 left (she-ass), p. 247 (cart) home: p. 64 (boots), p. 81 (lesson), pp. 138 and 183 (wedding), p. 162 (loom), p. 207 (furniture), p. 209 (still life) worship: p. 38 (libation), p. 73 (religious procession), p. 90 (sacrificial basket), p. 152 (Eleusian cult) party: p. 110 right (partygoer), p. 128 left (hetaira and old man), p. 128 right (two on couch), p. 136 (attendant), p. 156 (party), p. 111 left (oldman),p. 126 (couple), p. 189 (brawl) music: p. 19 (rhapsode), p. 103 (boys with lyre), p. 156 (lyre and pipes) death: p. 42 (laying out), p. 14 (Kroisos on his pyre) workman: p. 90 (smith), cf. p. 76 (cobbler and helmet-maker). foreigners: p. 22 left and right (Persians), p. 133 (Skythian) theatre: p. 187 (Alkestis’ farewell).
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