SCIENTIFIC CULTURE, Vol. 5, No. 1, (2019), pp. 1-14 Copyright © 2019 SC Open Access. Printed in Greece. All Rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1451898 GOLDEN GORGON-MEDOUSA ARTWORK IN ANCIENT HELLENIC WORLD Lazarou, Anna 1University of Peloponnese, Dept of History, Archaeology and Cultural Resources Management Palaeo Stratopedo, 24100 Kalamata, Greece ([email protected]; [email protected]) Received: 15/06/2018 Accepted: 25/07/2018 ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to highlight some characteristic examples of the golden works depicting the gorgoneio and Gorgon. These works are part of the wider chronological and geographical context of the ancient Greek world. Twenty six artifacts in total, mainly jewelry, as well as plates, discs, golden bust, coins, pendant and a vial are being examined. Their age dates back to the 6th century. B.C. until the 3rd century A.D. The discussion is about making a symbol of the deceased persist for long in the antiquity and showing the evolution of this form. The earliest forms of the Gorgo of the Archaic period depict a monster demon-like bellows, with feathers, snakes in the head, tongue protruding from the mouth and tusks. Then, in classical times, the gorgonian form appears with human characteristics, while the protruded tusks and the tongue remain. Towards Hellenistic times and until late antiquity, the gorgoneion has characteristics of a beautiful woman. Snakes are the predominant element of this gorgon, which either composes the gargoyle's hairstyle or is plundered like a jewel under its chin. This female figure with the snakes is interwoven with Gorgo- Medusa and the Perseus myth that had a wide reflection throughout the ancient times. KEYWORDS: Medusa, Gorgon, Gorgoneion, Hellenistic, Archaic, Golden, Typology, Comparison, images, protruded, Magna Grecia, antiquity, myth, Phiale 2 ANNA LAZAROU 1. INTRODUCTION Medusa appears in the ancient Hellenic World and colonies, with a geographic spread from Olbia The Gorgon-Medusa as a terror or beauty figure and Crimea of Black sea, to Libya, and eastern Iberia, has been widely used in ancient art. The Gorgon im- to Sicily, Near East and Bactrian Afganistan, as well age appears in several pieces of art and architectural as parallels in other parts of the World (Wilk, 2000). structures including e.g. the pediments of the Tem- From our survey, for first time, a gathered collec- ple of Artemis (c. 580 BC) in Corfu, the mid-6th cen- tion of 26 Gorgon-Medusa images made in gold are tury BC, life marble statue, in cups, in coins, burial attributed to excavation sites or broad regions of reliefs, shields, jewellery, ceramic vases (Johnson, origin from the wide ancient Hellenic World. This 1993). The materials that bear Medusa images range collection is typologically studied and critically as- from ceramics to marble, bronze, gold. Being one of sessed with respect to depictions in various other three sisters, known as the Gorgons, the Medusa1 is a scenes and materials. It represents a collection of particular figure. The three of them were born from many more golden medusa-gorgon artworks, worth Phorcys and Ceto. According to Hesiod's Theogony of discussing along the frame of period, style and (270-281), the Gorgons were the sisters of the Graeai purpose. and lived in the utmost place towards the night by the Hesperides beyond Oceanus (in later written 2. ANCIENT LITERATURE AND sources of Apollodorus, Graeai and the Gorgon sis- MYTHOLOGICAL SETTING ters are connected to Perseus myth). Medusa was There are several local myths about the magic decapitated by Perseus. properties of Gorgon-Medusa. In our present icono- However, later authors (Herodotus, Pausanias) graphy the major representations are gorgon-heads. place the Gorgons' abode in Libya. The Gorgon sis- The earliest written sources refer to an isolated gor- ters were Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa; Medusa geii head (gorgon head or gorgoneion), without a was mortal while her sisters were immortal. body, which causes the terror to anyone who sees it. To define the difference between Gorgoneion, Gor- Then the sources report the head of the gorgon go, Medusa and Gorgon head; Gorgoneion and Gorgon (mermaid) or the gorgo or the gorgons, with a head is the head alone (Homer Iliad 5.741 and Odys- unique determination of the terror they cause. Alt- sy 11.634), and Gorgo is called the whole-body dae- hough the genealogy of the Perseus was known to mon and represents an apotropaic symbol. Medusa, Homer, its association with the gorgon is mentioned according to the myth, is one of the three gorgon for the first time in the Hesiod. The Theogony de- sisters. The Greeks made offerings to the "averting scribes the genealogy of medusa, one of the three gods" (ἀποτρόπαιοι θεοί, apotropaioi theoi), chthonic gorgons-mermaids, which is identified with more deities or procession of protective deities via a sym- characteristics and is associated with the Perseus. bolic depiction and heroes who grant safety and de- The decapitation of the gorgon-medusa, the birth of flect evil (Liritzis et al., 2017). the Pegasus and Chrysaor (the golden sword bearer), The Gorgon became a popular shield design in an- the treatment of her head with the fossil property by tiquity along with being an apotropaic (warding off Perseus, are mythical elements that are embellished evil) agent. In fact, the goddess Athena and Zeus and associated with other mythological persons and were often portrayed with a shield (or aegis) depict- mythological affairs giving food to the writers and ing the head of a Gorgon, who is typically believed the poets until Late Antiquity and Renaissance. At to be Medusa. the same time, and as it emerges from the written There exist several archaeological examples of the sources, the individual gorgonian head, is going Gorgon's face being used on breastplates, in mosaics through a remarkable course independent of medu- and even as bronze end pieces on ship beams in the sa. Roman period. Perhaps the most famous example of For the genealogy of Perseus and his relationship Medusa in art in antiquity was the Athena Parthenos with Medusa, the poet Ferekides wrote in the 5th statue from the Parthenon which was made by Phid- century. B.C. King Akrisius had received an oracle ias and described by Pausanias. This statue of Athe- according to which he would die from the hands of na depicts a Gorgon's face on the goddess' breast- his unborn grandfather. That's why she decided to plate. In Greek mythology there is, also, Hesiod's lock his daughter Danae along with her breast feeder description of Hercules' shield which describes the in an underground prison whose walls were covered events of Perseus and Medusa (Hesiod, Theogony, with metal plates. Danae, however, fell in love with 270-281). Jupiter, who transformed her into a golden rain and so entered her prison. From this union Perseus was 1 Etymological interpretation of word Medusa=Μέδουσα, born. Akrisius, when he heard the cry of the child from verb μεδώ/medo= guard and protect. and learned about the birth of his grandson, killed SCIENTIFIC CULTURE, Vol. 5, No 1, (2019), pp. 1-14 GOLDEN GORGON-MEDOUSA ARTWORK IN ANCIENT HELLENIC WORLD 3 the breast feeder and locked Danae and the little chthonian creature residing in the most distant Perseus into a trunk threw it into the sea. The chest points to the earth, the hades underworld, and, also was washed in Seriphos, where it was picked up by in the sea having marine origin too. The latter is ex- the fisherman Dikty and transferred to his brother, tracted from the symbolic genealogical cycle consist- King Polydektes, thus saving the life of mother and ing of marine-related deities. son. According to Pherecydis, Polydektes was treat- 3. TYPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS IN ing them "as if they were relatives of him". There Perseus was grew up too. But Polydektes finally CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER loved Danae. In a sporting event by King Poly- The jewels bear witness to the great development dektes, Perseus prided himself on bringing the head of gold jewelry in Athens in the 9th century and are of Medusa, the mortal Mermaid of the three sisters, decorated with the granulation 2 and filigree (wire and was endowed with the tremendous power of technique)3 that require close coaching and persis- stoning men who looked at her. The King seized the tent practice. opportunity to exterminate Perseus once and for all The development of Gorgon – Medusa in art dur- to marry Danae, holding Perseus a hindrance and ing the archaic to late antiquity is presented with the giving him the murder of the Gorgons sure to kill golden artifacts per Museum collection. him. Perseus, however, helped by the gods turned triumphant, especially he was helped in his conquest 3.1 ARCHAIC PERIOD to acquire Medusa's head from Athena and Mercury. The Archaic era, 7th and 6th c. BC, is a time of They helped him to secure the hood of Hades to great social and political change (Garland & Dillon, make him invisible, the feathered sandals for run- 1994; Jeffery, 1976). Transformation of racial society ning fast, and a sack (kivisis) to put the head of Me- into politics has already taken place. The city as a dusa. With these magic paraphernalia and the pro- state consisted more as a city and more towns. The tection of the gods, Perseus was able to defeat Me- kings were initially elected, but later they became dusa while she was asleep. At the time of her death hereditary. The kingdom was succeeded by the aris- Pegasus the sacred winged horse and Chrysaor the tocracy and price control.