On the inner left of the monument, behind the scene of the procession of Bacchus, we see another battle: that of Achilles against the queen of the Amazons, Penthesilea. During the Trojan War, she came to help Priam (the king of Troy). There she met Achilles and fought with him. Achilles killed her by piercing her right breast. At this moment, Achilles sees Penthesilea and falls in love with her.
This relief shows Achilles on the left, dressed in a short coat and wearing a helmet. In his right hand, he holds the sword that will kill Penthesilea. We can also see him holding the queen's hair as he strikes her with the sword. Penthesilea, who tries in vain to avoid her assailant's attack, is dressed in a tunic that exposes her breasts.
This relief must be seen in the context of the other internal surfaces of the monument. In total, there are three scenes related to the legend of Achilles, arranged in chronological order inside the mausoleum. It was only after the death of Hector, killed in the battle with Achilles, that the Amazons came to the aid of Priam and the Trojans. Their queen, Penthesilea, confronted Achilles, who fell in love with her the moment he killed her.
