Index Magazine

Creature Feature: Heroes and Hogs in Ancient Greece

August 2, 2021
Index Magazine

Creature Feature: Heroes and Hogs in Ancient Greece

This split-screen image shows two sides of a realistic sculpture of a boar. On the left is a frontal view; on the right is a side view.

In this talk, Ph.D. candidate Sarah Eisen explores how pigs were part of everyday life in ancient Greece and how their ferocious relative, the wild boar, challenged heroes like Odysseus and Herakles.

Inspired by this video? After you watch, discover more epic adventures from Herakles through this online collection. 

Creature Feature, an online series from the Harvard Art Museums, offers a chance for families to explore magical creatures across the collections through close looking and curious exploration with museum staff.  

Led by:
Sarah Eisen, graduate intern at the Harvard Art Museums and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of the Classics, Harvard University 

Work explored:
Wild boar, Greek, Archaic period, late 6th century BCE. Leaded bronze. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Alpheus Hyatt Purchasing Fund, Marian H. Phinney Fund, David M. Robinson Fund, Estate of Leo Mildenberg, and Acquisitions Fund in honor of David Gordon Mitten, 2012.211. 

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