DOCSLIB.ORG

CHTHONIAN CATTLE by H. J. ROSE the Accident of a Sister University

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
CHTHONIAN CATTLE by H. J. ROSE the Accident of a Sister University CHTHONIAN CATTLE BY H. J. ROSE The accident of a sister University needing an_external examiner brought me into contact, not long ago, with a learned Netherlander, Dr. J. H. Croon, who has made himself an authority on hot springs in the ancient Greek world and on the reactions of the Greeks to these interesting phenomena especially in early days, before they came to appreciate them as spas. Briefly, his conclusions are that they were thought of as hellmouths, and they were associated with several deities, Herakles notably, Artemis quite often, Hephaistos now and then. Asklepios of course belongs to a later period, when the springs were not so much feared as valued. As might be expected, legends connected with these springs and often historically traceable to the very spots where they exist are pretty common, and in a printed thesis, for which Amsterdam gave the author his second doctorate, he discusses a pic- turesque figure characteristic of some at least of these tales. He calls him the Herdsman of the Dead, and the most famous name in this connexion is Geryon, who of course brings us into contact with Hera- kles once more. That the hero went to seek Geryon's cattle and brought them back after various subsidiary adventures is well known. That Geryon is a figure of the underworld, in some respects parallel at least to Hades himself, is also no news to anyone who has read the ancient authors with any care, to say nothing of the many moderns who have written on the subject. For his somewhat less familiar con- nexion with hot springs I cannot do better than to quote Dr. Croon's own words, which I do with a certain envy, for I heartily wish I could express myself as well in Dutch, or in any Continental idiom, as he does in English. Now the saga of Geryoneus, as well as the various stories of Heracles' adventures on his way back with the cattle, show a remarkable tendency to be localized near hot springs. This has been observed by Gruppe.... The places mentioned by him are: Temenothyrae in Lydia, Segesta and Himera in Sicily, Patavium in N. Italy, Chaonia, and, of course, Baiae itself. We shall have 214 occasion to add Hypata in the Spercheius-valley, and perhaps Gades, the traditional dwelling-place of Geryon. So far, then, a strange and monstrous figure, herdsman of extra- ordinary cattle, who has a good deal to do with hot springs. So far also Dr. Croon is simply dealing with facts; that the legend was told in this way and the places he names were associated with it is fully proved, and the existence of the springs is a matter of geological ob- servation. It is when he starts to interpret the tale, i.e., to get back to the root idea which underlies it and gave rise to it, that I am inclined to disagree with him. He calls Geryon, Alkyoneus and a few other characters of mythology "herdsmen of the dead", and it is the quali- fying clause which is theory and therefore disputable. I quote him again 2 ) . The most obvious inference would be that the Herdsman represents the (or at least a) god of the Underworld, and the cattle the souls of the Dead. This is no new idea. Weicker refers to this theory and gives some hints, without, however, examining it more closely. But there is mpre... I have pointed to the fact that in Apollodorus' story of Heracles' descent, the cattle of Hades occur again: Heracles slaughters one of them and wrestles with Menoites. In a passage from Pindar's Olympian Odes Hades is said to drive the dead down into a hollow road (like cattle!). And on the other hand there is Hermes who is called powv. It will be clear from these examples that the god of the Underworld, when he figures as a herdsman with cattle, is not thought of as an overlord of the dead, as a possessor, but as the master of the recently deceased, who are driven from the upper into the nether world. The reference to Pindar is of course given in his notes, which J have omitted in quoting. It is O. ix, 33-5, part of that highly inter- esting passage in which Pindar's religious scruples move him to leave half-told the stories he knows of "strife and battle between the Death- less", and it runs: It would be well if we knew a little more about Hades' The word means something less massive than a club, but of varying thickness from a pretty substantial stick to a conjuror's wand, such 1) Joh. H. CROON,The Herdsman of the Dead (diss., Utrecht, de Vroede, 1952), p. 30. 2) Ibid., p. 67 foll. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Urban Planning in the Greek Colonies in Sicily and Magna Graecia
    Urban Planning in the Greek Colonies in Sicily and Magna Graecia (8th – 6th centuries BCE) An honors thesis for the Department of Classics Olivia E. Hayden Tufts University, 2013 Abstract: Although ancient Greeks were traversing the western Mediterranean as early as the Mycenaean Period, the end of the “Dark Age” saw a surge of Greek colonial activity throughout the Mediterranean. Contemporary cities of the Greek homeland were in the process of growing from small, irregularly planned settlements into organized urban spaces. By contrast, the colonies founded overseas in the 8th and 6th centuries BCE lacked any pre-existing structures or spatial organization, allowing the inhabitants to closely approximate their conceptual ideals. For this reason the Greek colonies in Sicily and Magna Graecia, known for their extensive use of gridded urban planning, exemplified the overarching trajectory of urban planning in this period. Over the course of the 8th to 6th centuries BCE the Greek cities in Sicily and Magna Graecia developed many common features, including the zoning of domestic, religious, and political space and the implementation of a gridded street plan in the domestic sector. Each city, however, had its own peculiarities and experimental design elements. I will argue that the interplay between standardization and idiosyncrasy in each city developed as a result of vying for recognition within this tight-knit network of affluent Sicilian and South Italian cities. This competition both stimulated the widespread adoption of popular ideas and encouraged the continuous initiation of new trends. ii Table of Contents: Abstract. …………………….………………………………………………………………….... ii Table of Contents …………………………………….………………………………….…….... iii 1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………..……….. 1 2.
    [Show full text]
  • The Greek Presence in Sicily in Ancient Times, The
    ‘’The Greek presence‘ in Sicily is ancient times’’ THE ANCIENT GREEK TEMPLES When were the temples created? Greek temples in Sicily were built from the 8th century to the 5th B.C. This period is known as ‘’ The period of the colonization’’ Where were the temples built? The temples that Greeks established were built in ‘’The valley of the Greek temples’’ or in the regions ‘’ Agrigento’’ , ‘’ Selinunte’’ , ‘’Segesta’’, ‘’ Syracuse’’. So let’s start presenting the temples The temple of Athena (Syracuse) On the temple of Athena was later built the present cathedral, where the Virgin Mary is worshiped continuously since the 7th century AD. It is a unique complex of limestone Doric portals and "baroque" Renaissance style. Temple in Segesta In Egesta (Segesta) you can admire the Doric temple of the 5th century BC, whose construction was stopped without cause after the completion of the colonnades. Currently standing at charming solitude, on the outskirts of Segesta and contribute valuable information for building arts of the time. In 416 BC Segesta came into conflict with her neighbors from Selinus and in the 415/416 requested assistance to Athenians. The envoys of Athens were so much excited by the magnificent temple and worth that they advocated war against Syracuse and with the enthusiastic speech of Alcibiades the Athenians were destroyed at Porto Grande, Syracuse in 413 BC. The Temple of Concord In Agrigento (Agrigento), the gigantic Doric temple of Concord, which due to its conversion to an early Christian basilica survived almost intact, is one of the impressive buildings that testify the high standard of living, connected with the presence of the colonial Greeks.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tyrannies in the Greek Cities of Sicily: 505-466 Bc
    THE TYRANNIES IN THE GREEK CITIES OF SICILY: 505-466 BC MICHAEL JOHN GRIFFIN Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds School of Classics September 2005 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is his own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I would like to thank the Thomas and Elizabeth Williams Scholarship Fund (Loughor Schools District) for their financial assistance over the course of my studies. Their support has been crucial to my being able to complete this degree course. As for academic support, grateful thanks must go above all to my supervisor at the School of Classics, Dr. Roger Brock, whose vast knowledge has made a massive contribution not only to this thesis, but also towards my own development as an academic. I would also like to thank all other staff, both academic and clerical, during my time in the School of Classics for their help and support. Other individuals I would like to thank are Dr. Liam Dalton, Mr. Adrian Furse and Dr. Eleanor OKell, for all their input and assistance with my thesis throughout my four years in Leeds. Thanks also go to all the other various friends and acquaintances, both in Leeds and elsewhere, in particular the many postgraduate students who have given their support on a personal level as well as academically.
    [Show full text]
  • 1059693.En Pe 556.749
    Question for written answer E-006801/2015/rev.1 to the Commission Rule 130 Ignazio Corrao (EFDD), Daniela Aiuto (EFDD), Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD) and Dario Tamburrano (EFDD) Subject: Protecting the objectives of the National Operational Programme (NOP) and Regional Operational Programme (ROP) 2014-2020 'Infrastructure and networks' now that the A19 motorway in Sicily is impracticable The A19 Palermo-Catania motorway is classified as European road E932 and links European roads E90 and E45. The A19, inaugurated in 1975, has made it much faster to travel from Palermo to Catania, thus ending the isolation of inland Sicily. The A19 has not substantially changed since it was first opened, because no major upgrading has ever been carried out. The structural failure of the Himera viaduct on the A19 is the latest in a long series of adverse events. In January, the Scorciavacche bridge – which had only been inaugurated a week earlier – collapsed on the main road to Agrigento. Last summer the Petrulla viaduct collapsed on the main road between Licata and Canicattì. On that occasion four motorists were injured. After inspecting the Himera viaduct, the Italian Minister for Infrastructure said that it would take years to rebuild the 300 metres of motorway and five pillars, while ANAS (the national highways authority) speculates that EUR 30 million will be needed to restore the viaduct. Since the cohesion policy and the ERDF National Operational Programme and Regional Operational Programme for Sicily (2014-2020) base their strategy for achieving the objectives (set out in the relevant regulations) on existing strategic infrastructure, will the Commission take note of the need to provide adequate resources to safeguard the above-mentioned policies and will it take action with a view to restoring the A19? 1059693.EN PE 556.749 .
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Rural and Urban Settlement in Sicily from Prehistory to Late Antiquity
    The evolution of rural and urban settlement in Sicily from Prehistory to Late Antiquity 5 June – 6 June 2015 A 2-day workshop hosted by the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh Organised by Dr Peter Morton, Prof. John Bintliff, and Dr Robert Leighton Recent work on Sicily has revitalised the study of Sicilian urbanism from prehistory down to late antiquity. This work has ignited debate about the development of urbanism in Sicily and its relationship to rural settlement across history and between cultures. It has become clear that complex questions remain about how we combine analyses of urban centres with their rural hinterlands, and how the development of these two areas is interconnected. The combination of data and analyses from diverse geographical areas and chronological periods remains central to our understanding of historical change in Sicily from prehistory to the late Roman period. This workshop will bring together scholars working on the development of urban and rural settlement in Sicily from prehistory to late antiquity. This workshop includes experienced and early career researchers, who will present work-in-progress on this topic, and the workshop provides a unique opportunity for scholars from several major projects based in the USA, Italy, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands to exchange ideas and information directly with one another. There will be twelve papers in six sessions spread across one and half days. Each speaker is allocated 50 minutes for paper delivery and ensuing discussion. Programme Each paper is followed by 20 minutes of discussion. June 5th 14:30 – 15:00 – Welcome reception and coffee 15:00 – 15:30 – Johannes Bergemann (Goettingen) – Monti Sicani.
    [Show full text]
  • AGRIGENTO Introduction Founded in 582 BC by Rhodian and Cretan
    AGRIGENTO Introduction Founded in 582 BC by Rhodian and Cretan colonists from nearby Gela, on a site already occupied by Greeks in the 7th century BC, Agrigento (Akragas) was mainly ruled by a succession of tyrants: after Phalaris, in the first half of the 6th century, whose cruelty remained proverbial, by Theron, under whom, allied to the Syracusans, the Agrigentines won the battle against the Carthaginians at Himera, in 480, and his son Thrasydeus who, breaking the alliance with Syracuse, led to the end of his dynasty in 471 BC. In 406 BC, a new conflict with Carthage ended, after a long siege, with the taking and partial destruction of the city, which regained its freedom only thanks to the Corinthian general Timoleon, in 340 BC Contended between Carthaginians and Romans, Agrigento was definitively conquered by the Romans in 210 BC. Flourishing from this date, and until the fall of the Roman Empire, the town gradually became less populated until the 7th century: it was then reduced to a village on the hill of Girgenti (seat of the present town), which was conquered by the Arabs in 829, and later by the Normans in 1086. History The city walls, built in the 6th century BC, enclose an area, considerable for that time, of about 450 hectares, urbanized according to a rigorous orthogonal plan. Protected by the city walls, the sacred buildings of the "Valley of the Temples", all in Doric style, are for the most part arranged at a very regular distance one from the other, for a length of 2 kilometres.
    [Show full text]
  • Tour Concordia Winter 2019-2020 (Cod
    TOUR CONCORDIA WINTER 2019-2020 (COD. PA-ICOL) MONDAY-MONDAY / PALERMO-PALERMO Day 1 Monday: Palermo Day 2 Tuesday: Palermo- Monreale- (Erice)-Palermo RATES PER PERSON To Monreale and enjoy the visit of the Cathedral famous for its mosaics as $1,089.00 per person in double room well as the Benedictine cloister. In the morning visit keeps on with the $279.00 single supplement Sicilian Capital which includes the Palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace, $1,059.00 third bed adult Palermo’s Cathedral as well as a panoramic city tour. Day 3 Wednesday: Palermo – Segesta – Trapani - Agrigento COMPULSORY SUPPLEMENT: Departure to Segesta to visit the Doric temple. Continue to the western $239.00 per person New Year’s Eve Dinner – drinks part of Sicily for the panoramic tour of Trapani with its salt-pans. Continue included DEPARTURE ON DEC. 28TH 2019 to Selinunte where we will be enjoying a special lunch at a local farmhouse (SATURDAY-SATURDAY) including an oil tasting famous in the area. After the lunch, depart to Agrigento and experience the visit of the Valley of the Temples. Rate includes: Day 4 Thursday: Agrigento – Piazza Armerina – Catania • Accommodation in 4 star hotels occupying standard rooms with private Depart to Piazza Armerina and visit the Villa romana del Casale famous for its more than 3500 sqm meters of well-preserved bathroom/bathtub or shower) mosaics. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, departure to Catania where we will stop at a local bar to taste one of the local • Full board accommodation with buffet breakfast, from the dinner on first sweets.
    [Show full text]
  • SICILY: CROSSROADS of MEDITERRANEAN CIVILIZATIONS Including Malta Aboard the 48-Guest Yacht Elysium May 13 – 23, 2022
    JOURNEYS Beyond the ordinary SICILY: CROSSROADS OF MEDITERRANEAN CIVILIZATIONS Including Malta Aboard the 48-Guest Yacht Elysium May 13 – 23, 2022 Temple of Segesta SCHEDULE OUTLINE ITALY May 13 Depart the US Ionian May 14 Arrive in Palermo. Transfer to the Grand Hotel et des Palmes. Sea May 15 Morning tour of Palermo. Afternoon excursion to Monreale. Elysium May 16 Morning excursion to Cefalu. Board the in the afternoon and sail. May 17 Marsala. Excursion to Segesta and the hill village of Erice. May 18 Porto Empedocle. Excursion to Agrigento and Piazza Armerina. May 19 Pozzallo. Explore the Baroque towns of Modica, Palazzolo Acreide, Noto, and Ispica. May 20 Valletta, Malta. Tour Valletta and Malta’s prehistoric monuments. May 21 Syracuse. Visit the city’s ancient monuments. Motor route May 22 Giardini Naxos. Excursion to Taormina. Ship route Mediterranean Air route Sea May 23 Palermo. Disembark and transfer to the airport. PROGRAM NARRATIVE Many places in the Mediterranean can lay claim to being a “crossroads of cultures and civilizations,” but none with better justification than Sicily. For, 3,000 years, wave after wave of new cultures, ideas and artistic techniques have swept over the island, leaving in their wake temples, theaters, castles villages, and extraordinary works of art that together have earned Sicily the reputation of an “open-air museum.” Our itinerary demonstrates the importance of Sicily to Greek civilization in the great theaters at Syracuse and Taormina and in the Doric temples at Agrigento and Segesta. Roman remains mingle with the Greek in Syracuse, and the wealth of Imperial Rome is evident in the 3rd-century villa near Piazza Armerina.
    [Show full text]
  • ANCIENT TERRACOTTAS from SOUTH ITALY and SICILY in the J
    ANCIENT TERRACOTTAS FROM SOUTH ITALY AND SICILY in the j. paul getty museum The free, online edition of this catalogue, available at http://www.getty.edu/publications/terracottas, includes zoomable high-resolution photography and a select number of 360° rotations; the ability to filter the catalogue by location, typology, and date; and an interactive map drawn from the Ancient World Mapping Center and linked to the Getty’s Thesaurus of Geographic Names and Pleiades. Also available are free PDF, EPUB, and MOBI downloads of the book; CSV and JSON downloads of the object data from the catalogue and the accompanying Guide to the Collection; and JPG and PPT downloads of the main catalogue images. © 2016 J. Paul Getty Trust This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042. First edition, 2016 Last updated, December 19, 2017 https://www.github.com/gettypubs/terracottas Published by the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles Getty Publications 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500 Los Angeles, California 90049-1682 www.getty.edu/publications Ruth Evans Lane, Benedicte Gilman, and Marina Belozerskaya, Project Editors Robin H. Ray and Mary Christian, Copy Editors Antony Shugaar, Translator Elizabeth Chapin Kahn, Production Stephanie Grimes, Digital Researcher Eric Gardner, Designer & Developer Greg Albers, Project Manager Distributed in the United States and Canada by the University of Chicago Press Distributed outside the United States and Canada by Yale University Press, London Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: J.
    [Show full text]
  • Sicilian Landscape As Contested Space in the First Century BC: Three Case Studies
    Sicilian Landscape as Contested Space in the First Century BC: Three Case Studies Dustin Leigh McKenzie BA (Hons), Dip. Lang. A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2018 School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry ii Abstract Sicily was made the first overseas Roman province between 241 and 212 BC, and became known as the ‘bread-basket’ of the Republic due to the island’s famously fertile farmlands. The island, with its history of pre-Roman conflict, second century slave revolts, and use as a military stronghold in the civil wars of the first century, never dissociated itself from conflict. As such, its construction as a ‘contested space’ was popular in the literature of first-century Rome, employed as a symptomatic topos of the state of Rome – the closer Roman Sicily resembled its pre- annexation state, the greater the perceived threat to the Republic, and vice-versa. This construction of Sicily and its landscape was employed by authors such as Cicero, Diodorus Siculus, and Virgil to great effect, as they engaged with, reinforced, or challenged the major contemporary discourses of imperialism, the impact of civil war, and food security. Cicero’s In Verrem presents its audience with a Sicily that has been purposely constructed to deliver the most damning image of Verres, the infamously corrupt governor of Sicily from 73-71, the most sympathetic and familiar image of the Sicilians, presented as virtuous and stoic farmers, and a Sicily that has been reduced to a war-torn desert under Verres’ rule. Through his construction of Sicily as contested space, Cicero secured his win against Verres in court and demonstrated to his audiences the danger Verres’ actions presented Rome, threatening the stability of the relationship between Sicily and Rome.
    [Show full text]
  • Iconography of the Gorgons on Temple Decoration in Sicily and Western Greece
    ICONOGRAPHY OF THE GORGONS ON TEMPLE DECORATION IN SICILY AND WESTERN GREECE By Katrina Marie Heller Submitted to the Faculty of The Archaeological Studies Program Department of Sociology and Archaeology In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 2010 Copyright 2010 by Katrina Marie Heller All Rights Reserved ii ICONOGRAPHY OF THE GORGONS ON TEMPLE DECORATION IN SICILY AND WESTERN GREECE Katrina Marie Heller, B.S. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, 2010 This paper provides a concise analysis of the Gorgon image as it has been featured on temples throughout the Greek world. The Gorgons, also known as Medusa and her two sisters, were common decorative motifs on temples beginning in the eighth century B.C. and reaching their peak of popularity in the sixth century B.C. Their image has been found to decorate various parts of the temple across Sicily, Southern Italy, Crete, and the Greek mainland. By analyzing the city in which the image was found, where on the temple the Gorgon was depicted, as well as stylistic variations, significant differences in these images were identified. While many of the Gorgon icons were used simply as decoration, others, such as those used as antefixes or in pediments may have been utilized as apotropaic devices to ward off evil. iii Acknowledgements I would first like to thank my family and friends for all of their encouragement throughout this project. A special thanks to my parents, Kathy and Gary Heller, who constantly support me in all I do. I need to thank Dr Jim Theler and Dr Christine Hippert for all of the assistance they have provided over the past year, not only for this project but also for their help and interest in my academic future.
    [Show full text]
  • Quod Omnium Nationum Exterarum Princeps Sicilia
    Quod omnium nationum exterarum princeps Sicilia A reappraisal of the socio-economic history of Sicily under the Roman Republic, 241-44 B.C. Master’s thesis Tom Grijspaardt 4012658 RMA Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies Track: Ancient Studies Utrecht University Thesis presented: June 20th 2017 Supervisor: prof. dr. L.V. Rutgers Second reader: dr. R. Strootman Contents Introduction 4 Aims and Motivation 4 Structure 6 Chapter I: Establishing a methodological and interpretative framework 7 I.1. Historiography, problems and critical analysis 7 I.1a.The study of ancient economies 7 I.1b. The study of Republican Sicily 17 I.1c. Recent developments 19 I.2. Methodological framework 22 I.2a. Balance of the sources 22 I.2b. Re-embedding the economy 24 I.3. Interpretative framework 26 I.3a. Food and ideology 27 I.3b. Mechanisms of non-market exchange 29 I.3c. The plurality of ancient economies 32 I.4. Conclusion 38 Chapter II. Archaeology of the Economy 40 II.1. Preliminaries 40 II.1a. On survey archaeology 40 II.1b. Selection of case-studies 41 II.2. The Carthaginian West 43 II.2a. Segesta 43 II.2b. Iatas 45 II.2c. Heraclea Minoa 47 II.2d. Lilybaeum 50 II.3. The Greek East 53 II.3a. Centuripe 53 II.3b. Tyndaris 56 II.3c. Morgantina 60 II.3d. Halasea 61 II.4. Agriculture 64 II.4a. Climate and agricultural stability 64 II.4b. On crops and yields 67 II.4c. On productivity and animals 70 II.5. Non-agricultural production and commerce 72 II.6. Conclusion 74 Chapter III.
    [Show full text]