Pan: Purveyor of Music and Panic

 In Greek mythology, Syrinx was a forest Nymph. In her attempt to escape the affection of the god Pan (god of the wild, shephers, and flocks with the hindquarters, legs and horns of a goat), she was transformed into a water-reed or calamos (cane-reed). Then, Pan cut several reeds, placed them in parallel one next to the other, and bound them together to make a melodic musical instrument. Ancient Greeks called this instrument Syrinx, in honour of the Muse, and Pandean, or Pan-pipes or Pan-flute, after Pan. The Syrinx, a predominantly pastoral instrument for the Greeks, was adopted by the Etruscans who played it at their festivals and banquets called it a fistula. The Romans adopted both Pan, whose Roman counterpart was Faunus, father or Bona Dea, and the Syrinx from the Greeks and the Etruscans, and they too played it at their banquets, festivals, as well as in religious and funeral processions.

Despite Homer's account of the chaste nature of Odysseus' wife Penelope in "The Odyssey", some ancient writers, including Pausanias, Duris of Samos, and the Vergilian commentator Servius, attribute the birth of Pan to Penelope's unfaithfulness while Odysseus was away at the Trojan War.  Pausanius simply claims she was unfaithful, while Duris and Servius claim she slept with all 108 suitors in Odysseus' absence, and gave birth to Pan as a result. In other accounts, Pan, like other nature spirits, appears to be older than the Olympians, considering myths where he gave Artemis her hunting dogs and taught the secret of prophecy to Apollo.  In "Rhesus," Aeschylus  distinguishes between two Pans, one the son of Zeus and twin of Arcas, and one a son of Cronus saying "In the retinue of Dionysos, or in depictions of wild landscapes, there appeared not only a great Pan, but also little Pans, Paniskoi, who played the same part as the Satyrs."

Although Pan was associated with the sweet music of his pipes, his angry shout was also known to cause panic (panikon deima).  In Zeus' battle with Typhon and the Titans, Pan let out a horrible screech, scattering the Titans in terror.  At the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, it was said Pan favored the Athenians so inspired panic in the hearts of the Persians.

The Romans, including Hyginus and Ovid, substituted Pan for the satyr Marsyas in the myth about a musical competition with Apollo.  But, instead of Pan being flayed alive for his hubris, his faithful friend, Midas, who disagreed with the judge, Timolus, that Apollo's lyre produced superior music to Pan's pipes, had his ears turned into those of a donkey by Apollo.

Roman statue of Pan, marble, from Argyroupoli (former Lappa), 2nd-century CE at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum by Wikimedia Commons contributor Jebulon

Pan and Daphnis or Olympus at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples photographed at an interesting angle by Wikimedia Commons contributor ho visto nina volare.

Roman fresco of Pan from Pompeii, 1st century BCE - 1st century CE, at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples courtesy of Miguel Hermoso Cuesta (white balance adjusted).

Closeup of one of the Pan figures on a 2nd century CE Roman sarcophagus depicting Dionysus preparing to resurrect and wed Ariadne 190-200 CE that I photographed at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Pan Roman 1st-3rd centuries CE from southern Italy that I photographed at "The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece" exhibit, assembled by the British Museum and displayed at the Portland Art Museum.

Pan Teaching Daphnis to play the flute 2nd century CE Roman copy of Hellenistic original that I photographed at the Palazzo Altemps in Rome.

Mosaic of Pan and the nymph Amadriade from the collection of the Duke Carafa of Noja that I photographed at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Roman bronze of a young Pan or satyr from a garden in Pompeii that I photographed at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

My photography of Pan teaching Daphnis to play the flute at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Table support with a marble statue of Pan Roman Imperial Period 1st or 2nd century CE that I photographed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Satyr "Della Valle” one of a pair depicting Pan were found near the Theater of Pompey and are thought to be part of its original decoration sculpted from a Hellenistic period original 1st century BCE that I photographed at the Capitoline Museum in Rome.

Pan pulling a thorn from the foot of a satyr. Marble, Roman copy of the 1st-2nd centuries after a Hellenistic original of the middle 1st century BCE, The Louvre by Wikimedia Commons contributor Marie-Lan Nguyen.

Pan with panpipe, ceramic, painted, Greater Greece, 5th-3rd century BCE by Wikimedia Commons contributor Helvetiker.

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Satyrs: The Mischief-Makers of Antiquity

In Greek mythology, a satyr, also known as a silenos is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse. Early artistic representations sometimes include horse-like legs, but, by the sixth century BCE, they were more often represented with human legs. Satyrs were characterized by their ribaldry and were known as lovers of wine, music, dancing, and women. They were companions of the god Dionysus and were believed to inhabit remote locales, such as woodlands, mountains, and pastures.
Satyrs and silenoi in Greek mythology are thought to be derived from earlier human-equine hybrids in other Indo-European mythologies including Kimpurusas described in the Indian epic Rāmāyaṇa and the Celtic dusii, hairy demons believed to occasionally take human form and seduce mortal women. The Illyrians believed in satyr-like creatures called Deuadai. The Slavic lešiy is described as being covered in hair and having a goat's horns, ears, feet, and long clawlike fingernails. Like Greek satyrs, these creatures were portrayed as tricksters, mischief-makers, and dancers who played pranks, stole horses, tied knots in people's hair and stole children who were replaced with changelings.
One of the earliest Greek sources for satyrs is Hesiod's "Catalogue of Women." In it, Hesiod says satyrs are born alongside the nymphs and Kouretes, offspring of the god Apollo (or sometimes Zeus) and a muse (Thalia, Thytia, or Calliope) and are described as "good-for-nothing, pranksters with insatiable sexual appetities. Though superficially ridiculous, satyrs were also thought to possess useful knowledge, if they could be coaxed into revealing it. The satyr Silenus was the tutor of the young god Dionysus.
Over the course of Greek history, satyrs gradually became portrayed as more human and less bestial. They also began to acquire goat-like instead of equine characteristics in some depictions as a result of conflation with the god Pan who was portrayed with the legs and horns of a goat. The Romans identified satyrs with their native nature spirits, fauns, and eventually the distinction between the two was lost entirely.

Image: Pan, protector of flocks and shepherds, removing a thorn from the foot of a satyr, Roman, 2nd century CE sculpture after a 50 BCE original at The Louvre courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Ladislav Luppa (cropped and digitally enhanced).

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Thetford Treasures Return to Thetford

"Treasures that rested underground for more than 1,500 years and were promptly whisked away to London following news of their discovery have returned home for the first time.

The new Thetford Treasure, Romans Rediscovered exhibition at the Ancient House Museum of Thetford Life, opened to the public on Monday.

The precious hoard of Roman gold jewellery and silver spoons that was uncovered at a Thetford industrial site nearly 30 years ago is considered one of the country's greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

The hoard has been on permanent display at the British Museum since being discovered and now part of it is being loaned to the Ancient House where it will be on display for the next seven months.

The Thetford Treasure was found by metal detectorist Arthur Brooks in 1979 and includes 44 pieces of jewellery and 33 silver spoons. His decision not to immediately declare it to the relevant authorities was described as “tragic” by the British Museum's then keeper of Romano British antiquities as the precious hoard's six month occupation in a bank vault denied archaeologists the chance to investigate the site off Mundford Road, which was being turned into an industrial warehouse.

It is thought that the treasure was buried in around 390 AD when opposition to religious cults was rife. Amongst the pieces on loan from the British Museum are an iconic gold belt buckle depicting a satyr, and a 'duck handled' spoon decorated with the image of a triton.

The finds on display include items from a Roman temple site in Hockwold-cum-Wilton, the Roman town at Brampton and a Roman blacksmith's hoard from an organised excavation at Kilverstone.

Key objects from these sites include a small figure of Mercury, a key handle depicting a lion devouring a man and several blacksmith's tools and agricultural implements. If you enjoyed this post, never miss out on future posts by following me by email!