CULTURE, MUSIC AND WORD

Orpheus among the Thracians

Orpheus among the Thracians: a Greek image of music

The Greek vase shows the mythical musician Orpheus surrounded by figures dressed as Thracians.

Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.

**PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ORIGINAL · CC0 1.0 / Public Domain**
Documentary original · Exact correspondence
Official DT5486 photograph of the Met krater 24.97.30. Greek representation of the mythical Orpheus, not a historical portrait of a Thracian musician. Additional photo of the exact part included by the official API in additionalImages of the object 251491. Orpheus is mythical; Do not replace this part with Louvre G 416.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art; unspecified individual photographer · CC0 1.0 / Public Domain
Source and provenance ↗Terms of use ↗

**PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ORIGINAL · CC0 1.0 / Public Domain**
Documentary original · Exact correspondence
Official DT5486 photograph of the Met krater 24.97.30. Greek representation of the mythical Orpheus, not a historical portrait of a Thracian musician. Additional photo of the exact part included by the official API in additionalImages of the object 251491. Orpheus is mythical; Do not replace this part with Louvre G 416.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art; unspecified individual photographer · CC0 1.0 / Public Domain
Source and provenance ↗Terms of use ↗

History and context

Orpheus appears seated on a rock, focused on his music, alongside figures whose clothing evokes Thrace. In another part of the scene, the sickle held by a woman anticipates the violent outcome of the myth. The image allows sound, dress and narrative to be brought together in a single object.

This vase was made in the Greek world. It tells us how an Athenian painter imagined the musician associated with Thrace; it does not demonstrate that Orpheus was a historical person nor reproduce a documented performance. Precisely this distance makes the piece interesting: Thrace also existed in the imagination of its neighbours.

Evidence and interpretation

Attic Greek vase, not a Thracian instrument or work. Image of the myth; not proof of a historical musician or a conserved melody.

Catalogue facts

Date: circa 440 BCE; attributed to the London Painter E 497.
Location: Attica · region of production; findspot not established

A SHARED TOPIC, DIFFERENT MOMENTS

Objects connected through time

Follow a topic across the collections. A shared tag is a way to compare objects, not proof that one culture influenced another.

The order uses the midpoint of each approximate date range; ranges can overlap. Spacing does not represent elapsed time. Swipe, scroll or use the arrows. With the sequence focused, use ← / →, Home or End.

You are viewing

circa 440 BCE; attributed to the London Painter E 497.

Orpheus among the Thracians

Thracians

Approximate dating according to the record.

Current record

Ceramics39 dated objects

24 / 39In the centre: Orpheus among the Thracians

Also connected, without a comparable date (17)

These objects are not placed after the others: an unknown date does not mean a more recent object.

A Kerma vessel deposited at AbydosAncient Egypt · Second Intermediate Period
A tradition that inventsBatwa / Twa histories · collected in 1993 or 1995
A vase travels; the rite changesIberians · No individual dating published on this record
AkrotiriGreek worlds · c. 1700–1500 BCE
Dia’s strataMande Worlds · 9th century BCE–2nd millennium CE
Early potteryMande Worlds · before ca. 9400 cal BCE
Jenne-jeno contextsMande Worlds · ca. 250 BCE–1400 CE
Liédena FlaskEtruscans and Rome · Roman period · individual chronology not published in the entry
LothalIndus civilisation · ca. 2400–1600 BCE
Made in GaramaGaramantes · I millennium BCE–I millennium CE
Nile towards NubiaAncient Egypt · ca. 3300–2800 BCE
The unfinished gestureBatwa / Twa histories · 1947
Three hundred lives in the sandYayoi Japan · Mainly 4th century BCE–3rd century CE
Travelling objectsGaramantes · Mainly Roman period
Trumpet from NumantiaIberians · No individual dating published on this record
Urns from AdichanallurVedic and later Indian worlds · Iron Age · samples towards 665 and 467 BCE
Vessels without a languageBantu-speaking worlds · Urewe, broad regional range ca. 800 BCE–650 CE

You can scroll the first group without JavaScript. The other topics are also available below.

Vessels

Before Sumer · mid-6th–5th millennium BCE · Sumer
Twin-chambered vessel from Cova de l’Or · Early Neolithic · VI–V millennia BCE · Prehistory
Before Egypt · ca. 4400–3800 BCE · Ancient Egypt
Before Nubia · V–IV millennium BCE · Nubia, Kerma and Kush
Before Gojoseon · Middle Neolithic, c. 4000 BCE · Gojoseon and early Korea
Bevel-rimmed bowl · ca. 3500–3000 BCE · Sumer
Uruk Vase · ca. 3300–3000 BCE · Sumer
Before Yayoi · Middle Jōmon, ca. 3000 BCE · Yayoi Japan
Vasiliki · ca. 2500–2200 BCE · Greek worlds
Before the Greeks · c. 2400–2200 BCE · Greek worlds
Before Ancient China · c. 2500–2000 BCE · Ancient China
Longshan · c. 2500–2000 BCE · Ancient China
Kerma vessel · c. 1802–1640 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and Kush
Grave Circle A and Chrysolakkos · 18th–16th centuries BCE · Greek worlds
Before Vedic India · c. 1900–1300 BCE · Vedic and later Indian worlds
Jue · c. sixteenth century BCE · Ancient China
Pithos · c. 1450–1375 BCE · Greek worlds
Tutankhamun's grave goods · death towards 1323 BCE · Ancient Egypt
Stag Vessel · 14th–13th centuries BCE · Hittites
Valchitran · second half of the 14th century–beginning of the 13th century BCE, according to NAIM; other publications use wider intervals from the Late Bronze. · Thracians
Liding · 12th–11th centuries BCE · Ancient China
Before the Iberias · Final Bronze, c. 1000 BCE · Iberians
Grey bowl from Hastinapura · c. 1100–800 BCE in the classical sequence of Hastinapura · Vedic and later Indian worlds
Before Etruscans and Rome · ca. 850–800 BCE · Etruscans and Rome
The urn under the helmet · 9th–8th centuries BCE · Etruscans and Rome
Tomb 1 at Kuntur Wasi · c. 800 BCE · Pre-Inca cultures
Regolini-Galassi tomb · ca. 675–650 BCE · Etruscans and Rome
The great Greek krater of Vix · ≈530–500 BCE · Greek worlds
Scorțaru cauldron · 6th–5th centuries BCE · Thracians
Vix Tomb · c. 500 BCE · Celtic worlds
Orpheus among the Thracians · circa 440 BCE; attributed to the London Painter E 497. · Thracians — You are viewing
Twenty-six voiceless signs · 5th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and Saka
Rogozen · mainly 5th–4th centuries BCE; The set has a history of accumulation, not a single manufacturing date. · Thracians
Grave goods of Baza and Toya · First half of the 4th century BCE · Iberians
The Attic krater that took on a new life in Cástulo · 4th century BCE · Greek worlds
The silver amphora of Chertomlyk · 4th century BCE · Greek worlds
The Kul-Oba vase · 4th century BCE · Greek worlds
Faces of the Steppe · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Scythians and Saka
Poroina Mare Rhyton · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Thracians
Borovo · 4th century BC C.; 350–300 BCE in the ISAW catalog. · Thracians
Leipzig Fish Plate · Last third 4th–early 3rd century BCE · Greek worlds
Golyamata Kosmatka · End of the 4th century – beginning of the 3rd century BCE; ritual burial at the beginning of the III according to Iskra. · Thracians
Panagyurishte · late 4th century – early 3rd century BCE, towards 300 BCE · Thracians
Dove of the Amarejo · 3rd century BCE · Iberians
Mairena Hoard · 3rd century BCE · Iberians
Vase from Chão de Lamas · Piece: III–II centuries BCE · concealment ≈110–76 BCE · Iberians
Vas dels Guerrers · 3rd–early 2nd century BCE · Iberians
Warriors' Vase · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · Iberians
The dismantled cauldron · 2nd–1st centuries BCE · Celtic worlds
Kalathos of Alcorisa · 2nd–1st centuries BCE · Iberians
Patera from Perotito · Second half of the 2nd–beginnings of the 1st century BCE · Iberians
Urewe vessel · regional range c. 800 BCE–650 CE · Bantu-speaking worlds
Two rows of coffins · Mainly Middle Yayoi, 2nd century BCE–1st century CE · Yayoi Japan
Ceramics that continued · Last third of the 2nd century BCE–1st century CE · Iberians
Roman glass oinochoe · Late 1st century BCE–early 1st century CE · Etruscans and Rome
Gladiators Cup of Chavagnes · 25–75 CE · Etruscans and Rome
Egyptian oil lamp with a fish, held in Laon · 3rd–4th centuries CE · Ancient Egypt
Laon lamp with fish · 3rd–4th centuries CE · Etruscans and Rome
Water in a shell · 1816–1826 · San histories

Without a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):

A Kerma vessel deposited at Abydos · Second Intermediate Period · Ancient Egypt
A tradition that invents · collected in 1993 or 1995 · Batwa / Twa histories
A vase travels; the rite changes · No individual dating published on this record · Iberians
Early pottery · before ca. 9400 cal BCE · Mande Worlds
Liédena Flask · Roman period · individual chronology not published in the entry · Etruscans and Rome
Made in Garama · I millennium BCE–I millennium CE · Garamantes
Oil in a calabash · ca. 1947 · Batwa / Twa histories
The unfinished gesture · 1947 · Batwa / Twa histories
Travelling objects · Mainly Roman period · Garamantes
Urns from Adichanallur · Iron Age · samples towards 665 and 467 BCE · Vedic and later Indian worlds
Vessels without a language · Urewe, broad regional range ca. 800 BCE–650 CE · Bantu-speaking worlds

Painting

Without a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):

A vase travels; the rite changes · No individual dating published on this record · Iberians
Bhimbetka · Mesolithic–historical and medieval period · Prehistory
Blue that does not yield · Documented use from the Classic, c. 300–1500 CE · Maya worlds
Eland Cave · Regional tradition of ≈4,000 years · up to historical period · Prehistory
Game Pass Shelter · Regional rock art chronology · panel not dated in isolation · San histories
Kakadu · Regional corpus ≈20,000 BP–contemporary era · Prehistory
Leang Karampuang · Minimum 51,200 years · dating published in 2024 · Prehistory
Quinkan Country · Regional art up to ≈27,000 BP · modern continuity · Prehistory
Sierra de San Francisco · Broad tradition with direct dates ≈5290–295 BP · Prehistory
Tassili n’Ajjer · Corpus ≈6000 BCE–first centuries CE · Prehistory

Music

Without a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):

Dance with weapons · Towards 400 BCE. Xenophon's story · Thracians
Healing dance · Recordings 1968–1972 · San histories
Living m’bolon · The present with historical memory · Mande Worlds
Musical bows · Twentieth-century ethnomusicological documentation · San histories
Sosso-Bala · Tradition linked through narrative to the 13th century; the present instrument and its custodianship have their own chronology · Mande Worlds
Trumpet from Numantia · No individual dating published on this record · Iberians

Mythical narratives

Sumerian Flood of Nippur · Towards 1650 BCE · Sumer
Motagua jade · c. 900–600 BCE · Maya worlds
Flood Tablet · 7th century BCE · Sumer
Orpheus among the Thracians · circa 440 BCE; attributed to the London Painter E 497. · Thracians — You are viewing
Derveni Papyrus · copy conserved towards 340–320 BCE; comments on a previous text. · Thracians
The walls of San Bartolo · c. 100 BCE · Maya worlds

Without a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):

Zalmoxis · testimony of Herodotus, 5th century BCE; no biographical date of the divinity. · Thracians

A closer look

About 1 min to read · 2 sections. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: September 5, 2026.

A story in a banquet vessel

The krater was used to mix wine and water, and its images were part of the atmosphere of the banquet. A libation appears on the reverse of this piece. The container thus brought together the gesture of drinking with stories about music, human relationships and the world of the gods.

Research · Met: krater 24.97.30Access recorded: September 5, 2026.
Museum · Getty: study of the iconography of OrpheusAccess recorded: September 5, 2026.

The myth and traditions about Orpheus

Attic painters depicted Orpheus among Thracian listeners and also his death at the hands of Thracian women. These images belong to diverse mythical traditions. They preserve an ancient reflection on the power and vulnerability of the musician; they have not preserved the melodies that a Thracian audience could hear.

Research · Met: krater 24.97.30Access recorded: September 5, 2026.
Museum · Getty: study of the iconography of OrpheusAccess recorded: September 5, 2026.

Location and territory

APPROXIMATE LOCATION

Attica · region of production; findspot not establishedApproximate reference of origin or production, not exact findspot.

Where it is held

The Metropolitan Museum of Art · New York

Item or group in the record · Documented collection

Attic bell krater, inventory 24.97.30. Orpheus is a mythical figure, not a musician with a proven historical biography.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Item or group in the record · Documented collection

The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.

Sources and references

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History and context

Evidence and interpretation

Catalogue facts

Orpheus among the Thracians

Dolní Věstonice I

Before Sumer

Twin-chambered vessel from Cova de l’Or

Before Egypt

Before Nubia

Before Gojoseon

Bevel-rimmed bowl

Before Yayoi

Vasiliki

Before the Greeks

Cemetery R-37

Before Ancient China

Longshan

Kerma vessel

Burial at K IV

Before Vedic India

Osmankayası and Ilıca

Grey bowl from Hastinapura

Before Etruscans and Rome

The urn under the helmet

Ceramic stand 1010

Ishtar Gate

Glazed brick guards

Orpheus among the Thracians

The Attic krater that took on a new life in Cástulo

Thoth in the form of a baboon

Leipzig Fish Plate

Dove of the Amarejo

Vas dels Guerrers

Warriors' Vase

Northern mound

Kalathos of Alcorisa

Urewe vessel

Two rows of coffins

Ceramics that continued

Egyptian oil lamp with a fish, held in Laon

Laon lamp with fish

Kabusanza, ca. 400

Missing grave goods

A closer look

A story in a banquet vessel

The myth and traditions about Orpheus

Location and territory

Where it is held

The Metropolitan Museum of Art · New York

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sources and references

Did you enjoy this exhibit?