Abstract

A mosaic discovered in Alexandria on the site of Bibliotheca Alexandrina represents a dog sitting in front of an overturned metal vase. This masterpiece dating back to the years 170 BC has perplexed reviewers. The article offers an identification of the vase as a chous and proposes new interpretation of the scene, based on its comparison with a passage from Callimachus’s Aetia: the solitary dog is the mute spectator of the excesses of the banquet and the overturned vase draws attention to the banqueter, who emptied the chous in one swallow.