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Gifts Given to Delian Apollo During the Greek Archaic Period Spectacular Gifts: Gifts Given to Delian Apollo During the Greek Archaic Period Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Bonnie McCutcheon Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2018 Dissertation Committee Greg Anderson, Advisor Nathan Rosenstein Timothy E. Gregory 1 Copyrighted by Bonnie McCutcheon 2018 2 Abstract Delos, birthplace to the gods Apollo and Artemis, was home to a significant sanctuary to Apollo in the Greek Archaic Period. Apollo and his sanctuary received many spectacular gifts which stand out in the historical record, including world-premiere works of art, such as the Nikandre kore. The turannos of Samos, Polycrates, notably gave to Apollo the neighboring island of Rheneia, which he attached to Delos with a chain. These and other gifts include elements of the spectacular which make them stand out. To understand the role played by elements of spectacle in gifts at Delos, we must examine these gifts as a discourse. Only by putting them in context with one another can we fully understand the messages that each gift was meant to communicate. Ultimately, I will argue that this is a discourse about establishing and performing identity as xenoi (guest- friends) of the gods and as megaloprepes (magnificent or great men). iii Dedication For Russ, who always believed in me, even when I did not. iv Acknowledgments The composition of this dissertation has spanned over a decade of my life, and could not have been completed without the support of my family and mentors at the Ohio State University. First, I would like to extend my enduring thanks to the members of my committee – Dr. Greg Anderson, Dr. Nathan Rosenstein, and Dr. Timothy Gregory – for their continued encouragement and support over what has been a very long road. I would like to especially express my gratitude to Dr. Greg Anderson for his guidance, patience, and constructive criticism of my work. Thanks also to Dr. Nathan Rosenstein and Dr. Timothy Gregory, who nurtured my mind as a young graduate student and helped me to develop into the scholar that I am today. I also extend my deepest gratitude to Dr. Mark Fullerton, who was willing to participate in my supplemental candidacy exam. I am deeply grateful for the support of my parents throughout my graduate school career. I could not have done this without their love and support. Finally, this dissertation would not have been completed without the support of my husband, Russ, who never stopped believing in my abilities. He has been supportive in countless ways, and continually encouraged me to continue along this journey. v Vita Ohio State University, 2002 – 2018 Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization: Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean M.A., History, 2005 The College of New Jersey, 1998 - 2002 B.A., History with Departmental Honors Magna cum Laude American University of Rome, Fall 2000 Fields of Study Major Field: History vi Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Vita ..................................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Analyzing the Spectacular .............................................................................................. 3 Political Culture in the Archaic Period ........................................................................... 7 Xenia, Reciprocity, and Spectacle ................................................................................ 13 Xenoi of the Gods ......................................................................................................... 21 Methodology and Organization .................................................................................... 25 Chapter 1. The Development of Delos in the Archaic Period ......................................... 32 The Sacred Landscape .................................................................................................. 32 The Development of Apollo’s Sanctuary ..................................................................... 41 Financing the Development of the Sanctuary ............................................................... 66 Chapter 2. The Aegean Islands ......................................................................................... 75 Euboia: Karystos ........................................................................................................... 75 The Cyclades ................................................................................................................. 77 Naxos ............................................................................................................................ 79 Paros .............................................................................................................................. 88 Ionia .............................................................................................................................. 91 Chios ............................................................................................................................. 94 Samos ............................................................................................................................ 98 Chapter 3: Athens ........................................................................................................... 116 Athens and Delos in the Classical Era ........................................................................ 116 vii Earliest Evidence for Athenian Contacts .................................................................... 122 Peisistratus and Athens ............................................................................................... 124 Peisistratus and Delos ................................................................................................. 129 Peisistratus and Theseus ............................................................................................. 137 The Delian Triad and Cultural Politics ....................................................................... 143 Chapter 4. Beyond the Greek World............................................................................... 149 The Hyperboreans ....................................................................................................... 153 The Persians ................................................................................................................ 163 Chapter 5. Identity and Spectacle ................................................................................... 166 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 188 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 192 viii List of Figures Figure 1: Map of Greece Indicating the Location of Those Who Made Religious Dedications at Delos ......................................................................................................... 30 Figure 2: The Cyclades ..................................................................................................... 34 Figure 3: Delos .................................................................................................................. 35 Figure 4: Delos and Rheneia ............................................................................................. 36 Figure 5 Habitation During the Mycenaean Period .......................................................... 42 Figure 6: Building Activity in or near the Sanctuary of Apollo, 700 - 500 BCE ............. 48 Figure 7: Sanctuary of Apollo, c. 500 BCE ...................................................................... 49 Figure 9: Sanctuary of Apollo: The area enclosed by the dashed line indicates Phase1 of the sanctuary. .................................................................................................................... 51 Figure 10: Area of the Sacred Lake .................................................................................. 64 ix Introduction The island of Delos, legendary birthplace of twin gods Apollo and Artemis, was the recipient of many gifts that stand out in the literary and archaeological record.1 The earliest of these were given by the hero Theseus, who stopped at the island on his way home from Crete, where he had killed the Minotaur (Plutarch, Life of Theseus 21). The Athenian turannos Peisistratus allegedly dedicated a temple to Apollo2 and performed a purification of the island that involved moving graves from the sanctuary of Apollo to neighboring Rheneia (Herodotus 1.64, Thucydides 3.104). The Samian turannos Polycrates dedicated the neighboring island of Rheneia to Delian Apollo and attached the island to Delos with a chain (Thucydides
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