Thracian funerary silverware

"From the mid-first millennium, such objects as ceremonial helmets, armor, cups, and ornamental gear for horses—worked from silver and sometimes gilded—have been discovered in graves and in finds that must have been the buried hoards of Thracian princes and chiefs. This silver beaker is a fine example of fourth century B.C. Thracian workmanship. It probably was made in the region of present-day Romania or Bulgaria, as similar beakers have been found in a princely tomb at Agighiol, near the delta of the Danube in eastern Romania. The beaker is raised from a single piece of silver with a stamped, chased, and repoussé design." - The Metropolitan Museum of Art  

This view of the beaker features a stag-like creature with eight legs, although it may indicate the presence of two stags side by side. Its antlers extend into a border of tines ending in bird heads that circle the upper portion of the cup. The opposite side of the beaker depicts a horned bird of prey holding a fish in its beak and clutching what seems to be a hare in its claws. The bird is flanked by one horned and two antlered animals, and, facing the large bird, a tiny bird of prey hovers over the horned animal.  The museum also describes a winged, griffin-like monster chewing an animal leg and grasping a small beast in its clawed feet on the bottom of the vessel that is visible when the beaker is used but unfortunately the museum did not include images from these viewpoints.

"Although certain contemporary Scythian and Iranian stylistic influences can be seen, the iconography of these scenes is clearly Thracian and probably refers to a native myth or legend. The monstrous bird of prey with land and water creatures in its grasp appears to symbolize dominance over land and water. Though a precise interpretation of the iconography remains uncertain, scholars have suggested that these animals were symbols associated with a heroic ruler and served as protective spirits, avatars, and tribal totems." - The Metropolitan Museum of Art 

Image: Silver Beaker with birds and animals, Thracian, 4th century BCE, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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Roman and Etruscan worship of Amphiaraus

 In the ancient world, after an infant was born, the umbilical cord was cut and tied, and then the baby was washed, rubbed with salt and oil, and wrapped with strips of cloth. These strips kept the newborn child warm and were thought to ensure that the child's limbs would grow straight. 

The earliest depictions of swaddled babies are votive offerings and grave goods from Crete and Cyprus, 4000 to 4500 years old.  Votive statuettes have been found in the tombs of ancient Greek and Roman women who died in childbirth, displaying babies in swaddling clothes. In shrines dedicated to Amphiaraus, models representing babies wrapped in swaddling clothes have also been excavated. Apparently, these were frequently given as thank-offerings by anxious mothers when their infants had recovered from sickness.

Amphiaraus was a mythical hero that was the son of Apollo and the mortal Hypemnestra. In Greek mythology Amphiaraus was a seer and greatly respected in his time.  He was also one of the heroes present at the Calydonian boar Hunt. In the tragedy "Seven Against Thebes" Amphiaraus is persuaded to take part in a raid in which Aphiaraus had already forseen his own death. He tried to warn the other warriors that the raid would fail but they would not be dissuaded.  During the battle Amphiaraus tried to flee from the a famous son of Poseidon but Zeus threw a thunderbolt and opened the earth which swallowed Amphiaraus together with his chariot.  Thereafter Amphiaraus was worshiped as a fortune-telling god and healing god like Asclepius.  In Etruscan tradition inherited by the Romans, a son of Amphiaraus escaped the slaughter at Thebes and led an expedition to Italy where he founded a colony at the location of Tibur, modern-day Tivoli.

Image: A mold-made earthenware votive effigy of a swaddled infant, Etruscan, 300-200 BCE, at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada courtesy of the museum.

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Giambologna brings Heracles to Life

Yesterday, I featured the beautiful sculpture, "Kidnapping of the Sabine Women" by Giambologna displayed at the Loggia Dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy. Another spectacular work of Giambologna displayed there as well portrays the battle between Heracles and the centaur Nessus.

Nessus was a famous centaur who carried off Deianeira, the wife of Heracles, and tried to force himself on her.  Heracles saw him from across the river and shot a Hydra-poisoned arrow into Nessus's breast. As he lay dying, in a final act of malice, Nessus told Deianeira that his blood would ensure that Heracles would be true to her forever, knowing the blood to be infected with the hydra's poison. 

Sometime later, Deianeira's trust in Heracles began to wane because of his unrequited love for Iole, the daughter of King Eurytus of Oechalia. Heracles had been forbidden to marry Iole because her father, the king, feared she would meet the same fate as Heracles' first wife, Megara, who, along with their children, was murdered by Heracles when the jealous goddess Hera sent Heracles into a fit of madness.  So Heracles, denied Iole,  had married Deianeira instead and Deianeira was painfully aware of being second choice.

Heracles planned to attend a gathering of heroes, and Deianiera feared his passion would get the better of him. So, to bind Heracles to her, Deianeira, remembering what Nessus had said about his blood, spread the centaur's blood on a robe and gave it to her husband. After Heracles left for the gathering, Deianeira accidentally spilled a portion of the centaur's blood onto the floor. To her horror, it began to fume by the light of the rising sun. She instantly recognized it as poison and sent her messenger to warn Heracles but it was too late. Heracles lay dying slowly and painfully as the robe burned his skin.

Images: Hercules (Heracles) and Nessus, 1599, by Giambologna photographed at the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy.

Hercules (Heracles) and Nessus, 1599, by Giambologna photographed at the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy

Hercules (Heracles) and Nessus, 1599, by Giambologna photographed at the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy

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