DOCSLIB.ORG

The Winding Path Leading to the Goal: the Evolution of the East European Labyrinth Poem

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Winding Path Leading to the Goal: the Evolution of the East European Labyrinth Poem ARTICLES TATIANA NAZARENKO (Winnipeg, MB, Canada) THE WINDING PATH LEADING TO THE GOAL: THE EVOLUTION OF THE EAST EUROPEAN LABYRINTH POEM Since antiquity, the image of the labyrinth, a mystical mazelike structure, has been continuously used in European literature, architecture, graphic arts, and garden design. The essential form and characteristics of the labyrinths are most likely derived from the plans of royal tombs and mortuary temples� in ancient Egypt2 dated as early as 3000 BC. The creation of the first European labyrinth modeled on the temple of Amenemhet III, king of Egypt of the 12th dynasty (reigned 1818-1770 BC),3 is credited to the Athenian architect and inventor Daedalus. He later constructed a maze for King Minos in the palace of Knossos in Crete4 in order to imprison the terrible Minotaur, a half bull and half man monster5 that feasted on human flesh. , * The author would like to express sincere gratitude to Jars Balan, V:ilen Barsky, Myroslav Korol and Mykola Soroka for permission to use their visual poems in my work, as well as to Mykola Soroka and Piotr Rypson for the permission to reproduce visuals from their monographs; the publishing houses Nauka (Russia), Naukova dumka (Ukraine), and Mystestvo (Ukraine) for their permission to reproduce illustrations published in their books, and to the Foksal Gallery Ar- chive (Poland) for permission to reproduce two compositions by Stanislaw Drozdz. The author would also like to acknowledge Polish language consultations generously provided by Magda- lena Blackmore. 1. The internal construction of Egyptian pyramids is labyrinthine in character. See C. N. Deedes, "The Labyrinth," in S. H. Hooke, ed., The Labyrinth: Further Studies in the Relation Between Myth and Ritual in the Ancient World (New York: Macmillan, 1935), pp. 3,14. 2. Ancient Greek burial places sometimes had a labyrinthine plan as well. See James Hall, Il- lustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art (New York: Icon Editions, 1994), p. 72. 3. The temple of Amenemhet III, built beside his pyramid in Al-Fayyum, was known to clas- sical writers as the Egyptian Labyrinth. Its plan and significance was established before the 6th dynasty. It was connected to the myth of the death of Osiris and the funerary rituals (c. 2325-c. 2150 BC). See Deedes, "The Labyrinth," p. 21; Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britan- nica, Multimedia Edition, 1999, CD 1. 4. The "Palace of Minos" named for the legendary ruler and located in north central Crete was uncovered in 1906 by a British archaeologist, Sir Arthur Evans. Today Knossos is the site of ■I The etymology of the word "labyrinth," as most scholars suggest, remains obscure. There are those who endeavor to derive it origins from the words "labor" and "intus" which, according to Penelope Doob, can be interpreted to highlight various essential qualities of the maze There are also attempts to trace it to the Greek "labs" which means cave, to "labrys," the double headed cult axe of the earliest cultures at Knossos and in Mesopotamia, or "place of labrys," as well as to the whole phrase which suggests a game or playing upon [within] a cave.' The latter meaning is especially suggestive as it links the word's denotation to the "geranos" or crane dance8 of the Delians (the residents of the confederacy of ancient Greek states under the leadership of Athens, with headquarters at Delos) described in many ancient sources. The dance is thought to have been originated by Theseus and the Athenian youths liberated from the Cretan labyrinth following the hero's slaying of the Minotaur.9 According to Deeds, the Cretan dance is connected to the Egyp- tian ritual dancing which played an important part in the Labyrinth rites. 10 Originally a labyrinth was defined as any large building, entirely or partly subterranean, with a complicated plan, such as the palace of Minos at Knos- sots." Later, it began to identify a system of caves or buildings, "containing chambers and passages that renders egress difficult" or "the maze occurred in formal gardens, consisting of intricate paths separated by high hedges."12 A labyrinth may be designed as a single linear or circular path leading to a goal (the so-called "unicursal" labyrinth) or it may have a pattern configuration, a not one but many places: Minoan, Mycenaean, and British. The "Palace of Minos" consists of a labyrinthine ground floor with well-designed rooms grouped around a central court, numerous stairways, mysterious sunken rooms and storage areas. See Loise Hitchcock and Paul Kou- dounaris, "Virtual Discourse: Arthur Evans and the Reconstruction of the Minoan Palace of Knossos," in Yannis Hamilakis, ed., Labyrinth Revisited: Retltinking "Minoan Archeology (Ox- ford: Oxbow Books, 2002), pp. 42, 43. 5. In Egypt, the king and the bull were one. Bull-games occupied a significant position in Egyptian religious rituals. See Deedes, "The Labyrinth," p. 28. 6. PenelopaReed Doob, The Idea of the Labyrinth from Classical Antiquity through the Mid- dle Ages (Ithaca\ NY: Cornell Univ. Press, 1990), p. 97. 7. Emanuel Friedman, ed., Collier`s Encyclopedia (New York: Macmillan Educational Cor- poration, 1980), 14: 238; Paolo Santarcangelli, II libro dei labirintl (Firenze: Valechi Editore, 1967), p. 238; Piotr Rypson, "The Labyrinth Poem," Visible Language, 20, no. I (1986), 71. 8. The meaning of the name of the dance remains rather vague. Piotr Rypson refers to the hypothesis of the Polish ethnologist Stefan Czamowski who indicated the role of cranes in divi- nation and navigation See Rypson, "The Labyrinth Poem," p. 73. '_ ' 9. Deeds, "The Labyrinth," p. 27; Piotr Rypson, "Homo Quadratus in Labyrintho: The cubus or labyrinth poem," in Gyorgy E. Szonyi, ed., European Iconography East and West: Selected papers of the Szeged International Conference (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1996), p. 9. 10. Deeds, "The Labyrinth," p. 26. 11. l. Hall, Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art, p. 72. 12. Encyclopaedia Britannica, CD 1. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Although Crete Seems to Have Been First Inhabited in the Palaeolithic (Strasser Et Al
    Although Crete seems to have been first inhabited in the Palaeolithic (Strasser et al. 2010), another colonization of the island occurred at the end of the Neolithic (Broodbank and Strasser 1991). From then, the internal chronology of Crete follows two systems, a ceramic development (Early, Middle, and Late Minoan with internal subdivisions) and a system based on architectural phases: Prepalatial (EM–MM IA, c.3000–1900 ), Protopalatial (MM IB–II, 1900–1750), Neopalatial (MM III–LM IB, 1750–1490), Final Palatial (LM II–IIIA:2/B1, 1490–1300), and Post Palatial (LM IIIB–C, 1300–1100). The last two periods comprise Mycenaean Crete. The Cretan “Hieroglyphic” and Linear A scripts were developed in the Protopalatial period (Godart and Olivier 1996; Younger 2005); Linear A survives into the Neopalatial period (Godart and Olivier 1976–1985; Younger 2000); and Linear B writes Greek in the Final Palatial period (Killen and Olivier 1989). There are three main ways of identifying females in Aegean art: costume, hairstyle (following age grades), and skin color in fresco. Females are always clothed (males may be nude) and women are often depicted in elaborate “court” dress (see below), textiles made of wool that were also exported to Egypt and the Near East. The fairly consistent Egyptian color conven- Blakolmer 2004, 2012) was also followed in Minoan fresco (Hood 1985). people before the Malia Workshop (MM II). There are few representations of women on pot- tery but females are prominent in the frescoes. Texts give us limited information. In Linear B women were denoted by the logogram *102 MUL .
    [Show full text]
  • On the Excavations of the Zeus Temple of Alabanda
    Anatolia Antiqua Revue internationale d'archéologie anatolienne XXII | 2014 Varia On the Excavations of the Zeus Temple of Alabanda Suat Ateşlier Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/anatoliaantiqua/315 Publisher IFEA Printed version Date of publication: 1 January 2014 Number of pages: 247-254 ISBN: 9782362450136 ISSN: 1018-1946 Electronic reference Suat Ateşlier, « On the Excavations of the Zeus Temple of Alabanda », Anatolia Antiqua [Online], XXII | 2014, Online since 30 June 2018, connection on 20 April 2019. URL : http:// journals.openedition.org/anatoliaantiqua/315 Anatolia Antiqua TABLE DES MATIERES Emma BAYSAL, A preliminary typology for beads from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic levels of Barcın Höyük 1 William ANDERSON, Jessie BIRKETT-REES, Michelle NEGUS CLEARY, Damjan KRSMANOVIC et Nikoloz TSKVITINIDZE, Archaeological survey in the South Caucasus (Samtskhe-Javakheti, Georgia): Approaches, methods and first results 11 Eda GÜNGÖR ALPER, Hellenistic and Roman period ceramic finds from the Balatlar Church excavations in Sinop between 2010-2012 35 Ergün LAFLI et Gülseren KAN ŞAHİN, Hellenistic ceramics from Southwestern Paphlagonia 51 Oğuz TEKİN, Weights of Lysimachea from the Tekirdağ Museum and various collections 145 Oğuz TEKİN, Three weights of Lampsacus 155 Julie DALAISON et Fabrice DELRIEUX, La cité de Néapolis-Néoclaudiopolis : histoire et pratiques monétaires 159 Martine ASSENAT et Antoine PEREZ, Amida 4. Constance II et Amida 199 Sencan ALTINOLUK et Nilüfer ATAKAN, Abrasax: A magical gem in the Istanbul
    [Show full text]
  • APOLLO in ASIA MINOR and in the APOCALYPSE Abstract
    Title: CHAOS AND CLAIRVOYANCE: APOLLO IN ASIA MINOR AND IN THE APOCALYPSE Abstract: In the Apocalypse interpreters acknowledge several overt references to Apollo. Although one or two Apollo references have received consistent attention, no one has provided a sustained consideration of the references as a whole and why they are there. In fact, Apollo is more present across the Apocalypse than has been recognized. Typically, interpreters regard these overt instances as slights against the emperor. However, this view does not properly consider the Jewish/Christian perception of pagan gods as actual demons, Apollo’s role and prominence in the religion of Asia Minor, or the complexity of Apollo’s role in imperial propaganda and its influence where Greek religion was well-established. Using Critical Spatiality and Social Memory Theory, this study provides a more comprehensive religious interpretation of the presence of Apollo in the Apocalypse. I conclude that John progressively inverts popular religious and imperial conceptions of Apollo, portraying him as an agent of chaos and the Dragon. John strips Apollo of his positive associations, while assigning those to Christ. Additionally, John’s depiction of the god contributes to the invective against the Dragon and thus plays an important role to shape the social identity of the Christian audience away from the Dragon, the empire, and pagan religion and rather toward the one true God and the Lamb who conquers all. ASBURY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CHAOS AND CLAIRVOYANCE: APOLLO IN ASIA MINOR AND IN THE APOCALYPSE SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF ASBURY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN BIBLICAL STUDIES BY ANDREW J.
    [Show full text]
  • Saffron Offering and Blood Sacrifice: Transformation Mysteries In
    ARAS Connections Issue 1, 2016 Saffron Offering and Blood Sacrifice: Transformation Mysteries in Jungian Analysis Virginia Beane Rutter This paper is strictly for educational use and is protected by United States copyright laws. Unauthorized use will result in criminal and civil penalties. 1 ARAS Connections Issue 1, 2016 This work evolved out of my love for the land, the people, and the language of Greece, where I lived during the summer of 1966, after a year of travel in Europe. Rocky islands, turquoise waters, and whitewashed buildings reduced to shimmering blocks of color by light and heat both concealed and revealed the energy of the old gods pulsing beneath everyday life. In the following years, returning to explore the ancient marbles and to study early Greek religion and ceremony dovetailed with my recognition of the archetypal mysteries in the psyches of modern women and men in analytic work. Figure 1 When I visited the National Archaeological Museum of Athens in 1995, a group of frescoes from the island of ancient Thera, now Santorini, captured my attention. One of these is the Spring Fresco, which shows a rocky landscape with blooming red lilies and swallows diving in a joyous expression of nature (Figure 1). In another fresco two ladies are intimately engaged in a robing ceremony (Figure 2). These Bronze Age frescoes are from the site of Akrotiri, where This paper is strictly for educational use and is protected by United States copyright laws. Unauthorized use will result in criminal and civil penalties. 2 ARAS Connections Issue 1, 2016 excavation was begun in 1967.
    [Show full text]
  • LGBT 101 and Safe Spaces Program 2011 Joseph A
    University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Center The ommC unity, Equity, & Diversity Collections 2011 LGBT 101 and Safe Spaces Program 2011 Joseph A. Santiago University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/glbtc Part of the Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons Recommended Citation Santiago, Joseph A., "LGBT 101 and Safe Spaces Program 2011" (2011). Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Center. Paper 117. http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/glbtc/117 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The ommC unity, Equity, & Diversity Collections at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Center by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LGBT 101—General Education LGBT 101 and Safe Spaces Program LGBT 101—General Education Introduction Purpose LGBT 101 information is part of a program to create a safer and more receptive campus and work place environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and/or questioning people through education and ally development. It is modeled after similar programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States. This short introduction to LGBT 101 and introduction to SafeSpace training will begin to facilitate conversations, increase individuals general knowledge of LGBT issues, and become aware of some LGBT symbols that communicate identities around us every day. Objectives Participants in LGBT 101and SafeSpace training will: a. Increase their awareness and knowledge of LGBTQ issues district wide and in the community.
    [Show full text]
  • Definitions & Symbols (Pdf)
    Wheaton College Norton, Massachusetts DEFINITIONS LGBT: An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. At times, a “Q” will be added for “Queer” and/or “Questioning”, an “A” for “Ally”, and/or a “TS” for “Two Spirit”. Ally: A person who supports and honors sexual diversity, acts accordingly to challenge homophobic and heterosexist remarks and behaviors, and is willing to explore and understand these forms of bias within him or herself. Bisexual: A person (male or female) who is physically, emotionally, psychologically, and/or spiritually attracted to both men and women or someone who identifies as a member of the bisexual community. Butch: Masculine dress or behavior, regardless of sex or gender identity. Closet: Used as slang for the state of not publicizing one’s sexual identity, keeping it private, living an outwardly heterosexual life while identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, or not being forthcoming about one’s identity. At times, being “in the closet” also means not wanting to admit one’s sexual identity to oneself. Coming Out: To disclose one’s own sexual identity or gender identity. It can mean telling others or it can refer to the time when a person comes out to him/herself by discovering or admitting that their sexual or gender identity is not what was previously assumed. Some people think of coming out as a larger system of oppression of LGBTQ people - that an LGBTQ person needs to come out at all shows that everyone is presumed heterosexual until demonstrated otherwise. But this word need not apply only to the LGBTQ community; in some situations, a heterosexual may feel the need to come out about their identity as well.
    [Show full text]
  • The Double Axe and Approaching the Question of Karian-Kretan Interaction
    Karia and Krete: a study in social and cultural interaction Naomi H Carless Unwin UCL DPhil History 1 I, Naomi H Carless Unwin, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 2 Abstract My thesis focuses on social and cultural interaction between Karia (in south western Anatolia) and Krete, over a long time span; from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. A persistent tradition existed in antiquity linking the Karians with Krete; this was mirrored in civic mythologies in Karia, as well as in cults and toponyms. My research aims to construct a new framework in which to read these traditions. The way in which a community ‘remembered’ its past was not an objective view of history; traditions were transmitted because they were considered to reflect something about a society. The persistence of a Kretan link within Karian mythologies and cults indicates that Krete was ‘good to think with’ even (or especially) during a period when Karia itself was undergoing changes (becoming, in a sense, both ‘de-Karianized’ and ‘Hellenized’). I focus on the late Classical and Hellenistic periods, from which most of our source material derives. The relevance of a shared past is considered in light of actual contacts between the two regions: diplomatic, economic, cultural and military. Against the prevailing orthodoxy, which maintains that traditions of earlier contacts, affinities and kinship between peoples from different parts of the Mediterranean were largely constructs of later periods, I take seriously the origins of such traditions and explore how the networks that linked Minoan Krete with Anatolia could have left a residuum in later conceptualisations of regional history.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mycenaean Tree and Pillar Cult, and Its Mediterranean Relations
    THE MYCENAEAN TREE AND PILLAII CULT AND ITS MEDITERRANEAN RELATIONS THP] MYCENAEAN TEEE AND PILLAR CULT AND ITS MEDITEEEANEAN EELATIONS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM RECENT CRETAN FINDS I3Y ARTIlUIl J. EVANS, ALA., U.S. A. KKKPFR OF THK ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM AND Hon'' fellow of brasenose college, oxford IK TEE TEXT lll'Jll A COLOUnED riATE AhD SEVENTY FIGUL'ES Hontfon MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited COMPANY NEW YORK : THE MACMILLAK I90I AH rights reserved RiCHAKD Clay and Sons, Lumiikd ].ONDON AND BUNOAY PREFATORY NOTE Thi8 work is from the Jou7vial o reproduced by permission ^ Hellenic Studies. It was communicated in its present form to the Hellenic Society in November, 1900, but the views here expressed regarding the character of Mycenaean worship and such external features as the baetylic pillars within the shrines and the ' ' horns of consecration were, in their main outlines, first put forth ' by me in a paper on PillcM- and Tree Worship in Mycenaean Greece,' read in the Anthropological Section of the British Associa- tion at Liverpool in 1896. A short abstract of this was published in the Annual Report of the Association. In November, 1899, the ' ' part specially affecting Dr. Reichel's theory of the Thronkidtus was read to the Oxford Philological Society. It had been my original intention to incorporate the present study in a work, in course of preparation by me, on the Mycenaean gems and signets, but the fresh evidence supplied by the Cretan discoveries has induced me to put it forth in, a separate form. This seemed the more desiral)le, since the most recently expressed views on the subject, as for instance those contained in Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Labrys) / Butterfly Symbols in an Offering Pit in Tisna
    Anadolu Araştırmaları Anatolian Research AnAr, 23, 71–89 DOI: 10.26650/anar.2020.23.703366 Research Article / Araştırma Makalesi About the Double-Axe (Labrys) / Butterfly Symbols in an Offering Pit in Tisna Tisna’da Bir Sunu Çukuru İçerisinde Bulunan Çift Ağızlı Balta (Labrys)/Kelebek Sembolleri Hakkında Emre Erdan1 , Barış Gür2 ABSTRACT In this study, double-axe/butterfly depictions in an offering pit discovered during the 2018 archaeological survey at Kocakale Tepe (Tisna) are introduced. The double- axe/ butterfly motifs with a total of 10 scraping lines in different sizes were identified in the pit formed on the bedrock made up of white colored tuff. While double-axes have been observed in the Aegean World since the Bronze Age, it is understood to be an important religious symbol. Since the Minoan culture in Crete, it has been used both as a votive object and a sacrifice axe, and is depicted on different religious objects in iconography. Later, it continued its same feature in the Mycenaean culture during the Late Bronze Age. After this intense use in the Aegean World during the Bronze Age, double axes began to appear in iconography again in the Classical period. Double-axes, which are the symbols of Zeus Labraundos, are depicted on the coins of the Hekatomnid dynasty in the Caria Region. According to Plutarch, the double-axe cult came to Caria from the lands of Lydia. It is not possible to make a sharp comment about the Kocakale Tepe offering pit without any excavation in the area and its vicinity. However, it is noteworthy that the stepped monument in Kocakale Tepe, a possible Acropolis Sanctuary in Sarıkale Tepe, and the open-air sanctuary in Karahayıt may be related to the Mother Goddess cult in Tisna.
    [Show full text]
  • The Labrys Project: Exploring the Health and Wellbeing of Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer and Same Sex Attracted Women Living in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven Regions
    The Labrys Project: Exploring the health and wellbeing of lesbian, bisexual, queer and same sex attracted women living in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions RESEARCH REPORT Di Drew, Emma Rodrigues, Shannon Wright, Rachel Deacon and Julie Mooney-Somers © 2017 ACON, Women’s Health, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District & Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine (VELiM), University of Sydney ISBN: 978-1-74210-405-8 This report is based on the 2014-2015 Illawarra Shoalhaven Women’s Health and Wellbeing Survey, the 2015 Labrys Project focus group series and related research, which was coordinated by ACON and Women’s Health - Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District. Copies of this report are available from ACON: Phone: + 61 (0)2 9206 2000 Email: [email protected] Website: www.acon.org.au QUERIES ABOUT THE RESEARCH SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO: Dr Julie Mooney-Somers Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine (VELiM), University of Sydney Telephone: +61 (0)2 9036 3412 Email: [email protected] ACON Telephone: +61 (0)2 9206 2000 Email: [email protected] Website: www.acon.org.au ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Sydney Women and Sexual Health Survey, Dr Mooney-Somers and Rachel Deacon, The Labrys Project Consultation Group, Illawarra Women’s Health Centre, Shoalhaven Women’s Health Centre, Equality Rights Alliance, Wollongong Women’s Information Service, Wollongong Youth Services, Nowra Youth Services, headspace Wollongong and headspace Nowra. A sincere thank you to all the women who took time out of their days to complete the survey, attend focus groups, come to events and provide feedback.
    [Show full text]
  • ZEUS LABRAUNDOS VE APOLLON Lairbenos'un Simgesi OLARAK LABRYS (Lev
    ZEUS LABRAUNDOS VE APOLLON LAiRBENOS'UN SiMGESI OLARAK LABRYS (Lev. LVIII-LXI) Labrys, antik devirdc daha 50k dinsel torenlerde kuilamlmi§, ya da adak e§yasi olarak tannlara sunulmus. olan gift ytizlii baltadir. i. O. II. binlerde Girit'te goriilmekte olduguna gore, labrys, Knossos Sarayi'mn zemin katinda bulundugu varsayilan Labyrinthos'la ili§kili olabilir1. Labrys'iin ve labrys betimlemelerinin Kiictik Asya'da en yogun olarak goriilmekte oldugu yer Karia bolgesidir. Zira labrys, Zeus Labraundos'un simgesidir. Zeus Labraundos, sag elinde gift yuzlii balta, sol elinde mizrak tutar ve bu nedenle Zeus Stratios epithetini de almi§tir2. Bu tannnin, Karia'nin en dnemli kentlerinden biri olan Mylasa yakinindaki Labraunda'da bir tapinagi bulunmaktaydi. Labraunda, 1948-1953 yillan arasinda Isvec'liler tarafindan kazilmi'§tir (Res. I)3. Tapinagin tyapildigi zaman tahtadan oldugu varsayilan kiilt heykeli, imparator Caracalla ve kardesj Geta zamaninda darbettirilmis, olan sikkelerde tapinagimn icerisinde gosterilmi^ir4. Bu tapinagin cephesinin ortasindaki iki siitun, kiilt heykelinin gdriilebilmesi icin, sikke sanatkSrlan tarafindan yok edilmi§lerdir5. Kiilt heykelinin kollannin tist kisimlan viicuduna, bacaklan da birbirine yapi§iktir. Giysisinin iizerinde, sanlmis. olan §eritler vardir. Aynca Zeus Labraundos'un boynunda pandantif, ba§inda polos vardir (Res. 2). Mylasa §ehir kapisindaki kilit ta§inda bir labrys kabartmasinin bulunmasi, 90k dogaldir (Res. 3 ve 4)6. Ayni §ekilde labrys, Euromos'daki Zeus Tapinagi'nin duvanni da siislemekteydi (Res. 5)7. Aynca bu kentin i. 6. 1 Der Kleine Pauly (Munchen 1979), s. v. Labrys (W. H. Gross). 2 Der Kleine Pauly, s. v. Labranda (H. Treidler) ve B. V. Head, Historia Numorum, s. 622. ^Labraunda. Swedish Excavations and Researches (Lund 1969) Aynca P.
    [Show full text]
  • The Double-Axe: a Contextual Approach to the Understanding of a Cretan Symbol in the Neopalatial Period
    ojoa_339 35..56 MATTHEW HAYSOM THE DOUBLE-AXE: A CONTEXTUAL APPROACH TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF A CRETAN SYMBOL IN THE NEOPALATIAL PERIOD Summary. The Double-Axe has always been considered as one of the most important religious symbols in Minoan Crete. This paper reassesses the significance of the Double-Axe and puts forward a new interpretation for it. It recognizes the great potential for change in symbolic meanings during the Bronze Age and seeks to understand the Double-Axe in as narrow a period as is realistically possible by filtering out evidence from other periods. Central to the argument is the principle that the meaning of symbols is contextually dependent. It builds, therefore, a new interpretation of the Double-Axe on the basis of as wide a range of contextual associations as possible, both within iconographic sources and in the wider material record. From these contextual associations, it suggests that in the Neopalatial period the Double-Axe was a symbol primarily associated with a social group which exercised power in the economic, military and religious realms and that it became a solely religious symbol only later. introduction Double-Axes are, together with Horns of Consecration, one of the most familiar symbols of the Aegean Bronze Age. All scholars who have ever studied the Double-Axe have accepted that it was a religious symbol. Even Banti (1941–3, 16–18) and Nilsson (1950, 192–3), the two great sceptics among scholars of Aegean Bronze Age religion, though they may have questioned the dogma of the time which held that the Double-Axe was the symbol of a specific deity, did not doubt that it was a cult symbol.
    [Show full text]