Philoktet in Attika
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Theodosia Stefanidou-Tiveriou
Abstract
At Merenta (Attica), in the ancient Deme of Myrrinous, a temple was excavated in the first decade of this century. It might be identified either as the temple of Artemis Kolainis or as that of Athena known to have been restored by Herodes Atticus. Close to this temple, a fountain-house was also revealed, with a large relief (1.30 x 1 m) depicting the myth of Philoctetes in its interior. This relief forms the subject of the paper. The work of an Attic workshop, it dates to 140-160 AD. Philoctetes, lying in a cave of Lemnos, is visited by Odysseus and Diomedes, who have been sent by the Achaeans to steal his bow and arrows. Diomedes’ gesture, who is about to remove the weapons, is very eloquent. Τhe mythological episode of Philoctetes lies in the heart of the homonymous plays written by the three great tragic poets of the 5th century BC. It was also depicted from the middle of this century in Athenian vase painting. We might say that the representation of the removal of the arms by Diomedes on the relief is relatively close to the description in Euripides’ play, but, in fact, the artist does not follow faithfully any version of the myth. Also there are no close iconographic parallels to the relief’s depiction, although the general characteristics of the composition are repeated in a series of works of the Imperial period. It is possible then that the relief presents us with a classicizing version of an older composition, probably one of monumental painting. The myth selected for this relief is quite apposite for the decoration of this semisubterranean fountain, which must have created the impression of a cave. In addition, the water of the fountain evoked the image of the drinking water that kept the abandoned Philoctetes alive. The choice of the myth may also be related to Diomedes, who is associated with the area of Myrrhinous, as, by one tradition, he had founded the temple of Athena Pronaia in nearby Prasies. It can be assumed, therefore, that the recently revealed temple of Myrrhinous is that of Athena restored by Herodes, who, at the same time, renovated the old fountain.
Abstract
At Merenta (Attica), in the ancient Deme of Myrrinous, a temple was excavated in the first decade of this century. It might be identified either as the temple of Artemis Kolainis or as that of Athena known to have been restored by Herodes Atticus. Close to this temple, a fountain-house was also revealed, with a large relief (1.30 x 1 m) depicting the myth of Philoctetes in its interior. This relief forms the subject of the paper. The work of an Attic workshop, it dates to 140-160 AD. Philoctetes, lying in a cave of Lemnos, is visited by Odysseus and Diomedes, who have been sent by the Achaeans to steal his bow and arrows. Diomedes’ gesture, who is about to remove the weapons, is very eloquent. Τhe mythological episode of Philoctetes lies in the heart of the homonymous plays written by the three great tragic poets of the 5th century BC. It was also depicted from the middle of this century in Athenian vase painting. We might say that the representation of the removal of the arms by Diomedes on the relief is relatively close to the description in Euripides’ play, but, in fact, the artist does not follow faithfully any version of the myth. Also there are no close iconographic parallels to the relief’s depiction, although the general characteristics of the composition are repeated in a series of works of the Imperial period. It is possible then that the relief presents us with a classicizing version of an older composition, probably one of monumental painting. The myth selected for this relief is quite apposite for the decoration of this semisubterranean fountain, which must have created the impression of a cave. In addition, the water of the fountain evoked the image of the drinking water that kept the abandoned Philoctetes alive. The choice of the myth may also be related to Diomedes, who is associated with the area of Myrrhinous, as, by one tradition, he had founded the temple of Athena Pronaia in nearby Prasies. It can be assumed, therefore, that the recently revealed temple of Myrrhinous is that of Athena restored by Herodes, who, at the same time, renovated the old fountain.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents XI
- List of Figures XIII
- Tabula Gratulatoria XIX
- Vasileios Petrakos: A Life Dedicated to the Service of Greek Archaeology XXIII
-
Part I: Epigraphy and Ancient History
- Thucydides, Historical Geography and the ‘Lost Years’ of Perdikkas II 3
- Athens, Samothrace, and the Mysteria of the Samothracian Great Gods 17
- De quelques épitaphes d’étrangers et d’étrangères au Musée d’Érétrie 45
- Φυτωνυμικά τοπωνύμια Κωμών της Αργολίδος 103
- Le recours à l’arbitrage privé dans les actes d’affranchissement delphiques 117
- Προξενικό ψήφισμα από την Αιτωλία 137
- Women’s Religion in Hellenistic Athens 145
- Notes on Athenian Decrees in the Later Hellenistic Period 159
- “Those Who Jointly Built the City” 179
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Part II: Archaeology
- Attica and the Origins of Silver Metallurgy in the Aegean and the Carpatho-Balkan Zone 197
- Cultural Variation in Mycenaean Attica. A Mesoregional Approach 227
- Mythical and Historical Heroic Founders: The Archaeological Evidence 299
- Das Volutenkapitell aus Sykaminos 321
- Dionysos Lenaios at Rhamnous. Lenaia ἐν ἀγροῖς and the “Lenaia vases” 359
- Philoktet in Attika 383
-
Part III: History of Greek Archaeology
- Peiraieus in 1805 411
- Karl Otfried Müller in Marathon, Rhamnus und Oropos 423
- Spyridon Marinatos and Carl Blegen at Pylos: A Happy Collaboration 441
- Vassilis Petrakos et les fouilles suisses d’Érétrie 451
- List of Contributors 465
- Index of Epigraphical Texts 469
- Index Locorum 477
- Index of Mythological Names 483
- Index of Geographic Names (Place Names, Ethnic and Demotic Adjectives) 485
- Index of Ancient Personal Names 499
- Index Rerum 505
- Index of Modern Personal Names 515
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents XI
- List of Figures XIII
- Tabula Gratulatoria XIX
- Vasileios Petrakos: A Life Dedicated to the Service of Greek Archaeology XXIII
-
Part I: Epigraphy and Ancient History
- Thucydides, Historical Geography and the ‘Lost Years’ of Perdikkas II 3
- Athens, Samothrace, and the Mysteria of the Samothracian Great Gods 17
- De quelques épitaphes d’étrangers et d’étrangères au Musée d’Érétrie 45
- Φυτωνυμικά τοπωνύμια Κωμών της Αργολίδος 103
- Le recours à l’arbitrage privé dans les actes d’affranchissement delphiques 117
- Προξενικό ψήφισμα από την Αιτωλία 137
- Women’s Religion in Hellenistic Athens 145
- Notes on Athenian Decrees in the Later Hellenistic Period 159
- “Those Who Jointly Built the City” 179
-
Part II: Archaeology
- Attica and the Origins of Silver Metallurgy in the Aegean and the Carpatho-Balkan Zone 197
- Cultural Variation in Mycenaean Attica. A Mesoregional Approach 227
- Mythical and Historical Heroic Founders: The Archaeological Evidence 299
- Das Volutenkapitell aus Sykaminos 321
- Dionysos Lenaios at Rhamnous. Lenaia ἐν ἀγροῖς and the “Lenaia vases” 359
- Philoktet in Attika 383
-
Part III: History of Greek Archaeology
- Peiraieus in 1805 411
- Karl Otfried Müller in Marathon, Rhamnus und Oropos 423
- Spyridon Marinatos and Carl Blegen at Pylos: A Happy Collaboration 441
- Vassilis Petrakos et les fouilles suisses d’Érétrie 451
- List of Contributors 465
- Index of Epigraphical Texts 469
- Index Locorum 477
- Index of Mythological Names 483
- Index of Geographic Names (Place Names, Ethnic and Demotic Adjectives) 485
- Index of Ancient Personal Names 499
- Index Rerum 505
- Index of Modern Personal Names 515
