Hunting the Eschata Pages 455–480 an Imagined Persian Empire on the Lekythos of Xenophantos Athens At

Hesperia Hesperia The Journal of the American School Athens of Classical Studies at Athens at Volume 78: number 4, October–December 2009 October–December 78: number 4, Volume Volume 78: number 4 October–December 2009 Studies Classical of School American The 2009 Copyright pages 455–618 pages American School of Classical Studies at Athens 2009 0018-098X(200912)78:4;1-1 hesperia Tracey Cullen, Editor Hesperia Supplements Editorial Advisory Board 1 S. Dow, Prytaneis: A Study of the Inscriptions Honoring the Athenian Councillors (1937) Carla M. Antonaccio, Duke University 2 R. S. Young, Late Geometric Graves and a Seventh-Century Well in the Agora (1939) Angelos Chaniotis, Oxford University 3 G. P. Stevens, The Setting of the Periclean Parthenon (1940) Jack L. Davis, American School of Classical Studies at Athens 4 H. A. Thompson, The Tholos of Athens and Its Predecessors (1940) 5 W. B. Dinsmoor, Observations on the Hephaisteion (1941) A. A. Donohue, Bryn Mawr College 6 J. H. Oliver, The Sacred Gerusia (1941) Jan Driessen, Université Catholique de Louvain 7 G. R. Davidson and D. B. Thompson, Small Objects from the Pnyx: I (1943) Marian H. Feldman, University of California, Berkeley 8 Commemorative Studies in Honor of Theodore Leslie Shear (1949) Gloria Ferrari Pinney, Harvard University 9 J. V. A. Fine, Horoi: Studies in Mortgage, Real Security, and Land Tenure in Ancient Athens Sherry C. Fox, American School of Classical Studies at Athens (1951) 10 L. Talcott, B. Philippaki, G. R. Edwards, and V. R. Grace, Small Objects from the Pnyx: II (1956) Athens Thomas W. Gallant, University of California, San Diego 11 J. R. McCredie, Fortified Military Camps in Attica (1966) at Sharon E. J. Gerstel, University of California, Los Angeles 12 D. J. Geagan, The Athenian Constitution after Sulla (1967) Guy M. Hedreen, Williams College 13 J. H. Oliver, Marcus Aurelius: Aspects of Civic and Cultural Policy in the East (1970) Carol C. Mattusch, George Mason University 14 J. S. Traill, The Political Organization of Attica (1975) Alexander Mazarakis Ainian, University of Thessaly at Volos 15 S. V. Tracy, The Lettering of an Athenian Mason (1975) Studies Lisa C. Nevett, University of Michigan 16 M. K. Langdon, A Sanctuary of Zeus on Mount Hymettos (1976) 17 T. L. Shear Jr., Kallias of Sphettos and the Revolt of Athens in 268 B.C. (1978) Josiah Ober, Stanford University 18 L. V. Watrous, Lasithi: A History of Settlement on a Highland Plain in Crete (1982) John K. Papadopoulos, University of California, Los Angeles 19 Studies in Attic Epigraphy, History, and Topography Presented to Eugene Vanderpool (1982) Jeremy B. Rutter, Dartmouth College 20 Studies in Athenian Architecture, Sculpture, and Topography Presented to Homer A. Thompson (1982) Classical A. J. S. Spawforth, Newcastle University 21 J. E. Coleman, Excavations at Pylos in Elis (1986) 22 E. J. Walters, Attic Grave Reliefs That Represent Women in the Dress of Isis (1988) of Monika Trümper, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 23 C. Grandjouan, Hellenistic Relief Molds from the Athenian Agora (1989) 24 J. S. Soles, The Prepalatial Cemeteries at Mochlos and Gournia and the House Tombs of Bronze Age Hesperia is published quarterly by the American School of Classical Studies at Crete (1992) Athens. Founded in 1932 to publish the work of the American School, the jour- 25 S. I. Rotroff and J. H. Oakley, Debris from a Public Dining Place in the Athenian Agora (1992) School nal now welcomes submissions from all scholars working in the fields of Greek 26 I. S. Mark, The Sanctuary of Athena Nike in Athens: Architectural Stages and Chronology (1993) archaeology, art, epigraphy, history, materials science, ethnography, and literature, 27 N. A. Winter, ed., Proceedings of the International Conference on Greek Architectural Terracottas of from earliest prehistoric times onward. Hesperia is a refereed journal, indexed in the Classical and Hellenistic Periods, December 12–15, 1991 (1994) 28 D. A. Amyx and P. Lawrence, Studies in Archaic Corinthian Vase Painting (1996) Abstracts in Anthropology, L’Année philologique, Art Index, Arts and Humanities 29 R. S. Stroud, The Athenian Grain-Tax Law of 374/3 B.C. (1998) American Citation Index, Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, Current Contents, IBZ: 30 J. W. Shaw, A. Van de Moortel, P. M. Day, and V. Kilikoglou, A LM IA Ceramic Kiln in South- Internationale Bibliographie der geistes- und sozialwissenschaftlichen Zeitschriften- Central Crete: Function and Pottery Production (2001) The literatur, Numismatic Literature, Periodicals Contents Index, Russian Academy of 31 J. K. Papadopoulos, Ceramicus Redivivus: The Early Iron Age Potters’ Field in the Area of the Clas- Sciences Bibliographies, and TOCS-IN. The journal is also a member of CrossRef. sical Athenian Agora (2003) 32 J. Wiseman and K. Zachos, eds., Landscape Archaeology in Southern Epirus,Greece I (2003) 2009 33 A. P. Chapin, ed., ΧΑΡΙΣ: Essays in Honor of Sara A. Immerwahr (2004) The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is a research and teaching 34 F. Zarinebaf, J. Bennet, and J. L. Davis, A Historical and Economic Geography of Ottoman Greece: institution dedicated to the advanced study of the archaeology, art, history, The Southwestern Morea in the 18th Century (2005) philosophy, language, and literature of Greece and the Greek world. Established 35 G. S. Merker, The Greek Tile Works at Corinth (2006) in 1881 by a consortium of nine American universities, the School now serves 36 P. P. Betancourt, The Chrysokamino Metallurgy Workshop and Its Territory (2006) 37 N. M. Dimitrova, Theoroi and Initiates in Samothrace: The Epigraphical Evidence (2008) Copyright graduate students and scholars from more than 180 affiliated colleges and uni- 38 M. B. Walbank, Fragmentary Decrees from the Athenian Agora (2008) versities, acting as a base for research and study in Greece. As part of its mission, 39 Y. A. Lolos, Land of Sikyon: The Archaeology and History of a Greek City-State (forthcoming) the School directs on going excavations in the Athenian Agora and at Corinth 40 S. Davies and J. L. Davis, eds., Between Venice and Istanbul: Colonial Landscapes in Early Modern and sponsors all other American-led excavations and surveys on Greek soil. It Greece (2007) is the official link between American archaeologists and classicists and the Ar- 41 A. Cohen and J. B. Rutter, eds., Constructions of Childhood in Ancient Greece and Italy (2007) chaeological Service of the Greek Ministry of Culture and, as such, is dedicated 42 A. L. D’Agata and A. Van de Moortel, eds., Archaeologies of Cult: Essays on Ritual and Cult in (2009) to the wise management of cultural resources and to the dissemination of knowl- Crete in Honor of Geraldine C. Gesell 43 L. A. Schepartz, S. C. Fox, and C. Bourbou, eds., New Directions in the Skeletal Biology of Greece edge of the classical world. Inquiries about programs or membership in the (2009) School should be sent to the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 6–8 Charlton Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540-5232. hesperia 78 (2009) Hunting the Eschata Pages 455–480 An Imagined Persian Empire on the Lekythos of Xenophantos Athens at ABSTRACT Studies The so-called lekythos of Xenophantos presents an image unparalleled in Greek vase painting. In a scene that belongs fully to neither the world of reality nor that of myth, Persians hunt griffins, among other prey. The author offers a new reading of the scene as a fictionalized account of Persian conquest, in which Classical the borders of the empire have reached the edges of the earth, the eschata. Such a scenario has parallels in Herodotos’s stories of the Persians’ (inappropriate) of territorial aspirations; in these accounts, as Persians seek to expand their power beyond its natural limits, they are met with failure and punishment. School THE LEKYTHOS OF XENOphaNTOS A 4th-century b.c. squat lekythos in St. Petersburg is the largest of its kind to survive, and, decorated in red-figure and with relief appliqués, paint, American and gilding, it is also one of the most ornate (Figs. 1–3).1 A relief frieze at the shoulder of the vase features a Gigantomachy and a Centauromachy, The separated by Nikai driving chariots, and above these figures is the signature of the potter, Xenophantos the Athenian (ΞΕΝΟΦΑΝΤΟΣ ΕΠΟΙΗΣΕΝ 2009 ΑΘΗΝ).2 It is the image on the body of the vessel, however, that sets this opulent vase further apart from its contemporaries. In a scene unique in the extant Hellenic visual tradition, Persians—on foot, on horseback, and in a chariot—hunt a variety of prey within a detailed landscape setting; the prey in- cludes two boars, a deer, and, most unusual among the game, two griffins. Copyright 1. For their thoughtful responses to grateful to Gloria Ferrari Pinney for her acquired by the museum in 1837; see various drafts of this article, I thank guidance at every stage of this project. Cohen 2006, p. 141. As for the sig- Irene J. Winter, Carmen Arnold- Unless otherwise noted, all transla- nature, the ethnic is complete (ΞΕΝΟ- Biucchi, Betsey Robinson, J. Robert tions are my own. ΦΑΝΤΟΣ ΕΠΟΙΗΣΕΝ ΑΘΗΝAIOΣ) Webb, C. Jacob Butera, and the two 2. St. Petersburg, State Hermitage on a second lekythos from the same anonymous reviewers for Hesperia. Museum Π1837.2 (St. 1790): ARV 2 region of Pantikapaion: St. Peters- I would also like to thank Kathryn 1407, no. 1; most recently, Cohen 2006, burg, State Hermitage Museum 108i: Topper and Melissa Haynes for their pp. 140–142, no. 37. Lezzi-Hafter ARV 2 1407, no. 2; Zervoudaki 1968, invaluable assistance in arranging for (2008, p. 184) argues for a date around p. 26, no. 36. image permissions. I am especially 400 b.c.

Load more