Greek Mythology, page 30
These preliminaries accomplished, initiates were lowered into the underground chamber. Encouraged by the discovery of seventh- to fifth-century BC terracotta figurines and some pieces of machinery (iron blocks, bronze rings and ratchet wheels), Dakaris identified a sanctuary to Haides and Persephone and further claimed that, using the machinery, their priests staged illusions (levitations and raising the dead). Many disagree. For them the building is a fortified farmhouse, the food found in its amphorae were everyday supplies and the machinery belonged to six catapults. Quite why the farmer needed six catapults, however, remains unclear.
Ephyra
SOME IMPORTANT DATES & REMAINS
C14th BC
Ephyra settled.
C6th BC
Periander consults Necromanteion.
C4th/3rd BC
Necromanteion hill flattened and buildings erected.
168 BC
Romans burn Ephyra.
C18th AD
Church of St John the Baptist and farmhouse built.
AD 1958–77
Dakaris excavates Ephyra.
The Necromanteion sits on a low hill above the agricultural village of Mesopotamos, beside the main highway between Preveza and Igoumenitsa. The Church of St John the Baptist dominates the site, now precariously supported above the excavations on girders. Facing the entrance and ticket office, a central courtyard lies west of the eighteenth-century two-storey house. An arch (left) leads to the north corridor with foundations of rooms confidently labelled ‘ritual dormitories’ and ‘purification room’. From its furthest point, another corridor leads off (right) before turning sharply (right) into the ‘labyrinth’. This accesses the ‘main sanctuary’, beneath which a vaulted chamber, best avoided by the faint-hearted, is accessed by a slippery steep ladder atmospherically lit. The ‘main sanctuary’ is flanked by storage rooms, some of which contain fine amphorae.
Not only can visitors sail up the Acheron to Ephyra from the coastal town of Ammoudia, but they may also dine in the evocatively named Necromanteion Taverna in nearby Mesopotamos, pondering the words of one online ‘smart travel guide’: ‘Acheron is soppy with soul’s tears for loosing [sic] their lives and their relatives’ for missing their beloved persons’.
Acknowledgments
The concept for this book emerged during a discussion over the kitchen table at the house of Colin Ridler, Thames & Hudson’s commissioning editor. The idea was mostly his and in the months which followed he offered me both guidance and encouragement – so it is to Colin, first, that my warm thanks are due. It was his proposal, too, that the text should be illustrated by specially commissioned drawings. These have been brilliantly and evocatively executed by Lis Watkins, and throughout the process I have particularly enjoyed receiving intriguing batches of her drawings, some based on my own site-photographs.
As ever, there has been an outstanding team at T&H to steer the book safe to its completion: Colin’s assistant, Jen Moore, who has fielded emails and enquiries with grace and efficiency; Sarah Vernon-Hunt, who, keen-eyed, has edited my text with patience, expertise and equanimity; Aman Phull, the imaginatively creative designer; Celia Falconer, who has overseen the production with her usual skill and proficiency; and the splendid publicity guru, Kate Cooper. I thank them all profoundly.
Thank you, too, to Jennifer Ogilvie and Isobel Pinder for allowing me to quote the Shillingstone poem at the end of the Introduction. I have lived with it, and with fond memories of my one-time mentor, Robert Ogilvie, since I was a student.
To research the book, I needed to travel to the sites which it covers, a study trip that was possible only thanks to the support and generosity of my mother, Kate. Her encouragement of me and confidence in me mean more to me than I think she knows, and I thank her profoundly. I am grateful, too, to the staff at the British School at Athens, and especially Vicki Tzavara, for their help – as I am to all those (but especially to Ioanna Karamanou and Robin and Kathryn Waterfield) who offered kindness and hospitality on my journeys.
Accompanying me for some of them was my wife, Emily Jane, without whose support, patience and belief this volume could not have been written. In a book about heroes, it is right for me to acknowledge her as my heroine and inspiration. These pages are dedicated to her – and to two old friends, with whom many years ago I travelled in Greece: Mark Grant and Alex Zambellas. Finally, a big thank you to the home study team, our two cats, Stanley and Oliver, who firmly believe that keyboards are for sitting on and paper is for chewing.
Recommended Reading
There are numerous books about Greek mythology. Among them are:
Buxton, R., The Complete World of Greek Mythology, London and New York, 2004
Graves, R., The Greek Myths, 2 vols, London, 2011
March, J., The Penguin Book of Classical Myths, London, 2008
Matysak, P., The Greek and Roman Myths, London and New York, 2010
Waterfield, R. & K., The Greek Myths, London, 2011
Similarly there are many books tracing the reception of Greek mythology, including:
Graziosi, B., The Gods of Olympus: A History, London, 2014
Woodard, R. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology, Cambridge, 2007
Some recent books introducing ancient Greek history and culture are:
Hall, E., Introducing the Ancient Greeks, London, 2015
Cartledge, P., Ancient Greece: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, 2011
Rhodes, P., A Short History of Ancient Greece, London, 2014
Stuttard, D., A History of Ancient Greece in Fifty Lives, London and New York, 2014
Particularly useful volumes exploring latest discoveries about the Bronze Age, when many of the myths are set, are:
Cline, E. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean, New York, 2010
Shelmerdine, C. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age, Cambridge, 2008
Of the many travel guides to Greece and the eastern Mediterranean, arguably the most useful are the Blue Guides, which contain brief histories of most of the sites mentioned in this book, as well as many useful site plans.
Many of the Classical authors quoted in this book are available in English translations. They include:
Greek Lyric Poetry: The Poems and Fragments of the Greek Iambic, Elegiac, and Melic Poets (Excluding Pindar and Bacchylides), trans. West, M. L., Oxford, 2008
Homeric Hymns, trans. Cashford, J., London, 2003
Aeschylus, Oresteia, trans. Collard, C., Oxford, 2008
Aeschylus, Persians and Other Plays, trans. Collard, C., Oxford, 2009
Apollodorus, The Library of Greek Mythology, trans. Hard, R., New York, 1997
Apollonius, Jason and the Golden Fleece, trans. Hunter, R., Oxford, 2009
Euripides, Bacchae and Other Plays, intro. Hall, E., trans. Morwood, J., Oxford, 2008
Euripides, Electra and Other Plays, intro. Easterling, P., trans. Raeburn, D., London, 2008
Euripides, Medea and Other Plays, intro. Hall, E., trans. Morwood, J., Oxford, 2008
Euripides, Orestes and Other Plays, intro. Hall, E., trans. Waterfield, R., notes Morwood, J., Oxford, 2008
Euripides, The Trojan Women and Other Plays, intro. Hall, E., trans. Morwood, J., Oxford, 2008
Herodotus, The Histories, trans. Holland, T., London, 2013
Hesiod, Theogony and Works and Days, trans. West, M., Oxford, 2008
Homer, The Iliad, intro. Graziosi, B., trans. Verity, A., Oxford, 2012
Homer, The Odyssey, intro. Kirk, G., trans. Shewring, W., Oxford, 2008
Ovid, Metamorphoses, trans. Raeburn, D., London, 2004
Pausanias, Guide to Greece, trans. O. Levi, 2 vols, London, 1979
Pindar, The Complete Odes, intro. Instone, S., trans. Verity, A., Oxford, 2008
Sappho, Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments of Sappho, trans. Poochigian, A., London, 2009
Sophocles, Antigone; Oedipus the King; Electra, intro. Hall, E., trans. Kitto, H., Oxford, 2008
Sophocles, Electra and Other Plays, intro. Easterling, P., trans. Raeburn, D., London, 2008
Index
All page numbers refer to the 2016 print edition.
Mythological characters appear in Roman type, historical figures in italics, place names in SMALL CAPITALS and Classical terms, buildings and institutions in ITALIC SMALL CAPITALS.
Page numbers in italics indicate illustrations.
Abderus, Heracles’ groom 128
Academus, Athenian hero 180
Acastus, Argonaut 140, 145
ACHERON, River 249, 250, 254, 255, 257, 259, 260
Achilles, Greek hero at Troy 8, 9, 24, 60, 69, 70, 128, 138, 195, 196, 205, 212, 215, 220, 224–29, 228, 231, 234–35, 251, 253
Acrisius, Argive king 122, 162, 165, 210
ACROCORINTH 33, 151–53, 156, 158
ACROPOLIS (ATHENS) 12, 43, 83, 171–74, 178, 180, 182–83, 187
Actaeon, Theban prince, huntsman 67, 67
ACTIUM, Battle of (31 BC) 197
Admete, daughter of Eurystheus 129
Admetus, king of Pherae 147, 149
Adonis, huntsman, beloved of Aphrodite 82–83, 82, 86, 179, 188
Adrastus, Argive king 113, 166
Aeacus, king of Aegina, judge of the dead 189, 221, 251
AEAEA 243, 246
Aeëtes, king of Colchis 140, 142, 144
AEGAE (Euboea) 29, 31
AEGAE (Macedonia) 24
AEGEUM, MOUNT 17
Aegeus, Athenian king 33, 155, 175–78, 186–88
AEGINA 33, 152, 171, 189, 221
Aegina, nymph 152
Aegisthus, usurper of Mycenaean throne 211–15, 217, 225
Aegyptus, king of Egypt 161–62
Aeneas, Trojan hero 9, 81, 223, 232, 234
Aeolus, king of the winds 242
Aerope, Mycenaean queen 211
Aeschylus (525–455 BC), Athenian tragedian 40, 59, 162–63, 209, 212, 214
Aeson, prince of Iolcus, father of Jason 138–39, 144–45, 152
Aethra, mother of Theseus 175–76, 179–80, 231
Aex, Titan 171
Agamemnon, king of Mycenae 93, 166, 204, 212–14, 217, 224–26, 228, 229, 231, 232, 238, 253
Agapenor, Paphian king 85
Agavë, Theban princess 107–8
Ahhiyawa 233
Ajax, Greek hero at Troy 224, 226–28, 253
Ajax (‘Lesser’), Greek hero at Troy 231
Alaksandu, 13th-century BC Hittite king 233, 234
ALALKOMENAI 246, 248
Alaric (c. AD 370–410), Gothic leader 27–28, 43–44, 102, 157, 167–68, 181–82, 206
Alcaeus, 7th-/6th-century BC lyric poet 203
Alcestis, queen of Pherae 147, 149, 255
Alcibiades (450–404 BC), Athenian politician 102–3, 208
Alcinous, king of Scherie 244, 247
Alcman, 7th-century BC lyric poet 11
Alcmene, Mycenaean princess 114, 116, 132–33, 210
Alexander I (r. 498–454 BC), Macedonian king 24
Alexander the Great (356–323 BC), Macedonian king 9, 11, 27–28, 61, 73–75, 119–20, 130, 181, 207, 234, 235
Alexandros see Paris
Allat, near-Eastern fertility goddess 47
ALPHEUS, River 89, 91, 94, 96, 97, 100, 102, 126
Altheia, queen of Calydon 194, 196
ALTIS 100, 103
Amazons, tribe of warrior women 67–70, 69, 72, 73, 128–29, 136, 153, 178–79, 227
AMMOUDIA 260
AMNISUS, River 66
Amphion, Theban prince 109
AMPHISSA 59
Amphitrite, sea-nymph 32
Amphitryon, Mycenaean prince 114, 116, 210, 237
AMYCLAE 12, 201, 207
Amycus, boxer-king 141
Anacreon (c. 582–485 BC), lyric poet 79, 256
ANAURUS, River 139
Anaxibia, Phocian queen 214
Anchises, Trojan prince, father of Aeneas 9, 81–2, 223, 232, 234
Androclus, Athenian prince 72, 74, 76
Androgeus, Cretan prince 186–87
Andromache, Trojan princess, wife of Hector 220, 231
Andromeda, Ethiopian princess 10, 165
Anteia, aka Stheneboea, Lycian princess 122, 153
ANTHESTERIA 40
Anticlea, Ithacan queen 237, 253
Antigone, Theban princess 111, 113–14
Antilochus, Greek hero at Troy 91
Antiope (i), Amazonian princess 69, 129, 178
Antiope (ii), Theban river-nymph 109
Antipater of Sidon, 2nd-century BC poet 73
Antony, Mark (83–30 BC), Roman general 74, 197
APHIDNAE 179
Aphrodite, goddess of love and sex 12, 16, 22, 32, 69, 77–84, 78–79, 82–83, 86, 109, 113, 142–43, 151, 156, 158, 166, 168, 172, 175, 178, 179, 196, 204, 222, 223, 225
Apollo, god of light, healing and prophecy 10, 12, 21, 24, 25, 33, 45–57, 48, 51, 55, 59–65, 86–89, 97, 103, 105, 106, 109, 120, 123, 131, 147, 151, 156, 157, 162, 166, 168, 188, 194, 197, 199, 201, 206, 214, 215, 220, 221, 224–28, 239
Apollodorus, mythographer 11, 247
Apollonius of Rhodes, 3rd-century BC epic poet 11, 142, 144
Apsyrtus, Colchian prince 144
Arachne, weaver-turned-spider 172
ARCADIA 23, 32, 66, 85, 88, 112, 122, 125, 196, 220
Arcadius (AD 378–408), Byzantine emperor 34
Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto 66
Arcesius, grandfather of Odysseus 237
Archelaus I (r. 413–399 BC), Macedonian king 26, 28
AREOPAGUS (ATHENS) 178, 183
Ares, god of war 22, 46, 69, 79, 80, 83, 97, 109, 127, 152, 172, 178, 222, 225
Arete, queen of Scherie 244
ARGIVE HERAION 160, 167, 168
ARGO, ship of Jason and the Argonauts 12, 90, 137, 140–42, 144, 148
Argonauts, sailors seeking the Golden Fleece 11, 140, 141, 144, 145, 148, 229
ARGOS 21, 26, 32, 33, 63, 113, 122, 128, 129, 134, 135, 159–68, 210, 217, 218, 226
Argos, Odysseus’ dog 161, 239, 245
Argos Panoptes, hundred-eyed giant 160, 161, 161
Argus, builder of the ARGO 140
Ariadne, Cretan princess 10, 178, 186, 188, 191
Aricia, wife of Virbius 179
Arion (i), talking horse 32,
Arion (ii), 7th-century BC poet 156
Aristotle (384–322 BC), philosopher 181
Arsinoë (d. 41 BC), Egyptian princess 74
Artemidorus, 2nd-century BC writer on dreams 68
Artemis, goddess of hunting, virginity, childbirth and the moon 12, 45–50, 48, 56, 62, 63–74, 67, 76, 109, 124, 147, 165, 178, 179, 188, 193–99, 206, 208, 211–13
ARTEMISION, temple of Artemis at Ephesus 70, 72–76
Asclepius, healing god 179, 222
ASOPOS, River 105
Asopus, river-god 152
Asteria, sister of Leto 46
Asterius (i), Cretan king 185–86
Asterius (ii) see Minotaur
Astyanax, Trojan prince 231
Atalanta, Arcadian princess 194–98, 194
Athamas, Boeotian king 139, 140
Athene, goddess of wiles, wisdom and womanly crafts 10, 12, 18, 32–35, 43, 62, 63, 79, 87, 106, 108, 113, 123–25, 125, 140, 142, 143, 150, 151, 153, 163–66, 164, 168, 170, 171–76, 173, 180, 182, 183, 198, 203, 211, 215, 220, 222, 223, 225, 227, 228, 229–35, 239, 245
ATHENS, 10–12, 19, 33–35, 37, 40, 42, 44, 48–50, 59–61, 66, 69, 90, 95, 102, 103, 112, 114, 118, 119, 128, 132, 135, 146, 146, 155–57, 167, 169, 171–83, 186–88, 190, 195, 204, 206, 210, 213, 215, 218, 231, 234
ATHOS, MOUNT 214
Atlas, Titan rebel 18, 32, 130, 244, 253
Atreus, king of Argos 133, 210–12, 217
Attalus III (c. 170–133 BC), king of Pergamum 74, 183
Augean Stables, 5th Labour of Heracles 126
Augeas, king of Elis 99, 126, 128
Augustus (63 BC – AD 15), Roman emperor 9, 74, 197, 234, 235
AULIS 212, 224
Autolycus, grandfather of Odysseus 237, 238
Autonoë, Theban princess 107
Ba’al, Phoenician god 50
Bacchylides, 5th-century BC lyric poet 21, 193
Bellerophon, prince of Corinth 10, 69, 150, 153, 154, 154, 158
Biton, Argive youth 63, 159, 168
Blegen, Carl (1887–1971), archaeologist 93–95
BOEOTIA 118, 139
Boreas, wind-god 221
BOSPHORUS 141
BRAURON 66, 213
Briareus, giant 17, 21
BRINDISI 166
Briseis, Trojan princess 225
Bruce, Thomas, Seventh Earl of Elgin (1766–1841) 181, 182
BUTO 47
CADMEIAN HILL 113, 118
Cadmus, founder of Thebes 10, 24, 108, 109, 111, 139, 220
Calaïs, Argonaut 140, 141
Calchas, Greek prophet at Troy 212, 224
Callimachus (?310–240 BC), Alexandrian poet 11, 65, 66, 68
Calliope, Muse (0f epic poetry) 23, 24
Callirhoe, Calydonian maiden 197
Callisto, nymph 66
Calvert, Frank (1828–1908), archaeologist 234, 235
CALYDON 8, 12, 90, 131, 132, 140, 166, 193, 194, 196–99, 202
Calypso, nymph 244
CAMICUS 189
ÇANNAKALE 234, 235
Capaneus, one of the Seven Against Thebes 113
Cassander (c. 350–297 BC), Macedonian general and king 119, 120
Cassandra, Trojan princess and prophetess 214, 220, 221, 223, 231
Cassiopeia, Ethiopian queen 165
CASTALIA, spring at Delphi 60, 61, 63
Castor, Spartan prince 140, 180, 202, 203
Catamitus see Ganymede
Cavafy, Constantine (1863–1933), Alexandrian poet 247
CAYSTER, River 74
Caystus, river-god 72
Cecrops, king of Athens 173, 174, 180,
Celeus, king of Eleusis 38, 39
Centaurus, horse-loving prince 137
Centaurs (half-horse, half-man) 40, 126, 132, 137, 138, 145, 146–47, 146, 179, 224
Cephalus, Athenian prince 186, 237
Cepheus, Ethiopian king 165
Cerberus, three-headed guard-dog of Hades 25, 130, 131, 179, 252, 254, 258
Ceryneian Hind, 3rd Labour of Heracles 124
CHAERONEA 119, 120
