Small-scale cult statues of the sixth century BC

C Gt I r r - tsr g I ol t & r t trd h k & ll ft I : ISBN 978-3-11-074079-0 eJSBN (PD F) 97 8-3-11 -07 417 4-2 els BN (E PU B) 97 8-3-11 -07 4186-5 m i Library of Congress Control Number: 2023935963 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. @ 2023 Walter de Gruyter cmbH, Berlin/Boston ru t I Cover image: Seated Hercules statuette, Wien KHM, ANSA VI 342 @ KHM-Museumsverband Typesetting: Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck www.deg ruyter.com #.*,',r* !!i Olga Palagia Small-scale Cult Statues of the Sixth Century BC This brief survey discusses the archaeological evidence for the use of miniature cult statues of the archaic period.1 We will deal with three examples here: in one case (see Fig. 2) the evidence is inconclusive because of the findspot of the image; in another (see Fig. 8) the excavation data are not yet fully published; and in the third case it appears that a votive bronze figurine of the Archaic period (see Fig. 6) was reemployed in the fifth century BC as a temporary cult statue after the violent destruction of the temple. In two out of three cases, it may be argued that archaic images were reused as cult statues in later periods. Architectural sculptures of the second half of the fifth and the first half of the fourth century BC, showing scenes of the Trojan War and the battle of Lapiths and centaurs, represent suppliant women clinging to an under-life-size cult statue of a goddess, standing on a pedestal. The statue appears to be archaic, no doubt in order to give the impression of an old and venerable image, what we would now call a xoanon.2 The trend is set in the metopes of the Parthenon: on north metope 25, Helen seeks refuge from Menelaos at the palladion of Troy, while on south metope 21, two Lapith women escape the fury of the centaurs by clinging to a female xoanon, one of them baring her breast to incite pity.3 The same motif can be seen in the centauromachy frieze of the late-fifth-century Temple of Apollo Epikourios at Bassai: two women suppliants, one with a bare breast, the other naked, entreat a small-scale divine image for help (Fig. 1).4 The Trojan theme is reprised in the pedimental sculptures of the Argive Heraion and the Temple of Asklepios at Epidauros, where Kassandra (now lost) takes refuge at the palladion, represented as a miniature archaic Kore.5 Attic and South Italian vase paintings of the fifth and fourth centuries present a wide range of suppliants taking refuge before a miniature divine image.6  I am grateful to Clemente Marconi for inviting me to contribute to this volume; to Manolis Korres for advice on the temple at Metropolis, Thessaly; to Charalambos Intzesiloglou for permission to use the photos in Fig. 8; to Hans Rupprecht Goette for the photos of Figs. 2–4; and to Aristea Papastathopoulou and Aliki Moustaka for their assistance.  For the significance of xoana, see Donohue (1988).  Both metopes are now in the Acropolis Museum. North metope 25: Brommer (1967) 50–51, pl. 105. South metope 21: Brommer (1967) pl. 151, 2; Palagia (2022) 58, fig. 6.  London, British Museum 524. Hofkes-Brukker/Mallwitz (1975) 54–55, H-524; Palagia (2022) 55, fig. 9.  Palladion from the Argive Heraion: Athens National Museum 3869. Kaltsas (2001) 115, no. 205. Palladion from the Temple of Asklepios: Athens National Museum 4680. Yalouris (1992) 25, cat. no. 13, pl. 14.  de Cesare (1997) 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110741742-004 92 Olga Palagia Fig. 1: Detail of the centauromachy frieze from the Temple of Apollo Epikourios at Bassai. London, British Museum 524. Photo: Olga Palagia. While it is likely that small-scale cult statues like those represented in artworks did exist in antiquity, it is now hard to recognize them as such if found out of context. A case in point is the marble statuette of Nemesis (Figs. 2–4) from the small Temple of Nemesis at Rhamnous.7 The goddess sits on a backless stool, her feet resting on a footstool. She wears a crinkly chiton forming a vertical pleat between the legs and a shawl-like himation. Despite her rigid stance, her drapery points to a date in the late sixth or early fifth century BC. For a small-scale statue, this has a surprising number of attachments: her head and neck were inserted by means of a rectangular tenon, while her right upper arm and both hands were made separately and glued on. The additions are thought to be due to repairs.8 Rhamnous was probably destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC, as attested by the devastation of the archaic Temple of Nemesis.9 The archaic temple was replaced by a small marble temple with polygonal walls built after 480. It too was replaced by what is now known as the large Temple of Nemesis, built in the third quarter of the fifth century BC.10 Henceforth the small temple functioned as a depository of statues of different periods, the statuette of Nemesis (Fig. 2) being the earliest.11 It has been suggested that it was repaired and briefly used as a  Athens National Museum 2569. Pentelic marble. H. 0.45 m. Möbius (1916) 176, pl. 13; Petrakos (1999) 277, fig. 187; Kaltsas (2001) 61, no. 79; Sturgeon (2006) 54–55, figs. 22a-b; Despinis/Kaltsas (2014) 69–71, no. I.1.40, figs. 166–171 (A. Moustaka); Petrakos (2020) 178, no. 1.  Despinis/Kaltsas (2014) 69–71, no. I.1.40.  Petrakos (1999) 194.  Petrakos (1999) 221–246.  Petrakos (1999) 200–204, 277. Small-scale Cult Statues of the Sixth Century BC 93 cult statue in the small temple before the installation of Agorakritos’ monumental cult statue in the new, large temple.12 The repair may indicate that the statue was particularly valued. This hypothesis, no matter how attractive, cannot be substantiated because of the findspot of the statuette, which was stored alongside a number of votive statues in the cella of the small Temple of Nemesis. Fig. 2: Marble statuette of Nemesis (front). From Rhamnous. Athens National Museum 2569. Photo: Hans R. Goette. In order to identify a cult statue we need evidence such as a findspot on or adjacent to a cult statue base. We do have such evidence suggesting that a statuette functioned as a temporary cult statue after the Persian destruction in another sanctuary, that of Apollo at Abai in ancient Phokis. Herodotus (8, 33) reports that after the battle of Thermopylai in 480, the Persians ravaged the sanctuary of Apollo at Abai, burning down the temple, which was full of treasures. Near the modern village of Kalapodi a succession of temples, attributed to the oracular sanctuary of Abai, was brought to light by  Despinis/Kaltsas (2014) 71. 94 Olga Palagia Fig. 3: Marble statuette of Nemesis (left side). From Rhamnous. Athens National Museum 2569. Photo: Hans R. Goette. the excavations of the German Archaeological Institute.13 What concerns us here is the installation of a temporary cult building in the ruins of the archaic north temple, complete with an offering table made up of a poros block facing an altar (Fig. 5). A bronze male figurine (Figs. 6–7) was fixed with lead into a socket at the corner of the table; it was thought by the excavator, Rainer Felsch, to have served as a provisional cult statue.14 In addition to the bronze figurine, the offering table carried two terracottas  See Niemeier (2019) with earlier references.  Bronze figurine: Lamia Museum M 9730. H. 0.106 m with plinth. Dated ca. 500 BC. Felsch/Kienast/ Schuler (1980) 85–99 (on the temporary shrine), figs. 71–72 (offering table), 73–75 (figurine); Thomas (1981) 128, pl. 79, 1–2; Rolley (1986) 32, Fig.7; Mattusch (1988) 111–112, figs. 5.8 and 5.9; Thomas (1992) 32, fig. 20; Felsch (2007) 54–55, 259–260, no. 118, pl. 7. The identification of the bronze figurine as a provisional cult statue was contested (Ridgway (2005) 118 n. 25; Hölscher (2017) 359–360) because of its offcenter placement on the offering table. Small-scale Cult Statues of the Sixth Century BC 95 Fig. 4: Marble statuette of Nemesis. Detail. From Rhamnous. Athens National Museum 2569. Photo: Hans R. Goette. (a cock and a protome), a bronze stand, rings, pins, obeloi, and a Phokian obol, minted between 457 and 445 BC.15 These votives are associated with a ceremonial burial of the makeshift sanctuary that took place shortly after 445, when the new classical temple was finally in place. The bronze figurine (Figs. 6–7) is naked and looks like a kouros, left leg advanced. His arms, however, are extended forward, left hand pierced for the insertion of an attribute. The right hand also held an object, cast with the body. His hair is short, crowned with a “pearl” diadem. His lower legs are embedded in lead, which functioned as a plinth for the attachment of the figurine to the offering table. The closest stylistic parallel to this image is a bronze male figurine from Kynouria, also from around 500 BC, which is attributed to a Laconian workshop. He wears a “pearl” crown, right hand raised in a praying gesture, left hand extended forward, pierced for the attachment of an attribute, perhaps a bow, which would identify the image as Apollo.16 The bronze figurine from Kalapodi (Fig. 6) was originally votive but was  The table and its offerings are now in the Lamia Museum. For the offerings, see Alroth (1988) 199, Fig.4; Niemeier (2019) 225.  Athens National Museum X 16365. Rolley (1986) fig. 85; Kaltsas (2001) 83, no. 144. 96 Olga Palagia Fig. 5: Offering table from Kalapodi. Lamia Museum. Photo: Mattusch 1988, fig. 5.8. adapted to its new function after the Persian destruction. It has been suggested that it may have originally depicted not Apollo but an athlete, though its pierced left hand may well have been intended to hold a bow.17 Yet another Temple of Apollo appears to have housed a small-scale cult statue in bronze (Fig. 8). The Temple of Apollo at ancient Metropolis near Karditsa was excavated from 1994 to 1997 and still awaits full publication.18 The attribution of the temple to Apollo is based on an inscribed pillar carrying a bronze dog dedicated to Apollo.19 It is thought to have been built around the middle of the sixth century BC and to have remained in use until the second century BC, when it was destroyed by fire. The roof tiles seem to have been replaced in the third century BC, and there is evidence of interior refurbishment in the fourth century or later. The architecture was studied by Manolis Korres: it has many interesting features, including a wooden interior colonnade that divides the cella in two aisles and stands in the way of the cult-statue base.20 The original pedestal of the Archaic period was modified at a later period and extended to accommodate three statues, as shown by the cuttings on top.21 None of these three statues has come down to us. However, the excavations revealed the remains of the bronze statuette of a hoplite (Fig. 8): its fragments came to light on      Felsch (2007) 55. For a preliminary report, see Intzesiloglou (2002). Intzesiloglou (2002) 111–112, fig. 2. Intzesiloglou (2002) 112, fig. 3. Intzesiloglou (2002) 112, Fig.3. Despinis (2010, 26) suggests that all three statues represented Apollo. Small-scale Cult Statues of the Sixth Century BC 97 Fig. 6: Bronze figurine from Kalapodi. Lamia Museum M 9730. Photo D-DAI-ATH-1978–0728. top of the base and to the west of it.22 Its plinth does not fit any of the cuttings on the cult-statue base, so its original pedestal must be sought elsewhere. The statuette (Fig. 8) is made of hollow cast bronze and assembled from two parts. It is missing the crest of its helmet, the weapon held in the raised right hand, part of its left arm and hand, and perhaps a mitra protecting its abdomen, which has left its trace on the spot. Holes in the back of the helmet, the left thigh, and the corselet indicate further attachments that are now lost. The figure is heavily armed, with a bell cuirass, greaves, and armguards on upper and lower arms. He is of the kouros type, standing frontal, left leg advanced. His long locks of hair fall at the back and over his shoulders. The spiral curls over the forehead can be compared to the hairstyle of archaic marble kouroi like those of Kea and the Ptoon, and of the cult statue of Dionysos from Ikaria,  Karditsa Museum 2190. H. 0.802 m. Intzesiloglou (2000); Intzesiloglou (2002) 109, 111, pls. 29B and 30A; Karanastassis (2002) 215–216, fig. 300; Ridgway (2005) 115; Despinis (2010) 26; Hölscher (2017) 447–449, fig. 76. 98 Olga Palagia Fig. 7: Bronze figurine from Kalapodi. Lamia Museum M 9730. Photo D-DAI-ATH-1978–0730. all dating from ca. 530 BC.23 His pointed chin suggests a beard. Apollo is also represented as a warrior with helmet and spear in the colossal cult statue of Apollo Amyklaios in Laconia, dated to the middle of the sixth century BC.24 The small scale and material (bronze) of the statuette from Metropolis do not preclude the possibility that it had served as a cult statue in the archaic temple.25 The fact that it was found partly on the cult-statue base may indicate that it also served as a cult statue in the final phase of the temple, although we do not know its function in the Hellenistic phase, when the three large cult statues were in place. Alternatively, it may have been a votive figure, roped into service after a major destruction of the temple and its cult images, by  Kouroi of Kea and the Ptoon: Athens National Museum 3686 and 12, respectively, Despinis and Kaltsas (2014) I.1, 186, fig. 668 and I.1, 200, fig. 714. Dionysos of Ikaria: Athens National Museum 3072, Despinis and Kaltsas (2014) I.1, 198, figs. 706–709.  Paus. 3, 19, 2. Hölscher (2017) 443–447, fig. 75 with earlier references.  So Ridgway (2005) 115; Despinis (2010) 26. Small-scale Cult Statues of the Sixth Century BC 99 Fig. 8: Bronze statuette from the temple at Metropolis (Thessaly). Karditsa Museum 2190. Photos: courtesy of Charalambos Intzesiloglou. analogy with the situation in Kalapodi. The temples at Abai (Kalapodi) and Metropolis (Karditsa) may have shared more than the characteristic clay horse heads used as acroteria in the Archaic period.26 Works Cited Alroth (1988): Brita Alroth, “The Positioning of Greek Votive Figurines,” in: Robin Hägg, Nanno Marinatos and Gullög Nordquist (eds.), Early Greek Cult Practice, Göteburg, 195–203. Brommer (1967): Frank Brommer, Die Metopen des Parthenon, Mainz.  For the horse head acroteria, see Moustaka (2010) 70–73. 100 Olga Palagia de Cesare (1997): Monica de Cesare, Le statue in immagine. Studi sulle raffigurazioni di statue nella pittura vascolare greca, Rome. 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Ridgway, “‘Periklean’ Cult Images and their Media,” in: Judith M. Barringer and Jeffrey M. Hurwit (eds.), Periklean Athens and its Legacy. Problems and Perspectives, Austin, 111–118. Rolley (1986): Claude Rolley, Greek Bronzes (transl. Roger Howell), London. Sturgeon (2006): Mary C. Sturgeon, “Archaic Athens and the Cyclades,” in: Olga Palagia (ed.), Greek Sculpture: Function, Materials and Techniques in the Archaic and Classical Periods, Cambridge, 32–76. Thomas (1981): Renate Thomas, Athletenstatuetten der spätarchaik und des strengen Stils, Rome. Thomas (1992): Renate Thomas, Griechische Bronzestatuetten, Darmstadt. Yalouris (1992): Nikolaos Yalouris, “Die Skulpturen des Asklepiostempels in Epidauros”, AntP 21.