Sarcophagus with the myth of Prometheus and the creation of man

Prometheus and Epimetheus were spared imprisonment in Tatarus because they had not fought with their fellow Titans during the war with theOlympians. They were given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped man out of mud, and Athena breathed life into his clay figure.Prometheus had assigned Epimetheus the task of giving the creatures of the earth thier various qualities, such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur, wings. Unfortunately, by the time he got to man Epimetheus had given all the good qualities out and there were none left for man. So Prometheus decided to make man stand upright as the gods did and to give them fire. Prometheus loved man more then the Olympians, who had banished most of his family to Tartarus. So when Zeus decreed that man must present a portion of each animal they scarified to the gods Prometheus decided to trick Zeus. He created two piles, one with the bones wrapped in juicy fat, the other with the good meat hidden in the hide. He then bade Zeus to pick. Zeus picked the bones. Since he had given his word Zeus had to accept that as his share for future sacrafices. In his anger over the trick he took fire away from man. However, Prometheus lit a torch from the sun and brought it back again to man. Zeus was enraged that man again had fire. He decided to inflict a terrable punishment on both man and Prometheus. To punish man, Zeus had Hephaestus create a mortal of stunning beauty. The gods gave the mortal many gifts of wealth. He then had Hermes give the mortal a deceptive heart and a lying tongue. This creation was Pandora, the first women. A final gift was a jar which Pandora was forbidden to open. Thus, completed Zeus sent Pandora down to Epimetheus who was staying amongst the men. Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus but, Pandora's beauty was too great and he allowed her to stay. Eventually, Pandora's curiosity about the jar she was forbidden to open became to great. She opened the jar and out flew all manor of evils, sorrows, plagues, and misfortunes. However, the bottom of the jar held one good thing - hope. Zeus was angry at Prometheus for three things: being tricked on scarifices, stealing fire for man, and for refusing to tell Zeus which of Zeus's children would dethrone him. Zeus had his servants, Force and Violence, seize Prometheus, take him to the Caucasus Mountains, and chain him to a rock with unbreakable adamanite chains. Here he was tormented day and night by a giant eagle tearing at his liver. Zeus gave Prometheus two ways out of this torment. He could tell Zeus who the mother of the child that would dethrone him was. Or meet two conditions: First, that an immortal must volunteer to die for Prometheus. Second, that a mortal must kill the eagle and unchain him. Eventually, Chiron the Centauragreed to die for him and Heracles killed the eagle and unbound him.普罗米修斯（Prometheus）与厄庇墨透斯（Epimetheus）未参与泰坦神族与奥林匹斯神族的战争，因此未被囚禁于塔尔塔罗斯（Tartarus），并被赋予造人的任务。普罗米修斯以泥土塑造人形，雅典娜（Athena）则向这泥塑吹入生命气息。 普罗米修斯指派厄庇墨透斯为世间万物赋予各类特质，诸如迅捷、狡黠、力量、皮毛与双翼。不幸的是，待轮到人类时，厄庇墨透斯已将所有优良特质分配殆尽，人类一无所获。于是普罗米修斯决定让人类如众神一般直立行走，并为人类带来火种。 普罗米修斯对人类的爱意远超奥林匹斯众神——后者已将他的大部分家族成员放逐至塔尔塔罗斯。当宙斯（Zeus）颁布法令，要求人类每次献祭动物时都需向众神献上一份祭品，普罗米修斯决定捉弄宙斯。他准备了两堆祭品：一堆是以肥油包裹的白骨，另一堆则是将鲜肉藏于兽皮之下。随后他让宙斯挑选，宙斯选中了白骨。既然已然许诺，宙斯便只能接受这作为未来献祭的份额。宙斯因这场捉弄勃然大怒，于是夺走了人类的火种。然而普罗米修斯从太阳处点燃火炬，将火种重新带回人间。宙斯见人类重获火种，愈发暴怒，决定对人类与普罗米修斯施以严酷的惩罚。 为惩罚人类，宙斯令赫菲斯托斯（Hephaestus）创造了一位美得惊人的凡人。众神赐予这位凡人诸多财富与天赋，又让赫尔墨斯（Hermes）赋予其欺诈之心与说谎之舌。这个造物便是潘多拉（Pandora）——第一位女性。最后一件礼物是一个罐子，潘多拉被严禁打开。完成这一切后，宙斯将潘多拉送往与人类同住的厄庇墨透斯处。 普罗米修斯曾警告厄庇墨透斯切勿接受宙斯的馈赠，但潘多拉的美貌太过动人，厄庇墨透斯还是留她住了下来。最终，潘多拉对那个被禁止打开的罐子的好奇心愈发强烈，她打开了罐子，世间所有的邪恶、悲伤、瘟疫与苦难皆从中飞出。唯有罐底留存着一件美好的事物——希望。 宙斯因三件事对普罗米修斯怒不可遏：一是献祭时被捉弄，二是为人类盗取火种，三是拒绝向宙斯透露哪位宙斯的子女将会推翻他。宙斯令仆役“强力”与“暴力”擒住普罗米修斯，将他带至高加索山脉，用牢不可破的金刚石（adamantite）锁链将其锁在岩石上。日夜都有巨鹰前来啄食他的肝脏，令他饱受折磨。宙斯给了普罗米修斯两种解脱的途径：要么向宙斯透露那位将会推翻他的子女的母亲是谁，要么满足两个条件：其一，必须有一位永生者自愿为普罗米修斯赴死；其二，必须有一位凡人杀死巨鹰并解开他的锁链。最终，半人马喀戎（Chiron）同意为他赴死，赫拉克勒斯（Heracles）则杀死了巨鹰，解开了他的锁链。