History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 2 (of 2)Walters, H. B. (Henry Beauchamp)
History
History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 2 (of 2)
Walters, H. B. (Henry Beauchamp)
Mythology, Classical, in art; Pottery, Ancient; Pottery, Etruscan; Pottery, Greek; Pottery, Roman
The scenes from the =Oresteia= cover roughly the same ground as the
great trilogy of Aeschylos, together with the _Iphigeneia in Tauris_
and the _Andromache_ of Euripides. We have first the murder of
Agamemnon by Klytaemnestra with her axe.[1423] Next, Elektra making her
offerings at the tomb of Agamemnon, sometimes accompanied by her sister
Chrysothemis.[1424] It must be borne in mind that the “type” of this
scene does not differ in any respect from ordinary scenes of “offering
at a _stele_,” and therefore, where the names are not given or are
obviously modern additions, this interpretation is at best a doubtful
one. The same applies to the next series of vases, on which Orestes
meets Elektra at the tomb[1425]; but there seems to be one undoubted
instance of Orestes and Pylades with the urn containing the supposed
ashes of the former (cf. Soph. _Electra_, 1098 ff.).[1426] The next
group to be dealt with shows us Orestes slaying Aegisthos,[1427] while
Klytaemnestra is held back by Talthybios[1428]; and, finally, the death
of Klytaemnestra herself.[1429]
Orestes is then pursued by the Furies,[1430] and seeks refuge at
Delphi, where he is purified by Apollo at the Omphalos[1431]; and he is
also seen at Athens, where he afterwards sought the protection of
Athena.[1432] Other vases, nearly all of late date, and therefore under
the influence of the Euripidean tragedy, represent Orestes accompanied
by Pylades, arrived at the temple of the Tauric Artemis, where
Iphigeneia presents Pylades with the letter.[1433] Lastly, we have the
death of Neoptolemos at the hand of Orestes at Delphi.[1434]
ATTIC LEGENDS
It will now be necessary to deal with sundry isolated subjects, which
do not admit of being grouped together round the name of any one great
hero or any particular legend. There are, however, a certain number
which may perhaps be regarded as having a special connection with
Athens, and with these we will begin.[1435] Some of the specially
Athenian myths have already been discussed in other connections,
notably the story of Theseus (p. 108), the dispute of Athena and
Poseidon (p. 24), the sending of Triptolemos (p. 27), and the rape of
Kephalos by Eos[1436] and of Oreithyia by Boreas (p. 80). There remain
then the following:
(1) The birth of Erichthonios, who is represented as received by
Athena from Gaia emerging out of the earth, in the presence of
Kekrops and his daughters. It only occurs on the later R.F. vases;
the type closely resembles that of the birth of Dionysos (p. 19).
B.M. E 372; Berlin 2537 = Reinach, i. 208 = _Wiener Vorl._ B. 12;
Munich 345 = Reinach, i. 66; and Reinach, i. 113 = _Wiener
Vorl._ iii. 2. Also a scene from the childhood of Erichthonios:
B.M. E 788.
(2) The reception of Dionysos in Attica (by Ikarios or Amphiktion).
B 149, B 153, and E 166 in the British Museum appear to refer to
this, but not certainly. See above, p. 56.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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