Hiera Kala: Images of Animal Sacrifice in Archaic and Classical Greece (Religions in the Graeco-Roman World)

236 Pages·1995·135.34 MB·English

by  F. T. Van Straten

BL
795
.S25
V36
1995
BL
795
.825
V36
1995
HIERA KALA
Images qf Animal Sacrifice
in Archaic and Classical Greece
RELIGIONS IN RIERA KALA
THE GRAECO-ROMAN WORLD
if
Images Animal Sacrifice
in Archaic and Classical Greece
EDITORS
R. VAN DEN BROEK H.j.W. DRIJVERS
BY
H. S. VERSNEL
F. T. VAN STRATEN
VOLUME 127
BL
,95
,5d5
V3ro
)q95
INDIANA UN VERSITY
LIBRARIES
BLOOMINGTON
EJ. BRILL
LEIDEN . NEW YORK· KOLN
1995
This series Religions in the Graeco-Roman World presents a Jorum Jor studies in the social and cultural
fUnction qf religions in the Greek and the Roman world, dealing with pagan religions both in their own
right and in their interaction with and irifluence on Christiani!JI and Judaism during a lengthy period qf
fUndamental change. Special attention will be given to the religious history qf regions and cities which
illustrate the practical workings qf these processes.
Enquiries regarding the submission qf works Jor publication in the series may be directed to Prqftssor
H J. W. Drijvers, Facul!JI qf Letters, Universi!JI qf Groningen, 9712 EK Groningen, The Netherlands.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the
Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library
Resources.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Van Straten, F. T. (Folkert T.)
Hiera kala : images of animal sacrifice in archaic and classical
Greece / by F.T. Van Straten.
p. cm. - (Religions in the Graeco-Roman world, ISSN
0927-7633 ; v. 127)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 9004102922 (alk. paper)
1. Sacrifice- Greece. 2. Animals- Religious aspects. 3. Greece-
-Religion. 1. Title. II. Series.
BL795.S25V36 1995
292.3'4-dc20 95-3496
CIP
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme
Straten, Folkert T. van:
Hiera kala : images of animal sacrifice in archaic and classical
Greece / by F. T. Van Straten. - Leiden ; New York; K61n :
Brill, 1995
(Religions in the Graeco-Roman world; 127)
ISBN 90-04-10292-2
NE: GT
ISSN 0927-7633
ISBN 90 04 10292 2
© Copyright 1995 by EJ. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments .................................. IX
Chapter One: Introduction ............................. .
1 . 1. Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1
1.2. Approach .................................... 5
1.3. Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter Two: Pre-kill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 13
2.1. Vase paintings ............................... 13
2.1.1. The sacrificial procession approaches the sanctuary . 13
Festive procession, mostly headed by kanephoros . .. 14
Without kanephoros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 25
Mythical sacrifices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 30
2.1. 2. Preliminary rituals performed at the altar ........ 31
Basket and basin (kanoun and chernips) ......... 31
Kanoun and chernips in mythical sacrifices ....... 40
Beautifying the beast ...................... 43
Familiar preparations for an outlandish sacrifice:
Herakles and Bousiris ................... 46
2.1.3. Some special groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 50
2.2. Votive offerings .............................. 53
2.2.1. Votive statues and statuettes ................. 54
2.2.2. Pinakes of wood and terracotta ............... 57
2.2.3. Votive reliefs in stone ..................... 58
Asklepios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 63
Other healing gods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 72
Zeus ................................. 74
Athena ................................ 76
Demeter and Kore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 77
Aphrodite? ............................. 80
Artemis, Hekate ......................... 80
Apollo ................................ 86
Dionysos .............................. 87
Herakles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 87
Pankrates and Palaimon .................... 89
Nymphs ............................... 90
Heroes ................................ 92
2.3. Images and texts: the assenting animal? ............. 100
viii CONTENTS
Chapter Three: The killing ........................... 103
3. 1. Small animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 104 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
3.2. Medium-sized animals ......................... 106
3.3. Large animals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 107 To my friends and colleagues Kees Barel and Peter Stork, who have read
3.4. The butchers who laughed at Stengel ............... 109 the typescript with meticulous care, saved me from more serious errors,
3 .5 . Human sacrifice ............................. 113 and contributed many improvements both of form and substance, I express
my warmest gratitude. I also wish to thank Henk Versnel for his stimulat
Chapter Four: Post-kill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 115
ing insights and his patient encouragement.
4. 1. Opening up the carcass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 115
I am especially grateful to Margreet Wesseling, who through the years
4.2. Curly things and bits on spits .................... 118
has helped in various ways, and who-once again at short notice and
4.3. Taratalla .................................. 144
under less than favourable circumstances-has managed to make drawings
4.4. Miscellaneous post-kill topics .................... 154
for the illustrations in the text and for fig. 88.
4.4.1. Priest's prerogatives? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 154
My thanks are also due to the museums and institutions that provided
4.4.2. Hieroskopia ........................... 156
photographs and granted permission to publish them.
4.4.3. Ho16kausta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 157
I dedicate this book to may son, to whom its completion owes more
4.4.4. Memories of sacrifice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 159
than he may be aware of.
Chapter Five: Pre-kill to Post-kill
A comprehensive view of some aspects ..... . . .. 161
I
5 . 1 . Wreaths and fillets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 161
5.2. The kanoun ................................ 162
Ii
5.3. Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 164
5.4. Altars .................................... 165
5.5. Fire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 167
5.6. Greeks at sacrifice: masters and servants ............ 168
5.7. The choice of animal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 170
5.8. The choice of moment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 186
Catalogues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 193
Catalogue I: Vase paintings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 194
Catalogue II: Votive reliefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 275
Abbreviations .................................... 333
Bibliography ..................................... 335
Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 363
Figures 1-168
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION-
Til hieril kala, "the holy things are beautiful": in ancient Athens this was
the standard formula to acknowledge that the signs observed during the
sacrifice of an animal had turned out to be favourable. It is usually trans
lated rather freely as, for instance: "good things have occurred in the
sacrifice", or "the omens are auspicious", etc. I In such translations,
however, we lose something that is implicit in the word kala, which is
that the holy rites could be seen to be good, and that there was something
visually attractive about them.
The fact that this and other aspects of sacrificial ceremonies were
interesting and nice to look at, gave them a certain popularity on the
stage, either in the form of a tragic production of a mythical sacrifice, or
as a comic view of a contemporary sacrifice. Several of the relevant
passages will occupy us later on. Furthermore, the visual appeal of ani
mal sacrifice made it a suitable subject for the decoration of various kinds
of material. These images of sacrifice will be studied in what follows.
1. 1. LIMITATIONS
In more than one respect, this is not a comprehensive treatment of ancient
Greek sacrifice. In the first place there is a chronological limitation. I
have confmed myself to the Archaic and Classical periods, from the
seventh century (when the first Archaic depictions of sacrifice occur) to
the end of the fourth century B. C. This means on the one hand that
Bronze Age iconography of sacrifice is ignored. The Minoan and Mycen
aean sacrificial representations are separated from the Archaic-Classical
-[V-and R-numbersl in square brackets refer to the catalogues of vase paintings and
votive reliefs respectively. In the notes books are referred to by author's surname and
year of publication; for articles I have added an abbreviated indication of the journal,
Festschrift, etc. The abbreviations are those used in the Archii%gische Bibliographie;
a list of some additional abbreviations precedes the bibliography. On the whole, I have
tried to be selective in my references to secondary literature, and to lay the emphasis on
the primary evidence.
I See 5.8. The quotations are from Parker, in: Linders & Nordquist (eds.) 1987,
138, and Ph. Vellacott's translation of Theophrastos, Characteres 2(1973) 51.
2 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 3
ones by such a wide chronological gap, that they are best treated as a
gory, the limited period of currency of a certain motif may have more to
subject in their own right. At the other end, the Hellenistic period is
2 do with a short-lived fashion in vase painting than with changes in the
excluded. Occasionally some Hellenistic material will be presented for
underlying rituals.6 So if we find hardly any reliable evidence of signifi
comparison, but a full treatment of these later representations and the
cant changes in sacrificial practice within our period, this may at least
socio-religious changes in the Greek world that they reflect falls outside
partly be due to the deficiencies of the material. We should, however,
the scope of this study.
3 also consider that cult practice in general has a tendency to be rather
Secondly, there are the limitations imposed by the nature of the icono
conservative, and that its basic components are seldom liable to abrupt
graphical material. Aspects of sacrifice on which the iconographical
changes.
evidence has nothing to offer will be excluded. Basically the images show
If on the subject of chronological development our material has less to
how the Greeks sacrificed, or, a little more accurately, how they liked to
offer than we might perhaps have hoped for, we fare little better with
see themselves performing the sacrificial rites. They offer useful informa
regional differentiation. Literary texts and inscriptions with cult regula
tion on contemporary cult practice. They have nothing to contribute to
tions attest an immensely rich variety in sacrificial rituals, not only from
the hotly debated issue of origins.
4 one region to another, but even within one area from sanctuary to sanctu
An advantage of the archaeological material is, that it can on the
ary and from occasion to occasion. By contrast, the iconographical mate
whole be dated within reasonable margins. As it covers four successive
rial is relatively monotonous. Not so much because one region, the area
centuries, one might expect to find evidence of significant developments
of the Athenian polis, is greatly over-represented (though there is that
in sacrificial cult practice in the course of that period. There are, how
too), but mainly because most depictions of sacrifice concentrate on the
ever, certain obstacles. The bulk of the relevant material begins only in
more constant elements of the ritual.
the second half of the sixth century, so that the period for which icono
There are yet other aspects of Greek sacrifice on which the images
graphical evidence is fairly abundant comes down to little more than two
shed little light. In the Greek context the word sacrifice (and its equiva
centuries. Moreover, the different classes of evidence are spread quite
lent in other languages) embraces a multiplicity of phenomena that rather
unevenly over this period. For the sixth and fifth century we have mostly defy classification.7 For practical purposes a primary division in two
vase paintings, whereas the fourth century material consists largely of
main classes is useful; (1) sacrifices where only some parts of the animal
votive reliefs. As we shall see, vase paintings and votive reliefs form two were burnt for the gods, and a large portion was eaten by the human
iconographically distinct categories, which makes it unsafe to draw infer
sacrificers; (2) sacrifices of which nothing was eaten, the thysiai ageustoi
ences as to developments in cult practice from differences between the ("sacrifices not tasted"). The second class is in fact quite a hotchpotch: a
earlier vases paintings and the later votive reliefs. 5 Even within one cate- number of very different types of sacrifice share this characteristic of not
being eaten. We shall see that the vast majority of our images, in so far
as it is possible to make the distinction, depict sacrifices of the first class.
2 Sacrifice in the Bronze Age Aegean: Nilsson 1950, 194-235 and 426-446; Matz,
AbhMainz 1958, nr. 7; Nilsson 1967, 275-278 and 326-329; Sakellarakis, PZ 45 (1970) The mixed group of thysiai ageustoi is represented by only a handful of
135-219; Long 1974; Marinatos, in: Hagg et al. (eds.) 1988, 9-20; Bergquist, ibid. 21- pictures. Why are they so rare? The fact that some do exist precludes the
34; Bergquist, in: Quaegebeur (ed.) 1993, 11-43. assumption that such depictions were subject to some sort of taboo. Nor
8
3 Some observations in Van Straten, in: Bulloch et al. (eds.), 1993,248-264. can the scarcity of representations be attributed to an infrequent occur-
4 Some highlights of this continuing debate: Meuli, in: Phyllobolia jUr Peter von der
Muhl (1945) 185-288; Burkert 1972; Burkert, in: G. Stephenson (ed.), 1976, 168-187;
Dumbrowski's criticisms Numen 23 (1976) 136-14, and Burkert's reply Numen 25
(1977) 77-79; Le sacrifice dans l'Antiquite (Entretiens Hardt 27, 1981); Hamerton-Kelly 6 This is evidently the case with the kanolln-and-chernips scenes, see 2.1.2.
(ed.), Violent origins. Walter Burkert, Rene Girard and Jonathan Z. Smith on Ritual 7 Nilsson 1967, 132-157; "Denn unter dem einen Wort (Opfer) verbergen sich Riten
Killing and Cultural Formation (1987); Burkert 1990. For a broader perspective see
sehr mannigfaltigen Ursprungs und Sinnes"; also 104-110; Burkert, in: Le Sacrifice
also Van Baal, Numen 23 (1976) 161-178; Van Baaren 1976. dans l'Antiquite (1981) 91-125.
5 See 5.7. and 5.8. 8 See 3.2. and 4.4.3.
4 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 5
rence of these rites in real life. Let us look, by way of illustration, at one The question remains: why is such a common ritual so rarely, if ever,
specific type of thysfa ageustos: the purificatory sacrifice. 9 depicted. Its absence on votive reliefs, which were mainly concerned with
Any Athenian citizen would frequently be in a position to witness a sacrifices as gifts, is understandable.14 With regard to vase paintings it
purificatory sacrifice. Before every meeting of the council and the assem could be argued that the ritual of purificatory sacrifice, and indeed any
bly, a young pig was killed and carried round the circumference of the type of thysfa ageustos, gave vase painters less scope for a variety of
meeting-place. Some sanctuaries were in a similar way purified by pig's interesting scenes than the class of sacrifices part of which was eaten.
blood at regular intervals, as were armies. The ritual purification from Nevertheless it is hard to see how yet another addition to the endless
homicide was probably not so often seen in real life, but every Greek series of Herakles wrestling the Iionl5 would be so much more attractive
would be familiar with the story of Orestes' purification in the sanctuary than the occasional purificatory piglet. There is always the possibility, of
of Apollo at Delphi, again by pig's blood.IO And yet we do not have a course, that such vase paintings were made in small numbers, and that by
single representation of a contemporary, real purification sacrifice of a pure coincidence none of these have so far been found. The numerous
pig. Only mythical purifications are occasionally depicted on South Greek painted pots that we have are, after all, only a minute fraction of
II
Italian vases of the fourth century B. C. Three Apulian kraters [V 411 : what was produced. 16
Paris Louvre K 710; V412: Art market; V412bis: Private collection], and
one Paestan squat lekythos [V 413: Paestum 4794], show Apollo holding
1.2. ApPROACH
a piglet over Orestes, who is seated, sword in hand, on an altar. There
12
is another mythical purification, possibly of the daughters of Proitos by
Taking the iconographical repertoire as a guideline, we have had to take
Melampous, on a rather formidable Sicilian krater, about 350/325 B.C.
leave of quite a few interesting aspects of Greek sacrifice, but a good deal
[Fig. 1, V427: Syracuse 47038]. A group of women, some of them show
is left. How are we to read these representations of sacrifice? I opt for a
ing distinct signs of madness, have gathered in a sanctuary. One of them,
straightforward (some might call it simple~minded) approach which could
collapsing on her knees, is supported by one young man while another
be summarized, with a variation on a much abused piece of computer
young man holds a small pig over her head, cutting its throat with a
jargon, as "What You See Is What It Is".' If we see a picture of a sheep,
knife.
13
I take it as a reference to a sheep, not as a recondite clue to some hidden
deeper truth. This is not a statement of faith that such clues could never
exist, but if they exist, I leave them to others.
9 On what follows see Parker 1983, 21 ff. with references.
Unfortunately, even simple things have a tendency to become compli
10 Aischylos, Eumenides 281-283. Parker 1983, 228 and 370-374.
cated. It is obvious that the "You", in "What You See Is What It Is",
11 The woman holding a small animal, a dog rather than a pig, and the three torches
does not refer to us, but to the ancient Greeks who produced, bought and
set in the ground, on an Attic red figure lekythos [V63: Athens NM 1695], might
possibly have to do with the purificatory rites for Hekate at the crossroads on the enjoyed the pictures we are dealing with. To understand what something
sixteenth of every month: Van Straten, BABesch 49 (1974) 182; for the rites see is, we would have to look at it with ancient Greek eyes. In other words,
Borgeaud 1979, 230-231, and Parker 1983, 30-31. we would have to acquire all the general background knowledge, the
12 See Dyer, JHS 89 (1969) 38-56; Trendall & Webster 1971, 49, III.I,12; cf. whole frame of reference, that the vase painter or relief sculptor took for
Brown, JHS 102 (1982) 30-32; Neitzel, WurzbJbAltWiss N.F. 17 (1991) 69-89.
granted in his contemporary spectators. To think that we can really do
Rudhardt 1958, 166; Parker 1983, 139 and 386-388.
13 The interpretation of the scene as the purification of the Proitidai, by Libertini,
BdA 35 (1950) 97-107, is attractive (though by no means certain) and has been widely
accepted: e.g. Trendall, LCS 602/102; Burkert 1972, 193; Schefold & Jung 1981, 171;
but that is unlikely; the iconography is too close to that of Orestes' purification.
Kossatz-Deissmann, Hera, LlMC IV (1988) 717 nr. 490; Simon, Melampous, LlMC VI
14 See 5.8.
(1992) 407 nr. 5. For the identification of one of the two cult statues in the picture as
Hera holding a pair of scissors, see Shefton apud Simon, AntK 25 (1982) 37 note 14. 15 On the popularity of this theme see Brommer 1974, 7.
Langlotz 1963, 24-25, interprets the scene as the initiation of a girl in a mystery cult, 16 Cook, Jdl74 (1959) 114-123, calculates a survival rate of less than a half percent.