ACROPOLIS MUSEUM, First Floor Prokne

The last of the large rooms on the first level of the Museum mostly contains Roman copies of Classical works and likenesses of philosophers and historical figures dating to between 500 BC and 400 AD.

“Prokne contemplating the killing of her son” is an original sculptured group, and one of the most representative, although it is badly damaged.  

The work illustrates a cruel episode from mythology. Prokne was the wife of Tereus, by whom she had a son, Itys. Tereus, however, raped his beautiful sister-in-law Philomela and cut out her tongue so she could not tell Prokne. Nonetheless, the young woman wove a tapestry to show her sister what had happened.

Prokne was so horrified that she decided to punish her husband by killing their son, chopping him up into pieces and feeding him to Tereus. When Tereus discovered what the sisters had done, he tried to kill them both, but the gods took pity on them and turned Prokne into a swallow and Philomela into a nightingale so they could escape....