The Monument of Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos
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The Monument of Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos a funerary monument in a visual, comparative, and environmental context in Athens Master Thesis Jos Kunst 3470326 MA (Research) Thesis Ancient Studies Utrecht University Jos Kunst 3470326 [email protected] Supervisor: dr. Rolf Strootman 26th June 2017 2 Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter I: The monument of Philopappos .............................................................................................. 8 The archaeological history .................................................................................................................. 8 Description of the monument .............................................................................................................. 9 The man behind the monument ......................................................................................................... 21 Chapter II: The importance of image .................................................................................................... 28 Image and sculpture .......................................................................................................................... 28 The frieze ...................................................................................................................................... 28 The statues .................................................................................................................................... 31 The sculpture program: a conclusion ............................................................................................ 37 Text and context ................................................................................................................................ 39 The messages of inscriptions ........................................................................................................ 39 Bilingualism in inscriptions .......................................................................................................... 42 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter III: Funerary monuments: a comparative study....................................................................... 47 Nemrut Daği .................................................................................................................................. 48 Nereid Monument ......................................................................................................................... 50 Tomb of the Cornelii Scipiones .................................................................................................... 53 The temple-tomb of Asfionius Rufus ............................................................................................ 55 The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus ................................................................................................. 56 Lucius Verus ................................................................................................................................. 57 3 The Ahenobarbus altar .................................................................................................................. 58 The tomb of Herodes Atticus ........................................................................................................ 59 The Olympieion or temple of Zeus Olympos ............................................................................... 62 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 63 Chapter IV: The location of the monument of Philopappos ................................................................. 64 The idea of landscape ........................................................................................................................ 64 The physical landscape ..................................................................................................................... 67 Geological landscape .................................................................................................................... 68 Archaeological structures .............................................................................................................. 72 The social landscape ......................................................................................................................... 76 Modern landscape ............................................................................................................................. 80 The physical landscape ................................................................................................................. 81 The social landscape ..................................................................................................................... 83 Conclusions on the location .............................................................................................................. 84 Chapter V: Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 86 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................................... 92 Sources .............................................................................................................................................. 98 Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 99 Appendix Α ....................................................................................................................................... 99 Appendix B ..................................................................................................................................... 105 4 Introduction Athens is a city filled with marvellous landmarks and interesting architecture dating from the bronze age till modern times. It is therefore only logical that these landmarks are thoroughly studied and admired by many people from around the world. The exclusion of one of these landmarks, or rather the general disinterest in one of them, can hardly be fathomed and is a downright shame if one thinks about it. In this case, I am talking about the almost two thousand years old monument on top of the Mouseion hill, overlooking the Acropolis hill: the monument of Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos, or Philopappos in short. This magnificent monument has been overlooked by many, disregarded by others and, by yet a few, described into detail without much discussion. Because of this, I feel it is my duty to discuss this monument, challenge the status quo, and bring it back to the prominent position that it rightfully claims in the heart of Athens. “The monument of Philopappos, what is so interesting about it that deserves our attention?” and, “The monument of Philopappos, I know that one, what is it again?” are questions that rise to many when confronted with the monument and that deserve being answered in a satisfying and reliable fashion. Throughout this thesis, based on my own research questions, I will make sure that whomsoever reads this thesis, will no longer have these questions, and better yet, be able to answer them when faced with these or similar questions, when talking about the monument of Philopappos. What makes this monument so interesting to begin with, and what forms the basis for my interest for this monument, is both the location of the monument and what is on the monument. This may sound perfectly natural; however, it is most intriguing when faced with the monument itself. The monument is located on one of the most prominent hills in the heart of Athens, overlooking the Acropolis, the south side of the Acropolis, the Olympieion, and 5 three quarters of the city, including the Piraeus harbour and the mountain-passes towards Eleusis. The only large archaeological structure obscured from its view is the Agora and what lies beyond. There must be a reason for this location, and I intend to find out what that is. Besides its location, its epigraphical side has also peaked my interest, for the inscriptions on the monument are not just in Greek or Latin, but rather in both, and with different messages to convey. These two features alone should have made the monument an object of great debate and discussion, yet it remains an obscure remnant of ancient times, visited by most tourist for the view of the Acropolis and the city alone. The questions I raise in this context that shall guide my research and eventually bring me to my conclusions on this monument are. These questions are three-fold and will bring me closer to an overarching question: What is this monument of Philopappos, why is it represented as it is, what makes it an important monument, and what can we learn from it about the intentions of the man behind the monument? Firstly, in answering the overarching problem, we have to look at the appearance of the monument, for in order to understand the monument as a whole, or in detail for that matter, we have to be fully aware of the monument in both its appearance and its place. The question here is then what can we observe from