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A Lost Statuette of a River God in Feminine Dress

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A Lost Statuette of a River God in Feminine Dress HESPERIA 75 (2006) ACHELO?S Pages 317-32$ PEPLOPHOROS A Lost Statuette of a River God in Feminine Dress ABSTRACT a In this study the author analyzes the iconography of unique Early Classi statuette as a cal bronze that represents the river god Achelo?s peplophoros. Formerly in the National Archaeological Museum inAthens, the statuette is now as a lost. Using the myth of Herakles' peplos parallel, the author argues that Achelo?s is represented wearing women's dress in order to counterbal ance his excessive masculinity. The combination of masculine and feminine serves iconographie attributes to acknowledge the potentially destructive power of the river while also highlighting its life-giving beneficence. one In the current discussion of cross-dressing in Classical Greece, in a triguing image has been overlooked: small bronze statuette representing the powerful river god Achelo?s wearing women's dress (Fig. I).1 This now statuette, formerly in the National Archaeological Museum but lost, was at near excavated in the early 20th century Oichalia, modern Kyme, on as a man a Euboia.2 It depicts the god standing, bearded wearing chiton a a underneath peplos with kolpos and overfold. In his left hand he holds cornucopia; the right hand is missing. The cornucopia, together with the findspot (see below), confirms the identification as Achelo?s. Identified as a a by Brunilde S. Ridgway unique representation of m?t peplophoros,3. was an no. notes 1. This paper presented in March 1,1909, by K. Papaioannou, Al) that the location of at earlier form the 2004 Annual who reported his findings in the local the object, formerly in the National . statuette is Meeting of theAmerican Philological newspaper 'H% The Archaeological Museum in Athens, as in was at Association, part of the Lambda mentioned Papavasileiou 1910, p. 34; unknown that time. In response Classical Caucus a in to to statuette in panel "Cross-Dressing photograph appears Papavasileiou my request study the inAntiquity: Art andText." Iwould 1912, p. 133, fig. 15 (reprinted inGais 2004, the Greek Ministry of Culture to statuette not like thank the organizers of the 1978, p. 359, fig. 8; also Ostrowski confirmed that the could panel, Laurel Fulkerson and H. Alan 1991, fig. 18). Lippold (1950, p. 114, be located. No additional information with the other n. cites the without or are Shapiro, together par 3) object, illustra photographs obtainable from for their comments. Thanks tion. The statuette is included in the the ticipants, Ministry. are also due to the two on 46. statu anonymous monograph Achelo?s by Isler (1970, 3. Ridgway 1984, p. The no. ette not Hesperia reviewers, whose critical pp. 60,112,165, 264) and in his is included in the corpus of feedback was most valuable. entry in LIMCl, 1981 (p. 18, no. 77, Early Classical peplophoroi by T?lle 2. The statuette was discovered on s.v. Achelo?s). Weiss (1984, p. 166, Kastenbein (1980). ? The American School of Classical Studies at Athens 3i8 MIREILLE M. LEE 1. bronze statuette Figure Achelo?s, from Oichalia, Euboia. Second In b.c. quarter of the 5th century Formerly National Archaeological Museum, Athens (no inv. no.); current location unknown. Photo from Papavasileiou 1912, p. 133, fig. 15; drawing G. Fawkes its transvestism has not previously been explained. Comparative analysis of cross-dressing in both ancient literature and modern dress practices not demonstrates that the cross-dressing Achelo?s only reflects Greek concerns constructions of masculine and feminine gender, but also larger about fertility, protection, and social boundaries. to is Flowing from Epirus the Ionian Sea, the Achelo?s River the longest inGreece.4 In antiquity it comprised the often-contested boundary between Akarnania and Aitolia. Achelo?s was believed to be the source of as a all seas, rivers, and springs, and appears in classical literature synonym river for water (e.g., Eur. Andr. 167; Eur. Bacch. 625; Ar. Lys. 381).5 The was god Achelo?s, offspring of Okeanos and Tethys (Hes. Theog. 340), a worshipped together with his daughters, the nymphs, from very early not in period.6 Achelo?s is named inHomer (//. 21.194), but does feature extant narrative until the early lines of Sophocles' Trachiniae, when Deia came to neira describes her courtship by Achelo?s and how she be the wife of Herakles: I suffered affliction on the matter of if painful my wedding, any river 4. On the river and god Ache Aitolian woman did. For I had as awooer a river, I mean Achelous, lo?s, see Brewster 1997, pp. 9-14. at some who came in three shapes to ask my father for me, times 5. D'Alessio 2004. as a 6. Larson 98. manifest as a bull, at others darting, coiling serpent, and again 2001, p. ACHELOOS PEPLOPHOROS 319 2. Herakles and Figure Achelo?s, ^xVT ?Or? /> Attic black-figure kylix, attributed to the Painter of Boston C.A., said to be from Thebes. Ca. 560-550 b.c. Henry Lillie Pierce Fund, 99.519. Photo courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston at others with a man s trunk and a bulls head; and from his shaggy beard there poured streams of water from his springs. Expect a as was ing such suitor that I always praying, poor creature, that I ever near might die before coming his bed. But at the last moment, and to my relief, there came the famous son of Zeus and Alcmene, who contended him in battle and released me. I cannot tell of the manner was of his struggle, for I know nothing of it;whoever sitting there not terrified by the sight, he could tell you.7 women The chorus of fromTrachis reiterate the struggle at lines 508-522, 7. Trach. 7-23, trans. H. Soph. Lloyd but do not how Achelo?s was defeated. A more elaborate 1994. explain ultimately Jones, Cambridge, Mass., version of the is told Ovid in in which 8. Ov. Met 9.98-100, trans. A. D. myth by Metamorphoses 9.1-100, one Melville, Oxford 1986. Herakles defeats the river god by breaking off of his horns. Magically 9. Isler LIMC 12 as 1970; 1,1981, pp. the horn fills with fruits and flowers, the cornucopia. But, Ovid tells 36, s.v. Achelo?s (H. P. Isler). See also us: was was "Humbled though he to lose that elegance, all else sound, and Ostrowski 1991, pp. 16-20. he concealed his loss with willow leaves or reeds and rushes worn upon 10. LIMC 1,1981, pp. 13-17,25 his head."8 27, nos. 1-56,213-228,241-244, s.v. a The of Achelo?s has been examined Hans Achelo?s (Isler). Conversely, iconography thoroughly by as a few images represent the god bull Peter Isler, who traced the development of Achelo?s imagery from the headed man {LIMC 1,1981, 18, b.c. p. 7th century through the Roman period.9 Early Greek images of the nos. 75, 76). On bull imagery generally are god clearly derived from Near Eastern prototypes, in the in the ancient Near East and the east particular man-headed bull 2), which has Sumerian The existence of ern Mediterranean, see Rice 1998. (Fig. origins.10 11. other of the that the bull The shape-changing aspect of zoomorphic images god suggests iconography constant was not so in earlier Alter Achelo?s parallels the fluctua firmly established, especially representations. tion of water. s as moving natively, they may reflect Achelo?s ability to change shape, described as 12. For other images of Achelo?s vase in the early lines of the Trachiniae.11 In painting he is sometimes a see LIMC centaur, 1,1981, pp. 27-28, a once as a represented with the body of centaur (Fig. 3), and triton nos. 246-259, s.v. Achelo?s (Isler). 4).12Most of Achelo?s his 2), 13. For other opponents of Herakles (Fig. images emphasize genitals (e.g., Fig. with see which both and his bestial Some him represented large genitalia, signify fecundity aspect.13 depict ears nose McNiven 1995, pp. 11-13. with the and snub typical of satyrs (e.g., Fig. 4), which likewise 320 MIREILLE M. LEE Figure 3. Herakles and Achelo?s, Attic neck black-figure amphora, Achelo?s Painter. Early 5th cen b.c. tury Libbey Endowment, 1952.65. Photo courtesy Toledo Museum of Art emphasize his sexual nature.14 Other early representations include votive masks and pro tomes of a bearded man with the ears and horns of a bull.15 are on as as These images also found coins well gold pendants,16 which per as haps functioned amulets for fertility and protection.17 From the middle a of the 5th century onward, parallel tradition develops in which the god is represented as a nude, bearded, mature man with bulls horns.18 The statuette, dated by Isler to the second quarter of the 5th cen was an tury b.c.,19 found together with inscribed boundary marker delin a eating the limits of local sanctuary of Achelo?s and the nymphs.20 The statuette as secure identification of the the river god is therefore despite the save absence of Achelo?s's usual taurine features, for the cornucopia, which a is kind of symbolic transcription of the older bull imagery. In contrast to are earlier representations of the god, which either zoomorphic images or nude males, the figure is heavily dressed. What is especially curious is that wears a a he distinctly feminine garment, the peplos, together with long worn women chiton, also by in the Classical period.21 14.
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