SACRED GEOGRAPHY OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS SUNY Series in Western Esoteric Traditions David Appelbaum, editor Omphalos decoratedwith the "net." (COpl)from the Roman period, Museum of Delphi) SACRED GEOGRAPHY OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS Astrological Symbolism in Art, Architecture, and Landscape � F 1G7Lf '?,-- 'j .1 \ '/ , ) Jean Richer Translated by Christine Rhone STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRE�� f Published by State University of New York Press, Albany ©1994 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address State University of New York Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Richer, Jean, 1915- [Geographie sacree du monde grec. English] Sacred geography of the ancient Greeks: astrological symbolism in art, architecture, and landscape / Jean Richer; translated by Christine Rhone. p. cm. - (SUNY series in Western esoteric traditions) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-2023-X - ISBN 0-7914-2024-8 (pbk.) 1. Astrology/Greek. 2. Sacred space-Greece. 3. Shrines­ Greece. 4. Artand religion-Greece. 5. Gretfe-Religion. " ! I. Title. n. Series. 1 994 f.�C;'� �� :;:;�2� 1) 094 �;:60 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents List of Maps xi Foreword xxi Translator's Preface xxvii Preface xxxi Chapter 1. Theory of Alignments 1 1. Delphi: Apollo and Athena 1 2. The Meridian of Delphi: Te mpe-Delphi-Sparta-Cape Taenarum 2 3. Bassae, Tegea, Corinth 3 4. From Crete to Hyperborea 4 5. Leucas 5 6. The Four Te mples of Hermione 6 7. The Oracle of Ptoon 8 8. The Apparently "Abnormal" Orientations of Te mples: Bassae, Delos 9 Chapter 2. Interpretation of the Alignments. The Zodiacal Wheel Centered on Delphi. A Te xt of Plato's 11 1. CephalIenia or Aries 12 2. "Cow-eyed" Hera. Olympia 13 3. Gemini and Sparta 13 4. Cancer and the Moon 15 5. Leo, the Solar Sign 16 6. Athens, Delos, and the Sign of Virgo 17 7. Libra, Harmonia, and Thebes 18 8. Scorpio or the Eagle 19 9. The Land of the Centaurs: Chiron the Sagittarian 20 10. Capricorn and Hyperborea 20 11. Aquarius 21 12. Pisces. Cassiopeia 22 13. A Text of Plato's 23 Chapter 3. The System Centered on Delos 29 1. The Zodiacal Division 29 2. The Signs 30 3. Delphi and Delos 36 4. Delphi and Sardis 36 vi Contents Chapter 4. An Anatolian System Centered on Sardis 39 1. The Omphalos of Sanns 39 2. The Zodiacal Wheel Centered on Sardis: the Signs 40 3. The Three Zodiacal Wheels of the Aegean 47 Chapter 5. The Constellations, Return to Delphi. Demeter, Artemis, and Athena 53 1. Ursa Major: Artemis, Brauron 53 2. Ursa Minor 56 3. Return to Delphi: the Agrenon 56 4. Demeter-Gemeter 58 5. Artemis 60 6. Brauron, Ephesus, and the Cave of the Bear 61 7. Athena 61 Chapter 6. The World Axis and the Planetary Lines. Symbols of the Pole 63 1. The Gateways of the Solstices 63 2. The Descent of Souls: from Taenarum to Delphi 64 3. The Ascent of Souls: from Delphi to Olympus 65 4. World Axes and PlanetaryLines in the Systems of Delos and Sardis 66 5. The N onzodiacal Constellations and Symbols of the Pole 69 6. The Boar, Symbol of the Pole; the Oath on the Boar 69 Chapter 7. The Zodiacal Division of Attica and the Mysteries: Agrae and Eleusis 73 1. The Zodiacal Division 73 2. The Mysteries: Agrae and Eleusis 77 3. An Unusual Monument 78 Chapter 8. Zodiacal Wheels as Keys to Decoding. The Gods and the Zodiac 79 1. The Homeric Hymn to Hermes 79 2. Hermes and Athens: the Charites; Cephalus 81 3. The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 83 4. Hephaestus. Scorpio. The Journey of Sacrifices. The Sacrifices. Sexual Magic 84 .5. Poseidon, the Horse-god, and the Sign of Gemini 88 Chapter 9. The Cult of Zeus. Sardis, Delphi, and the Oasis of Siwa. A System Centered on Ammoneion 91 1. Sites of the Cult of Zeus 91 2. The Sardis-Delphi-Ammoneion Triangle 92 3. Myths and Monuments Confirming the Existence of this System 93 4. The Legend of Ammon and the Ritual of the Oracle 95 Contents vii Chapter 10. The Calendars of Heracles. Guardians of the Signs 97 1. Heracles and the Peloponnese: the System Centered on Phlius 98 2. The Ancient Guardians of the Zodiac ("Hesiodic Guardians") 101 3. Heracles and Omphale 101 4. A More General System. The Directions of Space 103 5. Vestiges of an Earlier Zodiac in the Legend of Heracles; the Sign of the Boar 104 6. Heracles and Apollo 105 Chapter H. The Astral Significance of Greek Myths and Heroes 109 1. Myths and Hites of the Spring Equinox 109 2. Castor and Pollux 112 3. Helen and Cancer 113 4. The Cancer-Capricorn Axis: Zeus and Typhon 113 5. Orion and the Ta urus-Scorpio Axis 113 6. Cadmus and Harmonia or Scorpio and Libra 114 7. Perseus, Solar Hero and Champion of Athena 116 8. Bellerophon, Corinth, and Lycia 117 9. The Heroic Deeds ofTheseus 119 10. The Heroes of Sagittarius 123 Chapter 12. The Revelation of the Lion of Julls 125 1. The Lion of J ulis 125 2. The Coins of Kea, the Dog and the Dog-days, the Bull 129 3. The Alpheus or Taurus, the Elaphe 129 4. Aristaeus 130 5. A SignificantRectangle 131 6. A Rectangle Centered on Sardis 132 Chapter 13. Fixed Symbols of the Signs, Directions, and Seasons. The Loves of Zeus 133 1. The Fixed Symbols of the Directions of Space: the Cycles of Four Animals 133 2. The Loves ofZeus 144 Chapter 14. Double Symbols. Syncretic Fonns. Fighting Animals, Dynamic Symbols of SeasonalVa riations. The Calendar of Xanthus 145 1. Double Symbols 145 2. A Syncretic Form: the Hippalectryon 146 3. Other Syncretic Forms 148 4. Associations of Zodiacal Symbols 149 5. Dynamic Symbols of Seasonal Variations 149 6. The Calendar of the Acropolis of Xanthus 155 viii Contents Chapter 15. Shield Devices. The Commons Origins of Blazons and Monetary Symbols. The Complementarity of Opposites. Plaques from Delphi. Study of Vases 159 1. Shield Devices 159 2. The Complementarity of Opposites. The Lesson of the Vases 161 3. Symbolic Scenes Showing Zodiacal Oppositions: Plaques Found at Delphi 163 4. Zodiacal Aspects on Vases. Principles of Interpretation. Oppositions and Squares 166 5. The Vases of Exekias 168 6. Images of the Solstices and the Equinoxes on Vases 176 7. A Corinthian Aryballus of Astrological Design 177 8. Symbolic Formulas 182 Chapter 16. The Horoscopic Meaning of the Armlets of Shields 185 Chapter 17. Greek Temples: Sculpted Pediments and Zodiacal Geography. The Structure of Sanctuaries 197 1. Corfu and Athens 198 2. Te mples of the Delphic System 203 3. Delphi: the Pediments of the Te mple of the Alcmaeonidae 205 4. Delos: the Pediments of the Te mple of the Athenians 209 5. The Pediment of the Hydra at Athens 209 6. Te mples in the Phlius System: Tegea and Calydon 210 7. Bassae 210 8. Olympia 212 9. The Te mple of Hera at Samothrace: the Structure of the Sanctuary and the Pediment; Victory and the Ship 216 Chapter 18. Greek Temples of Asia Minor. The Decor of the Temple of Assos in the Troad 225 1. Didyma and Bassae 225 2. The Decor of the Te mple of Assos in the Troad 227 3. Conclusions 234 4. Symbolic Formulas 236 Chapter 19. The Delphic Oracle and Colonization.Animal Guides. The Tro jan Horse 239 1. The Oracle and Significant Alignments 239 2. Animal Guides 241 3. The Trojan Horse 243 Contents ix Chapter 20. Zodiacal Imagery at Mycenae. The Great Uranian Goddess. The Inquiry Continues 245 l. Zodiacal Imagery at Mycenae 245 2. The Great Goddess 250 3. The Handles of Hydrias 253 4. The Inquiry Continues 254 Abbreviations 259 Notes 261 Index 301 Maps Map 1. The Great Alignments. xiii Map 2. Foundation Oracles. Journeys of Sacrifice. Homeric Hymns. xiv Map 3. Divine Cults. xv Map 4. The Zodiacal Division of Attica. The Iphigenia Cycle and the Cult of Artemis. xvi Map 5. The System Centered on Ammoneion. xvii Map 6. The Calendars of Heracles and the Heroic Deedsof Theseus. xviii Map 7. The Lion ofJulis and the Greek World. xix Map 8. Sculpted Pediments and Zodiacal Geography. xx Map 9. The Zodiacal Wheel Centered on Delphi. 26 Map 10. The Zodiacal Wheel Centered on Delos. 37 Map 11. The Zodiacal Wheel Centered on Sardis. 48 Map 12. The Philius Zodiac: the Calendars of Heracles. 107 The translator would like to thank David Fideler, Lanier Graham, Ayeshah Haleem, and John Michell for their warm and generous support of her work. -Christine Rhone, 1994 CJo Mt. Olympus . - -.-.-. �0a> -'�a(1) Mt.lda of Mysia �s::l"" Qi'O -< 3 > '0 m C G) (I) m > Z Cl) .0 > • RHODES Q • -- Great Alignments _0- Planetary Lines "t;j� of Latitude 17� '" ---- Perpendiculars to the Mt.lda-Delphi Axis -+- Arrows showing the orientation of sanctuaries in relation to one another '0 ,dil 200km. s: Map 1. The Great Alignments. ... �. -i'" oBagistame 0 Prymnesia C' o Philomelum r---::::....Side ... _ Foundation Oracles '",. Journey of Sacrifices according to Herodotus " -- Journey of Sacrifices according to Pausanias Homeric Hymn to Hermes ". Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite o 50 100 150km Map 2. Foundation Oracles. Journeysof Sacrifice. Homeric Hymns.