(pp. 210-223) percy gardner - the pentathlon of the greeks

8/9/2019 (Pp. 210-223) Percy Gardner - The Pentathlon of the Greeks

1/10

An Archaic Vase with Representation of a Marriage ProcessionAuthor(s): Cecil SmithSource: The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 1 (1880), pp. 202-209Published by: The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies

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2/10

202

AN

ARCHAIC

VASE WITH

REPRESENTATION

AN

ARCHAIC VASE

WITH

REPRESENTATION OF

A

MARRIAGE

PROCESSION.

THE

vase which

forms the

subject

of

this

memoir

has

been

thought

worthy

of

publication,

both because

it

belongs

to a

type

of

which we have

as

yet

but

few

examples,

and

also

on

account of

the

peculiar

interest

attaching

to the

design

painted

upon

it.

Its

probable

age

can

only

be a

matter

of

conjecture,

as

some

of

the vases of the

class to

which

it

belongs

have been

considered

by

archaeologists

to

be late

imitations of

the

archaic,

while on the other hand the internal evidence of the painting

would

seem to

assign

it

to

a

place among

the

earliest

class

of

Greek

vases.

It is

figured

on Plate VII.

It

is a circular

dish with

two

handles,

3

inches

high

by

111

inches

diameter,

composed

of

a soft

reddish

clay

of

a

yielding

surface;

the

painting

is laid

on in

a

reddish

brown,

in some

parts

so

thinly

as to be

transparent,

and

in

other

parts

has

rubbed

away

with the

surface,

so

that

it

has

acquired

that

patchy appearance generally

characteristic

of

vase

pictures

of

this

type.

The

drawing,

though

crude

and

in

parts

almost

grotesque,

is executed with

great

spirit

and freedom of

style,-

and

thus could

hardly

have

been

the

work of a

late

provincial

artist-while

in

the

shape

of

the column

and

of

the

wheel

of

the

cart,

in

the

prominent

nose

and

chin which

admit of

no

distinction between

bearded

and

beardless

faces,

and in the

angular

contour of the human

figures,

we

recognise

features

peculiar

to an archaic

period

of art.

The

figures,

which are drawn in

silhouette,

helped

out here

and there with

an occasional

rough

incised

line,

are

arranged

in a

frieze

around

the exterior of the

vase,

within a

wreath

of

single

ivy

leaves;

another

design

occupies

a

medallion in the

centre

of

the

interior.

In

this

medallion,

an

unarmed warrior

is


3/10

OF A MARRIAGE

PROCESSION.

203

represented

easily

overcoming

an

opponent

whose

arms he

holds,

and

who

attempts

to

fly,

vainly

brandishing

a

sword

in

his left

hand: in his

right

he holds a cord, at the end of which is

fastened an

object

of

indefinite

outline,

in

shape

somewhat re-

sembling

a

small tortoise:

on

the

right

a third

warrior flies

at

full

speed, looking

back

with a

gesture

of

fear. This

subject

may

perhaps represent

an

episode

in the

life

of one of the

mythical

heroes

of

Athens,

Herakles

or

Theseus,

but

at

present

I

can

offer no

certain

explanation

of

it.

The chief

interest

of

our

vase,

however,

lies

in

the

interpreta-

tion of the frieze of figures which decorates the exterior (Plate

VII.

scale

j).

These

may

be

divided

into two

separate

groups,

each

of

which

pourtrays

a

distinct

scene. The

first

and most

im-

portant

group

includes

fourteen

out of the

twenty

human

figures,

and

extends

from the column

on the

right

to

the

figure

behind

the car

on

the

left.

It

is

evident

that

we

have

here

represented

a

procession

of

figures

about

to

sacrifice to

Athene

:

on the

extreme

right

we

see

the

Doric

column,

indicating,

as is

usual

in Greek

vase pictures, the whole by a part, and therefore standing here

for

the

Temple

itself.

In

front

of

this

column,

and

apparently

sub

divo,

stands the

statue

of

Athen6

Polias as

it

stood

upon

the

Akropolis

before

the

sacking

of

Athens

by

the

Persians,

the shield advanced

in the

left

hand,

the

spear

brandished

in

the

right,

fit

symbols

of

the

tutelary

goddess

of the

Athenian

Akropolis;

her

helmet,

for

which there was not

space

in

the

design,

is

partially

indicated

by

a

peak

on

each

side

of

the face.

The

identity

of this

figure

is still further

established

by

the

objects

behind

the

statue:

the

snake,

the

oliboupp

'v

2

of

the

goddess,

and

the

olive

plant,

her

peculiar

attribute,

both

especially significant

of

her

temple

on the

Akropolis,

where

they

were cherished

in her honour.

In

front

of

the

statue is

a

some-

what

strange object,

formed

apparently

of

rough

blocks

of

stone,

in

shape

like

a

high-backed

seat:

this

represents

the altar

of

burnt

sacrifice,

from which

the flames

already

ascend.

We

know

that

it

was usual to have the altar

placed

thus before

the

temple

:

Aeschylus

(Suppl.

1. 494)

speaks

of fiwpool

7rp6vaot;

and

indeed

it

was

only

natural

that

the altar should stand

close

to

the

goddess

;

in

the

shape,

which

I

believe

to be

unique,

1

The

rough

vertical line down

the

centre

is

possibly

a rude

attempt

to

render

fluting

?

2

Ar.

Lys.

759.


4/10

204

AN ARCHAIC

VASE

WITH

REPRESENTATION

there

is

possibly

a

reference

to

the seats

of

the deities

fre-

quently placed

in

their

temples,

such

as,

for

example,

the

golden

seat which Plutarch tells us

(Per. 13)

was made

by

Pheidias for

Athen6.

Upon

the back of

the altar

is seated a

bird,

which

is

certainly

not

the

owl,

but

seems more

to resemble

in

shape

a

crow,

and

in

effect

it

appears

that this bird

was

originally

under the

pro-

tection

of

Athend,

although

it afterwards

gave

place

to the owl

(Ovid,

Met.

ii.

549,

sqq.):

Pausanias

(iv.

34,

6) speaks

of

a

bronze

statue

of

the

goddess

in

the

open

air,

on

the

Akropolis

at Athens, holding a crow in her hand : Aelian, again (N. A. 3, 9),

states that

this

very

bird

was

particularly

invoked

at

weddings,

a fact which

tends

to confirm the

interpretation

of this

design

which

I

am

about

to

propose.

It

is

well known

that

it was

customary among

the

Greeks

to decorate

an altar

with

the

attributive

bird

of the

god:

the

eagle,

raven,

and

owl are

most

frequently

so

found,

and

Strabo

says

that

the

great

altar

of

Artemis

at

Ephesos

was

almost covered

with emblems

of

this

kind, works of Praxiteles.

We

now

come

to the actual

procession,

which I think can

be

clearly

proved

to

represent

an Athenian

wedding;

but first

it

will

be well to

give

a

short account of

the

nuptial

ceremony

as

we

know

it

from

paintings

and

other

sources.

The

prototype

of all

Greek

marriage

festivals

was the

cele-

bration of the

nuptials

of

Zeus

and Hera:

and almost all

the

representations

of a

marriage

scene

which have come

down to

us in art are

generally explained

to

be

mystical processions

of

deities,

most

usually

including

Apollo,

Artemis,

Hermes,

Athend,

Dionysos,

besides

the

king

of

gods

and his

consort,

whose

place

in

the

quadriga

is

sometimes filled

by

two

of

the

lesser

deities.'

Otherwise

the

existing

monuments

give

us little

information

upon

the

subject:

and

I

think

this vase

will

be

found

to furnish

valuable evidence

towards

clearing

up

more than

one

point

hitherto

obscure.

The time of

year

most

usually

selected

for

marriages

was

the

month Gamelion, which included

part

of

January

and February,

and

of

which certain

days

seem

to have

been considered

more

suitable

than

others.

In

this month was

celebrated

the

Gamelia,

1

See

Gerhard,

Aus.

Vas.

Taff.

cccx.

foll.


5/10

OF

A

MARRIAGE

ROCESSION.

205

or

lepoSg

ydpov,

he festival of the

marriage

of

Zeus and

Hera,

in

which

both Athena and

Dionysos,

in

their

quality

of

deities

of

nature,

bore a

part.

The actual

wedding,

after the lawful

affiancing

('dyy•-ts)

had taken

place,

was

preceded by

a

solemn

sacrifice,

7rpoTdXeza

or

wpoyd•eta,

offered

by

the

father

of

the

bride

(Eur.

Ipth.

Aul.

718)

either

to the

protecting

gods

of

marriage,

?eo

laL~Xtoo,

r,

as

we

learn

from

Plutarch

(Amat.

INarr.

1),

to the

tutelary deity

of

the

place,

?e

diyXwptov :

thus

in

Photius

(p.

464,

Dobr.)

this

sacrifice is

performed

in

honour of

S?Eo1v,

who,

as he

is

speaking

of

Athens,

cannot be other

than

Athen6. It is uncertain whether this rite was performed on a

day previous

to the

wedding-day;

the

evidence

of

Achilles

Tatius

(ii.

12)

certainly

points

to

the

wedding-day

itself,

'

where

the father

of

the

bride,

already

sacrificing

the

r

pore'Xea,

on

account of a

bad

omen,

puts

off the

wedding

for

that

day:

edrEoXSeV

d

eivlyv

q

v

qepepav

70or' 7ydptov:

and

indeed

it

seems

only

natural to

expect

that

such

was the case:

the bride

and

bridegroom

must

both

have

taken

part

in

the sacrificial

pro-

cession, for the intervention of the deity was necessary to con-

firm

the

ceremony:

Plutarch

says (Praec. conj.

p.

138,

B.),

rwV

'7raptov

OeoloV,

O

7

7

7

1Aoyrpop

iepeta

-VeYeLp7vp6'ivotS•

Efrpploae

:2

probably

the

'giving away,'

x&oo-atv,

ook

place

here:

in

Hyper.

pro

Lycoph.,

Dioxippos

accompanies

the

procession

(I7xoXo4BeL)

8&h

A'

Xpav

d

81oo-0at

a)r?7v,

and

possibly

the

bride

would

have

taken

this

occasion to dedicate

the

atpea'o-e9v

(Hesych.)

of

her

hair.3

I

see

no

reason, therefore,

why

the

leading

home of

the

bride should not

immediately

have

followed

the

sacrifice,

forming

part

of

the same

ceremony.

Hesychius,

and

some

writers who

are

quoted

as loci

upon

this

point,

would

appear

to

use the word

7yd/po

in a

limited,

as well

as

in a

general,

sense,

as

implying nothing

more than

the

consummation

of

the

nuptials,

excluding

all

the

ceremonies,

even

down

to

the

banquet:

thus

he

defines

7rpo-reXeta

as

'q

rp

-

TV

ryCd/Low

Ovo

a

Kait

oprj:'

I

think

we

get

rid

of

a

difficulty

by

bearing

in

mind

this

distinction of

the

rpordXeta

from

the

yd/pov

proper:

I

Cf.

Becker's

Charicles,

ed.

G6ll,

pp.

361-2.

I

can find

no direct evi-

dence

against

this

theory

except

a

pas-

sage

of

Hesychius

(under

yduwa

G077),

of which

the

reading

seems

unsatis-

factory.

2

Cf.

Zonaras,

lex.

p.

77.

s

Poll.

iii.

38,

al

r-is

41ugs

s

r

rT

(i.e.

at

the

7rporrneta)

a'rr7pXO ro

Tats

Oa7Zs

t

Kdpai.


6/10

206

AN ARCHAIC

VASE

WITH

REPRESENTATION

wbich

is indeed

suggested

by

Pollux,

though

he

again

divides

them

differently:

'

Ka?

7~b

uev

'pryovdpov

Kai

q

EopTl, 0ydol-

i

6

wrp6\

yalpov

Ovola,

rporTXeta

Kab 7rporyapeta.'

Of.

also

Hyperides,

quoted

by

Pollux,

iii.

44,

who

says,

' OlOpov

pe'vrot

o01

-O

epyov

,dvov

dXXa

x

'a

ijrv

Eor(latwV,

/yao,

rcaXke,

where

he

limited sense

of the

word is

clearly recognised.

Thus,

then,

it

is

necessary

to consider

the word

yc4Lov

as

used

in

two

distinct

senses:

either for the

whole

ceremony

generally,

or as

form-

ing

a

component

part

of

it,

together

with the

7rporTeeta,

the

ya/iXta,

&c.;

whilst

the

7rpo-reXeta

would include

the

pro-

cession to the temple, the sacrifice(the omen-taking, dedications,

&c.),

the

gK&oo-t,

and

in

certain

instances,

the

leading

home

and

banquet.

Arrived

at the house of the

bridegroom,

the

bride

was

probably

conducted

within

by

her

mother,

bearing

a

lighted

torch

(Eur.

Phoen.

344

and

Iph.

Aul.

728):

and

the

ceremony

was terminated

by

the

marriage

banquet,

?olv?

fyajLctrj.

It is

probable

then

that

the

design

before

us

represents

the

'XporTkEcareparatoryto the wedding: the nuptial procession

moves

along,

headed

by

a

female

figure,

the

priestess'

for

the

occasion,

who

carries

upon

her head

the

kaneon,

a

flat circular

basket

containg

the

cakes,

chaplets,

and other

objects

intended

for

use

in the sacrifice.

It

may

be noticed that

this

figure

wears

an

upper

garment

similar

to

that of

Athena,

which

does

not

appear

to be

the

ordinary

diploidion:

presuming

that

this

may,

in

the

case

of

the

Goddess,

represent

the sacred

aegis,

her usual attribute,

we must

look

for a

satisfactory prece-

dent

for

its

appearance

upon

an

ordinary

mortal.

A

pas-

sage

of Zonaras

(Lex. p.

77)

renders

such

an

interpretation

possible:

1

li~peta

'A07rnyot v

tepal

aivyl8a

opoDo-a

rp01

70oV

veo7?ydtov

eio-epXeeTat:

ut

in

drawing

such as

that

of

our

design

it is

of

course

useless

to

insist

upon

minute

points

of

detail.

Next

comes

the

ox,

the

usual

victim

on such

occasions

for

those

who

could

afford

it,

led

by

a

cord

in

the hand of

the

principal

male

figure,

who would

probably

be

the father of the

bride,

assisted

by

an attendant who holds a

1

Either

the

regular

priestess

of

Athene

or,

as we know was

the

case

in the

Dionysia

(Ar.

Ach.

241-252),

an

unmarried

female,

probably

a

rela-

tive of the

bride.

2

Ach.

Tat.

ii.

12;

Eur.

Iph.

in

A.

718.


7/10

OF A MARRIAGE

PROCESSION.

207

cord attached

to either of the

hind

legs

of the animal:

between

these

two

figures

walks

an

auletes

playing

upon

the

double

flutes: then follow four

figures,

one

carrying

an

oinochoN,

robably

containing

wine

for the

sacrifice,

two with

torches,

the

U8&ev

vvguteali

(Ar.

Pax,

1318),

and

two with

chaplets:

the

whole

arrangement

thus

coinciding

with the

accounts

we

have

of

such

processions,

which included

flute-players,

torch-bearers,

and

persons

carrying chaplets,'

most of

whom

probably joined

in

chanting

the

song

of

Hymenaios.2

The

bridal car

itself,

drawn

by

two

mules,

and

followed

by

a

figure bearing a wand, closes the procession: such carts are of

extremely

rare

occurrence

on monuments of Greek

art,

instances

being

limited,

on

Greek

vases

at

least,

to

three or

four:

of

these,

the

interpretation

of

one

(Gerhard,

Aus.

Vas.

ccxvii.

2)

remains

doubtful:

in

a

second

(Panofka,

Bild.

ant.

Lebens,

xx.

2,

p. 47)

the

&lltaa

is

certainly

in

use

as

a

funeral

car

:

while

in a

third

(Ibid.

xvii.

2)

it

is

probably

a

nuptial

car,

containing

the bridal

couple

and

the

'best

man.'

In this

last

instance,

as well

as

upon our vase, the body of the cart is made of wicker,

whence

Homer's

epithet

e,7VXei/cro-:

and

from

his

description

we

learn

that

this

part,

which

he

calls

7retpzV,

was

capable

of

being

detached

from the rest:

7elpt0Oa

8

8~o-av

dew'ai'r2j'

(4e

ip),

II.

24, 190,

267:

in

a

funeral it

was

probably

so

detached to

allow of the coffin

being placed

lengthwise

on

the

cart.

The

mule car seems

from the time

of

Homer down-

wards

to have

been

the most usual

conveyance

for

domestic

purposes,

and

especially

for

weddings:

we

gather

from

Pollux4

that

it was

customary

to fetch

the

bride

in

a

car

rather

than

on

foot:

rr&l

voV9~E

7T1a9

vv'/1a9q

S

ertTo7rOXVo

/eVre-av,

el

e6

e~?

actIwE7To

'

'&TO

?,

xa/taiaov

eoX',yero.

Inside

the

car

sat the

bride,

between the

bridegroom

and

the

7rdpoxoq,

who

seems to

have

officiated

as

the

bridegroom's

friend,

much

the

same

as our

'best

man' :

Photius,

s.

v.,

says:

PE4r0

puh

t

vvI•q4,

~lcard'pw0ev

8

'

Te

vvio0

x

a1

6

rdpoXoq.

This

'

Soph.

Oed.

Tyr.

3,

&c.

2

Wachsmuth,

Hell.

Alt.

ii.

389;

Pollux,

i.

35,

&c.

3

Cf.

Hom.

II.

vii.

426,

and

xxiv.

782.

Gerhard,

in

the

Berlins

antike

Bild-

werke,

describing

a vase which is

cer-

tainly

Etruscan,

mentions

a

similar

two-wheeled

mule

car,

on

which

lies a

bearded

corpse

;

the

procession

s

headed

by

the

grotesque

figure

of

Charun,

the

Etruscan

conception

of

death.

4

Onom. iii.

40.


8/10

208

AN

ARCHAIC

VASE

WITH

REPRESENTATION

expression

has

led

many

to believe

that

the three

sat

upon

the

same

seat:

but

judging

from the

size

of

the

cart,

and

from

the

evidence of our

vase,

it is more

probable

that

they

sat one

behind the

other,

the bride

still

plaq.

We

may

assume

that

either the

bridegroom

or the

7rdpoXov

would

drive,

and

the

first

three of

the

figures

in the

cart

thus

would

be accounted for.

The

fourth,

who

sits

at

the

back

holding

a

chaplet,

wears

a

talaric

chiton;

from

the

analogy

of

the

priestess

and

the

figure

of

Athena,

who

alone

of all

in the

design

wear

this

garment,

if

we

do not

consider

the

bride,

we

may

assume that

this

figure

is

female. Though no positive evidence exists as to the presence

of a

fourth

person,

it

is

probable

that

we

see here either

the

mother

of the bride or

a

bridesmaid,

vvp~bEerTpta,

ho

'ar-

ranged

the

things

concerning

the

wedding'

(Poll.

iii.

41).

From the

gesture

of the

hands

she seems to be

conversing

with

the

figure

who

closes

the

procession,

and who is

possibly

a

marshal

such as

we

see

on the

Frieze

of

the

Parthenon;

per-

haps

in

this

figure

we see

the

muleteer,

8pecacopov,o,

entioned

by Hyperides (Lyc. 4), as following the bridal car in the pro-

cession:

Ope;(ico/Aov

~at

7rpoqny•r7v

dK/coov0eLv

-TwE'Ev

.

It

is

noticeable

that

the

mules

are not

driven

by

means

of

reins:

perhaps,

as

on the

Burgon

Pariathenaic

vase

(Millingen,

Uned.

Mon.

pl.

ii. Cat.

of Vases

in Brit.

Mus.

569),

the driver

con-

trolled

the animals

by

voice

and

the

whip,

&XrM)1

dciarT

Soph.

Aj.

242),

which

in

our

design

he holds

over

them.

The

painting

which

occupies

the reverse side

probably

repre-

sents

a

scene

from

the

Dionysiac

festival

of the

Lenaia,

which

was also

held

in

the

month

Gamelion2:

at this

feast,

we

are

told,

the

procession

sacrificed

a

goat

at

the

Lenaion,

and a

chorus

(hence

called

rpay-yicd

X0op6s)

tanding

around

chanted

a

dithyrambic

ode

to

the

god:

the

garlands

held

in the

hands

would

indicate

the sacrificial

nature of

the

scene

: and

the

object

above

the

goat

may

be

a

mask,

typifying

the scenic

contests 3

which took

place

at the

time.

The bird

on

the

extreme left does not seem

to

contribute

at

all to the action of the

design,

and at first

sight

would

appear

Hesych.

II.,

p.

692,

VUVLcPFptLa

21

uv/17reTo0Avro

i

7r0 1rw

YOvEWv

wr-

v4epn

'wa

mvu?opos.

Hermann,

Lehrb.

der

Gr.

Ant.

III.

215,

26.

2

Hermann,

loc.

cit.

II.

p.

396,

22-

28.

3

Hermann,

ibid.,

and

II.

p.

399,

5.


9/10

OF

A

MARRIAGE

ROCESSION. 209

to have been inserted

by

the artist

merely

to

fill in

a

blank

space:

the

key,

however,

to

the

interpretation

is,

I

think,

afforded

in a comparison with a similar type upon a coin of Selinus:

there

we see this

very

crane

or

marsh

bird,

which,

by

a

connec-

tion of

ideas

very

common

in

Greek

art,

is

certainly employed

to

represent

the

marsh

itself:

applying

the

evidence

thus

ob-

tained

to our

vase,

we

find that

the

deity

of

the

temple

where

the

feast

of the Lenaia

was

celebrated

was

called

Dionysos

Limnaios,

or

'the

marshy,'

on account of the

swamp'

in

which

the

temple originally

stood

: a

point

which

goes

far to

justify

the attribution

I have

given

of this

scene,

and is

doubly

in-

teresting

because

satisfactory

interpretations

of these and similar

types

on

vases

are

notoriously

of rare

occurrence.

CECIL SMITH.

1

Cf.

Schol.

to

Ar.

Ran. 216,

who

quotes

Kallimachos,

A(paly

8

Xopo-

ord8as

+ryov

opr'ds.

Steph.

Byz.

s.

v.:

Ath.

xi.

465

a.

H.

S.-VOL.

I.

P


10/10

PL.

VII.

Thi t t d l d d f 89 34 228 69 S 8 F b 2015 11 10 09 AM
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(pp. 210-223) percy gardner - the pentathlon of the greeks

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