Two 2,500 year-old Panathenaic amphorae, vessels that were filled with olive oil and offered as prizes to victors of contests held during the festival of the Greater Panathenaia, have been temporarily returned to the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

One of the sides of each amphora is decorated with the figure of Athena Promachos and the other with scenes related to the games for which they were given as prizes. The Toronto amphorae, now exhibited in the purpose-built Parthenon Gallery, connect with the great temple’s frieze, where Pheidias and his collaborators artfully carved the Panathenaic procession.

Donated to the Royal Ontario Museum through private British collections, the vessels have been sent from Toronto to Athens for an exhibition that the public will be able to visit until January 8, 2023.

The presentation is part of the event taking place simultaneously with the exhibition “From Athens to Toronto: A Greek Masterpiece Revealed” taking place at the Royal Ontario Museum. In the Ontario Museum, visitors can see the Acropolis Kore 670, which has been on display since March 2022.

The exchanges are organized as part of cultural conversations between the Acropolis Museum and other great museums around the world, with the aim of contributing to the enhancement of friendly relations and cultural understanding amongst the people in different nations.

The ancient Panathenaic Games took place during the first days of the eight-day long festival of the Panathenaia, which would be concluded with a grand procession by Athenians to the Acropolis.