Perhaps the most festive moments of an ancient Athenian wedding celebration occurred in the evening as the bride and groom were escorted from the bride’s childhood home to the groom’s home in a mule cart—as shown on this mid-sixth century B.C. vase, by the so-called Amasis Painter. The bride is shown holding a crown that she would have worn beneath her veil before it was removed in a ceremony known as anakalupteria (unveiling of the bride). Earlier in the day, our bride would have sacrificed her childhood toys to Artemis, the goddess of virginity, and cut off a lock […]
