Centauromachy
The Centauromachy was the famous battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs at the wedding of Pirithous — it became Greek art's favourite symbol for the clash between civilisation and barbarism.
The Meaning of Centauromachy
At the wedding feast of Pirithous and Hippodamia, the centaurs drank too much wine and attempted to abduct the bride and other women. The Lapiths fought back, led by Theseus and Pirithous. The battle became one of the most depicted scenes in Greek art — on the Parthenon metopes, the temple of Zeus at Olympia, and countless vases. It symbolised the triumph of Greek order over foreign chaos, reason over animal nature.
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Centauromachy
💭 conceptbattle
The battle between Lapiths and Centaurs at the wedding of Pirithous when drunken centaurs tried to carry off the Lapith women.
Amazonomachy
💭 conceptBattle of Greeks and Amazons
The Amazonomachy was the legendary battle between the Athenians and the Amazons who invaded Athens — depicted alongside the Centauromachy as a key symbol of Greek triumph.
Theseus and the Amazons
💭 conceptNarrative
The Athenian king's conflict with the warrior women that brought war to the gates of Athens itself
Wedding of Peleus and Thetis
💭 conceptNarrative
The divine wedding feast where gods and mortals celebrated together, unknowingly setting the Trojan War in motion
Amazonomachy
💭 conceptwar, gender
The recurring mythological battles between Greek heroes and the Amazons, depicted on temples and pottery as a symbol of civilisation's triumph over the "other."
Gigantomachy
💭 conceptwar, cosmology
The great battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants, fought to defend the divine order established after the Titanomachy.
Hippodamia of the Lapiths
🗡 heroconflict
Lapith princess whose wedding to Pirithous was disrupted when centaurs attempted to abduct her, triggering the Centauromachy.
Aspis
💭 conceptwarfare, art
The elaborately decorated shield of Heracles described in a poem attributed to Hesiod, depicting scenes of gods, war, and daily life in a tradition echoing the Shield of Achilles.
The Trojan War
💭 conceptWar, fate, heroism
A ten-year siege of Troy by a coalition of Greek kings, sparked by the abduction of Helen and shaped by the rivalries of the gods.
Judgement of Paris
💭 conceptNarrative
The Trojan prince's fateful choice among three goddesses that set in motion the Trojan War
Sack of Troy
💭 conceptNarrative
The brutal destruction and plundering of Troy during the night following the wooden horse stratagem
Aristeia of Diomedes
💭 conceptwar, heroism
The battle sequence in Iliad Book 5 where Diomedes, empowered by Athena, wounds both Aphrodite and Ares, achieving the extraordinary feat of harming immortal gods.