A monstrous boar sent by Artemis to ravage Arcadia, and the quarry of a band of heroes, led by Meleager (who kills it) and Atalanta (who struck it first). The Hunt becomes a favourite subject in art from the 6th century on, with the great boar as centrepiece.
Above: Detail from an Athenian black-figure clay vase, about 600-650 BC. Florence, Museo Archeologico Etrusco 4209 © Florence, Museo Archeologico Etrusco