Olympic games at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora, Greek, Attic, black-figure, ca. 560 - 550 B.C.
Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora, Greek, Attic, black-figure, ca. 560 – 550 B.C.

In a private moment of Olympics-mania today, I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s installation of Panathenaic prize amphora to reconnect with ancient Olympians.  One of the earliest of such vessels (560-550 B.C.) in the Met’s collection, it was filled with olive oil and awarded to winners of events like the 200 yard race depicted here.  If you were an Olympic winner, would you rather have a gold metal or 42 liters of olive oil?