The Mother of the Gods, Athens, and the Tyranny of Asia: A Study of Sovereignty in Ancient Religion (Joan Palevsky Book in Classical Literature)

478 Pages·2006·5.95 MB·English

by  Mark H. Munn

The Joan Palevsky Imprint in Classical Literature
In honor of beloved Virgil—
“O degli altri poeti onore e lume . . .”
—Dante,Inferno
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the
generous contribution to this book provided by
the Classical Literature Endowment Fund of
the University of California Press Foundation,
which is supported by a major gift
from Joan Palevsky.
The Mother of the Gods,
Athens, and the Tyranny of Asia

The Mother
of the Gods, Athens,
and the Tyranny of Asia
A Study of Sovereignty in Ancient Religion
Mark Munn
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
Frontispiece. Attic funerary relief depicting husband and wife, with attributes
of the Mother of the Gods—lion and tympanum—accompanying the wife,
circa 350 b.c.e.(Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, inv. no. 1959.203).
For Mary Lou
Loving wife, wise mother
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished
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University of California Press
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University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2006 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Munn, Mark Henderson.
The Mother of the Gods, Athens, and the tyranny of Asia : a study
of sovereignty in ancient religion / Mark Henderson Munn.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 0-520-24349-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Cybele (Goddess)—Cult—Greece—Athens—History.
2. Religion and politics—Greece—Athens—History.
3. Sovereignty—Religious aspects—History of doctrines.
4. Cybele (Goddess)—Cult—Turkey—Lydia (Kingdom).
5. Religion and politics—Turkey—Lydia (Kingdom)—
History. 6. Despotism—Religious aspects—History of
doctrines. I. Title.
BL820.C8M86 2006
292.2'114—dc22 2005013449
Manufactured in the United States of America
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on New Leaf EcoBook 60, containing 60%
post-consumer waste, processed chlorine-free; 30% de-inked
recycled fiber, elemental chlorine–free; and 10% FSC-certified
virgin fiber, totally chlorine-free. EcoBook 60 is acid-free and
meets the minimum requirements of ansi/astm d5634–01
(Permanence of Paper).
contents
list of illustrations /
xi
preface /
xiii
abbreviations /
xv
maps /
xix
Introduction / 1
1. Sovereignty and Divinity in Classical Greek Thought / 13
/
The Study of Religion in Greek History 14
/
Sovereignty and Tyranny 16
/
Sovereignty and Greek Religion 20
/
Theogony; or, The Conditions of Sovereignty 30
/
Humanity and Divine Sovereignty 37
/
The Passing of an Age of Innocence 42
/
The Quest for Transcendent Divinity 46
2. The Mother of the Gods and the Sovereignty of Midas / 56
/
The Mother of the Gods and “the Phrygian Man” at Athens 58
/
The Land of Midas 66
/
The Home of Kybele, the Mother of the Gods 73
/
The Mother of Midas 79
/
Sovereignty and the Gods of Phrygia 88
/
The Legacy of Midas 93
3. The Mother of the Gods and the Ideals of Lydian Tyranny / 96
/
The Lover of Gordius 99
/
Sovereigns and Their Concubines 100
/
Aphrodite and Lydian Tyranny 106
/
Aphrodite, Kybebe, and Kubaba 114
/
Kubaba, Kybebe, and Kybele 120
/
Mistress of Lions and the Consort of the King 125
/
The Ideals of Lydian Tyranny: A Summary So Far 129