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The Image of Alexander the Great in Small-Form Art in Bactria (And Identification of the Depiction of a Warrior on the Gold Clasp from Tillya Tepe)

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The Image of Alexander the Great in Small-Form Art in Bactria (And Identification of the Depiction of a Warrior on the Gold Clasp from Tillya Tepe) doi: 10.2143/AWE.16.0.3214938 AWE 16 (2017) 155-175 THE IMAGE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT IN SMALL-FORM ART IN BACTRIA (AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE DEPICTION OF A WARRIOR ON THE GOLD CLASP FROM TILLYA TEPE) KAZIM ABDULLAEV Abstract Unlike in mainland Greece and Asia Minor, Hellenistic culture in Central Asia has left rather few portraits. Nevertheless, they are to be found on small-form objects, especially coins but also metalwork, carved gems, terracottas, carved ivory, etc. This article attempts to trace the popular image of Alexander the Great in small-form works found in archaeologi- cal sites in Central Asia. Among the monuments of the ancient art in Central Asia the images of Alexander the Great constitute a small but representative collection.1 The obverse of tetra- drachms and drachms of first Seleucids, Seleucus I and Antiochus I, show the head of a deified king Alexander-Heracles wearing a lion’s scalp with a turn to the right and the name on the reverse (Alexander or Seleucus), marking the continuity and the legitimacy of the authorities of the Seleucids.2 The same image we see in later anepigraphic coins, but with slightly warped details.3 In the later period, these types of imitation undergo iconographic degradation and are of reduced weight.4 Impor- tantly, the image on the obverse of imitations remains the same, although the details become less recognisable. This may indicate the duration of the long use of this image. However, it is difficult to say whether the semantic background of the image persisted or if the original meaning was lost. The image of 1 For the global phenomenon of Greek influence in the art of the East, see Boardman 1994; 2015. 2 On a recent summary of work on Seleucid numismatics, see Houghton et al. 2002. 3 Zeymal 1983, 77–80; Omelchenko 2001, 14–15; Abdullaev 2007, fig. 1. 4 Finds of coins imitating drachms of the Alexander type have been made in southern Sogdia and, in particular, in the Kitab-Shahrisabz district of the Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan. Some finds come from cultural layers, providing the context more or less precisely to link these coins to the his- torical and cultural region. For example, near the village Bugazhil (Omelchenko 2003), a small mound near the Dzhartepa contained an imitation Alexander drachm, diameter 16.0 mm, weight 4.6 g (see Omelchenko 2001, 14–15). 156 K. ABDULLAEV Alexander-Heracles is widespread, not just in monetary iconography.5 The find of a magnificently executed relief on the ivory from Takhti Sangin with a portrait of Alexander-Heracles6 indicates the popularity of the image of Alexander the Great in other kinds of art. In this article an attempt is made to analyse the iconography of one of the objects from the necropolis of Tillya Tepe (Afghanistan),7 which gives us a possibility of distinguishing another hypostasis of Alexander. Tillya Tepe and Bactrian Art Traditions Before proceeding to the analysis of the object,8 it seems reasonable to give a general description of the monument itself and the archaeological context in which the object was discovered. The burials of Tillya Tepe, discovered in northern Afghanistan (Shiberghan province) by a Soviet team under the leadership of Victor Sarianidi in 1978, caused a sensation with their abundance of highly artistic works made of precious metals, mainly gold. The objects share one common feature – they are all household items, jewellery and clothing of the deceased, i.e. they can be considered as objects of the funeral complex. The Tillya Tepe complex includes various categories of artistic product, reflecting the main trends in the development of craftsmanship at the time of burial. The chronological anchor is the numismatic finds: 1st century BC–1st century AD. Most other items securely fit into this framework, with the upper date confirmed by the coins, which give a terminus ante quem the lower date is compatible for most of the items, but there are certain patterns, for example glyptic and toreutics, that can be dated to earlier than the 1st century BC. Stylistically and thematically in part, the complex of Tillya Tepe can be divided into the following categories. The first group includes objects made under the strong influence of the Hellenistic pictorial tradition: themes that were originally Greek, but transformed in appearance, thus perhaps in meaning. In this category we can include a composition depicting the procession of Dionysos,9 the image of Triton, Cupid on a dolphin, a nude Aphrodite, Psyche and Cupid, heavily armed infantry soldier/hoplite in armour. The present article is dedicated to precisely the last image. One important feature of this category should be emphasised – namely, all the objects are made in the local Bactrian traditions. This is expressed primarily 5 Abdullaev 2007. 6 Pichikian 1991, 189–94. 7 Sarianidi 1985; 1989. 8 In particular, this subject is examined in a number of papers (see, for example, Schiltz 2008; Boardman 1994, 113; 2003, 355; Grenet 2012, 4). 9 For depictions of the Dionysian circle in Central Asia, see Abdullaev 2005. THE IMAGE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT IN SMALL-FORM ART IN BACTRIA 157 in different artistic methods of treating certain elements.10 It is present in all the evidence, including individual and household items that, in their form and functional characteristics, tend to Greek culture. The second category of objects relate to the so-called nomadic cultural attributes of the vast expanse of Central Asia up to the Altai, Siberia and on to the borders of western China. The works of this group exhibit show not only the characteristics of the so-called Animal Style, but are so diverse in their subject matter that their attribution sometimes becomes difficult. They could either be works of Bactrian masters or have been brought from remote regions of Central Asia. This style leaves its mark on the subjects of Greek origin. It is expressed, for example, in the use of such elements in the ornamentation of Animal Style as the dot-and-comma. More definitely, we can talk about some forms of vessel (the gold cup) that clearly arise from Bactrian toreutics. With these one can include, for example, a cylindrical object where the decorative solution approaches the motifs of Graeco- Bactrian art (vine shoots on the middle register and the bottom is ornamented in the form of tongues) and a type of miniature vessel of Greek pyxis-shape decorated with garlands of laurels.11 All of these ornamental motifs are characteristic of Hellenistic art. It is specifically that this category of object typically displays the influences of different visual traditions. Some objects have features usual in Chinese art. Others were created under influ- ences clearly arising from the Indian subcontinent. All of this transmits the prevail- ing iconic complex, typical for the late Hellenistic period in Central Asia (2nd century BC–2nd century AD) and resembles a sort of style Romano of the region. Finally, less representative than the majority of other objects is a third category of artistic craftsmanship, obviously imported: Chinese mirrors and other specimens created under the strong influence of the Chinese pictorial tradition. In describing the figurative complex of Tillya Tepe, we should emphasise one important feature – the large extent of depictions of Greek origin. But originally Greek images were subjected to such a strong transformation that their initial mean- ing was erased and eroded, betimes gathering a lot of new details.12 All of this complicates the question of attribution. In this category falls the find from Tillya Tepe of clasps with the image of a warrior. 10 For example, the mode of representing drapery, specifically on female images in terracotta depictions as well as in wall-paintings (Fayaztepa), is a compelling argument in favour of the local origin of the Tillya Tepe complex (Abdullaev 2003). 11 It should be noted that the miniature vessel carries a Greek inscription which transmits the weight value of the object. 12 Abdullaev 2016. 158 K. ABDULLAEV Alexander-Ares in Tillya Tepe The clasps were found in burial no. 3 among others, which gives reason to believe that each pair was intended for a fee and that the deceased was in a multi-layer garment. The fasteners, which will be discussed below, are two rectangular open- work plates, connected to each other by means of specially soldered hooks and a couple of loops.13 Their faces are made in the combined technique with high relief. On the reverse side of the plates correspond to the contour of the face with holes set through. On the plate with the hook the personage’s head is turned in three quarters. Double images are turned against each other, turned right and left, respectively. The standing figure is framed by floral ornaments in the form of a garland (Fig. 1). The garland covers the central part of the composition on three sides (top and sides). He stands on the ground, which is denoted by three decorative strips, the top of which is a series of elongated rectangular slots, alongside each other. The middle strip is depicted in the shape of a chain of diamond-shaped figures with the point in the centre. Finally, the lower strip is a horizontal line of egg-shaped orna- ment. At the bottom of the composition, on either side of the feet standing person, ravenous creatures of fantastic type are depicted: in appearance they resemble a dragon with small wings of triangular shape. Their heads are turned towards each other, the curved body decorated with dot-and-comma. Above their heads is a garland consisting of an alternating motif of three-pointed leaves, tapered at the base of the transverse tape.
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