Water and Wine

Earlier today we went to the National Archaeological Museum here in Athens and the piece that spoke to me was a bronze statue of a boy riding a horse. There was a short story on the wall right next to the piece that told the story of the statue. It was found in pieces, in the area of a shipwreck off the cape Artemision. Dated to be around 140 BCE.

The young boy that is riding the horse was once a young jockey. Because he was incredibly competitive and naturally talented at the sport, he told officials that he was older than he truly was in order to compete with the older men and more money. The boy was the son of a female prostitute and because of his low-class upbringing, horse racing was the only way he could help his mother take care of the rest of her family. He competed for several years until he married and finally retired without anyone outside of his family ever knowing his true age.

This piece spoke out to be because of the story behind it. It depicts of scene of youthful innocence as well as a sense of freedom, passion, and adventure.

Stay classy Athens and thanks for stopping by,

Khadijah