Χρονολόγηση Hellenistic period. Γεωγραφικός εντοπισμός Priene IΔΡΥΜA ΜΕΙΖΟΝΟΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ. 1. Characteristics of the sculpture of Priene

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1 Περίληψη : The sculpture of Priene was mainly influenced by the sculpture of Magnesia on Meander, but also by the important art centres of Ionia, Ephesus and Kos. The local production of sculpture works flourished particularly during the period BC. In the sanctuaries of Athena and Demeter a large number of architectural sculptures and other offerings were found. Many of the statues and the statuettes of Priene were found in houses of the city. Χρονολόγηση Hellenistic period Γεωγραφικός εντοπισμός Priene 1. Characteristics of the sculpture of Priene Priene is not included in the important centres of sculpture production, such as Ephesus, Miletus or Pergamon. Her importance for the study of the sculpture of the Hellenistic period lies in the fact that many works come from the city, some of which, due to their excavation context, help to date the sculpture of the era examined. In the works of Priene stylistic influences of the neighbouring centres can be traced, mainly of Ephesus and Kos, as well as a common artistic language with the works of Magnesia. Based on the data so far discovered, the sculpture of Priene particularly flourished in the period BC. Although there is not enough evidence, it is possible that most of the sculptors were indigenous or came from neighbouring regions, which followed the local artistic tradition of Priene. This tradition is not closed, like in the case of Pergamon, but open to external influences. 2. Works of sculpture from the sanctuary of Athena The coffer lids of the temple of Athena, which are dated to the 4th century BC, bore a bas-relief decoration. 1 Their themes were mythological, such as the fragmentarily preserved image of Cybele on a lion, but they also included scenes of Gigantomachy with the participation of Amazons. There are important problems concerning their dating, since it is not sure whether the bas-relief representations of the coffer lids, from which a few fragments survive, are works contemporary to the construction of the temple or later (around 170 BC) stylistic reflections of the works of the Early Hellenistic period. The altar of the temple of Athena was originally dated to the middle of the 2nd century BC and certain fragments which, as was later proved, came from the temple s coffer lids, were related to it. 2 In the initial proposal for the reconstruction of the monument, the altar stood on a high podium, but, according to Carter s more recent proposal, only one step of the crepidoma operated as its base. The figures, in a deep bas-relief, were placed between semi-columns, like on the sarcophagus from the Archaeological Museum of Constantinople, known as The Sarcophagus of the Mourners, on a continuous podium which occupied 1/3 of the height of the columns. 3 Initially only a standing headless female figure dressed in a chiton and a himation, now in Berlin, was known from the decoration of the altar. The rest of the surviving figures include a seated female figure, now in Constantinople, of the so-called Urania type, and the fragments of two more seated figures, now in the Archaeological Museum of Miletus. The figure of Apollo with a guitar is known only by photographs, since it was lost after its discovery. On the eastern side of the altar, which was the longest one, based on the intercolumniation spaces, it is estimated that there were ten figures, maybe of Apollo and the nine Muses. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 30/1/2017 Σελίδα 1/5

2 From the stylistic analysis of the figures preserved the dating of the monument ranges from the late 3rd century BC until the first quarter of the 2nd century BC. According to Linfert, the artist of the monument was influenced by the sculpture of Magnesia, as it appears from the comparison of the older sculptural decoration of the altar of Zeus Sosipolis at Magnesia (after 221 BC). 4 From the rest of the finds from the sanctuary a female head of colossal size can be distinguished; it dates shortly after the middle of the 4th century BC, i.e. before the construction of the temple of Athena. 3. Works of sculpture from the sanctuary of Demeter The headless statue of the priestess Niceso is one of the few original female statues of the 3rd century BC still preserved. 5 It was found near the entrance of the sanctuary of Demeter, whose Niceso was a priestess, along with its square base. Thanks to an inscription on it, we can date it to the first half of the 3rd century BC. However, concerning the issue of the identity of the person portrayed, we must not rule out the possibility that this was the statue of the goddess, mainly due to the flame-shaped plocamoi (locks of hair) on her chest, a type of hair style which is not seen in the portraits of this period. The figure wears a chiton and a himation. It is characterized by the stiff stance of the body and of the successful rendering of the different texture of the thick himation, which is worn over the chiton, which is in turn analyzed in multiple thin and deep draperies. The contrast of the texture of the two dresses is observed in a statue type of Dionysus, which is dated around 320 BC and is known only by Roman copies. 6 From the sanctuary of Demeter come also two heads of female statuettes, which are characterized by the archaistic rendering of the wavy locks of hair, such as in the contemporary statue of Niceso. 7 The statue of a charioteer, in the British Museum, is slightly older; the figure s head with its neck was inserted in the statue (around 310 BC). This work is typologically related with the torso of a charioteer from the Artemision of Ephesus, although it is unknown whether they come from the same workshop, as it has been previously suggested Works of sculpture from the houses of Priene The close relations of Priene with Alexander the Great are indicated from an inscription at the temple of Athena, according to which the temple was dedicated in the name of the king of Macedonia, probably during his visit shortly before 334 BC. Another inscription is more recent (before 130 BC), from the holy portico of the city, in which the financial offer of a local benefactor for the restoration of a sanctuary dedicated to the cult of the Macedonian king is mentioned. From Priene comes also a fragmentary marble statuette which is believed to represent Alexander the Great, from which only the upper torso with the head is preserved. 9 It dates to the late 4th century BC and was found in a small sanctuary, in the western part of a house. According to many scholars it is identified with the one mentioned in the inscription of the holy portico. 10 The preserved part was probably inserted into the lower part of the body, which was covered by a certain dress, probably a himation, the upper end of which covered the torso in a diagonal way. 11 The group of statues from another house of the city is also very important. Statues of Dionysus, Aphrodite and of a female veiled figure of the early 3rd century BC, probably works of the same workshop, were discovered in this house. 12 In another house, a terracotta statuette of the 2nd century BC, the so-called Spinario or Boy with the Thorn (Apakanthizomenos), was discovered. The figure is a free variation of the type of a young naked boy which is portrayed seated on a rock extracting a thorn from his wounded foot. 13 The bronze or marble original is dated to the 3rd century BC and does not survive; it is however reproduced in many Roman copies of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. The statuette of Priene follows the typology of the original, but the childish head is rendered with comical attributes. Furthermore, a head cap and a jewel on the upper part of the left arm are added, elements which did not exist in the original, whereas the body is covered by a himation which is tied over the left shoulder. 5. The so-called Archelaos relief Δημιουργήθηκε στις 30/1/2017 Σελίδα 2/5

3 One of the most important reliefs of the Hellenistic period is a work by the sculptor Archelaos from Priene. 14 It was found in Bovillae, Italy shortly after the middle of the 17th century and is dated to the late 3rd or 2nd century BC. It is related with Alexandria of Egypt, since the figures behind the seated Homer, on the left side of the lower zone, probably represent Arsinoe III and Ptolemy IV ( BC). In the head of the former, figurative characteristics can be distinguished. We know that Ptolemy IV founded a temple for Homer in Alexandria. In the procession of the sacrifice for the poet, the personifications of Myth, Tragedy (holding a mask), and Comedy, Nature, Virtue, Memory, Faith and Wisdom participate. On each side of Homer s throne two female figures can be seen, in a smaller scale, which are identified, thanks to the inscriptions, with his works, the Iliad and the Odyssey. In the two upper zones of the image Apollo and the Muses are pictured, over which their mother, Mnemosyne, can be seen. Her gaze meets the gaze of the seated Zeus, who is located on the triangular top of the relief. The figures of the Muses are based on statue types which are repeated in a great number of copies of the Roman Imperial period. 1. Σταμπολίδης, Ν.Χ., Ο βωμός του Διονύσου στην Κω. Συμβολή στη μελέτη της ελληνιστικής πλαστικής και αρχιτεκτονικής (Αθήνα 1987), p , tav. 70 α-δ; Smith, R.R.R., Hellenistic sculpture (London 1991), p. 183, fig Stambolides expresses his doubts on Smith s opinion that the sculptures decorated the coffer lids of the temple. 2. Linfert, Α., Kunstzentren hellenistischer Zeit (Wiesbaden 1976), p ; Carter, J.C., The sculpture of the sanctuary of Athena Polias at Priene (London 1983), p , tav. XXIX-XXXII; Carter, J.C., The date of the altar of Athena at Priene and its reliefs, in Bonacasa, N. Di Vita, Α. (ed.), Alessandria e il mondo ellenistico-romano 3. Studi in onore di A. Adriani (Roma 1986), p , tav ; Ridgway, B.S., Hellenistic sculpture I: The styles of ca B.C. (Bristol 1990), p The so-called sarcophagus of the mourners is dated shortly before the middle of the 4 th century BC. See Schuchhardt, W.H., Geschichte der griechischen Kunst (Stuttgart 1971), p , Linfert, A., Kunstzentren hellenistischer Zeit (Wiesbaden 1976), p , fig For the contemporary, fragmentarily preserved, female statuette which was found outside the walls of Priene ( BC) and the slightly later statue of a man wearing a himation (around 170 BC) see Linfert, A., Kunstzentren hellenistischer Zeit (Wiesbaden 1976), p , 37-38, fig , Linfert, A., Kunstzentren hellenistischer Zeit (Wiesbaden 1976), p. 20, 24-25; Smith, R.R.R., Hellenistic sculpture (London 1991), p. 85, fig. 111; Pollitt, J.J., Η τέχνη στην ελληνιστική εποχή, transl. Γκαζή, Α. (Αθήνα 2003), p. 90, 329, fig Boardman, J., Ελληνική πλαστική. Ύστερη κλασική περίοδος και γλυπτική στις υπερπόντιες αποικίες, transl. Καλλέγια-Γαδ, Α. (Αθήνα 1999), p , fig Linfert, A., Kunstzentren hellenistischer Zeit (Wiesbaden 1976), p Linfert, A., Kunstzentren hellenistischer Zeit (Wiesbaden 1976), p Bieber, M., Alexander the Great in Greek and Roman Art (Chicago 1964), fig ; Raeder, J., Priene. Funde aus einer griechischen Stadt im Berliner Antikenmuseum (Berlin 1984), p. 11, 33, no. 1, fig. 1; Ridgway, B.S., Hellenistic sculpture I: The styles of ca B.C. (Bristol 1990), p For the problems concerning the identification of the sanctuary in the western part of House 22 of Priene see Ridgway, B.S., Hellenistic sculpture I: The styles of ca B.C. (Bristol 1990), p Parts of the dress are still visible on the statuette s left shoulder. 12. Linfert, A., Kunstzentren hellenistischer Zeit (Wiesbaden 1976), p Δημιουργήθηκε στις 30/1/2017 Σελίδα 3/5

4 13. Smith, R.R.R., Hellenistic sculpture (London 1991), p. 140, fig For the type see Fuchs, W., Die Skulptur der Griechen (Munchen 1983), p. 286, fig Smith, R.R.R., Hellenistic sculpture (London 1991), p , 280, fig. 216 (with previous bibliography). Βιβλιογραφία : Smith R.R.R., Hellenistic sculpture, Thames and Hudson, New York 1991 Politt J.J., Η τέχνη στην ελληνιστική εποχή, (επανεκτ. 2003), Αθήνα 1994, Γκαζή, A. (μτφρ.) Ridgway B.S., Hellenistic sculpture I: The styles of ca B.C., Bristol 1990 Carter J.C., The sculpture of the sanctuary of Athena Polias at Priene, London 1983 Pinkwart D., Das Relief des Archelaos von Priene und die Musen des Philiskos, Kallmünz 1965 Pinkwart D., "Das Relief des Archelaos von Priene", AntPl, 4, 1965, Raeder J., Priene. Funde aus einer griechischen Stadt im Berliner Antikenmuseum, Berlin 1984 Linfert Α., Kunstzentren hellenistischer Zeit. Studien an weiblichen Gewandfiguren, Wiesbaden 1976 Rumscheid F., Koenigs W., Priene. Führer durch das "Pompeji Kleinasiens", Istanbul 1998 Σταμπολίδης Ν.Χ., Ο βωμός του Διονύσου στην Κω. Συμβολή στη μελέτη της ελληνιστικής πλαστικής και αρχιτεκτονικής, Αθήνα 1987 Carter J.C., "Relief sculptures from the temple of Athena Polias at Priene, Ephesos", Akurgal, E. (επιμ.), The proceedings of the Xth International Congress of Classical Archaeology, Ankara-Izmir , Ankara 1982, Carter J.C., "The date of the sculptured coffer lids from the temple of Athena Polias at Priene", Kopcke, G. Moore, M.B. (επιμ.), Studies in classical art and archaeology. A tribute to Peter Heinrich von Blanckenhagen, Locust Valley New York 1979, Carter J.C., "The date of the altar of Athena at Priene and its reliefs", Alessandria e il mondo ellenisticoromano.1. Centenario del Museo greco-romano: Alessandria, novembre 1992: atti del 2. Congresso internazionale italo-egiziano, Roma 1995, Δικτυογραφία : Archelaus' Relief Statue of Alexander from Priene Temple of Athena Polias at Priene Δημιουργήθηκε στις 30/1/2017 Σελίδα 4/5

5 Γλωσσάριo : archaistic, the Figure bearing stylistic and typological characteristics of the Archaic period ( BC) chiton, the Item of clothing consisting of a square woollen textile seamed on both sides. coffer Recessed ornamental square or octagonal panels sunk in the ceilings of buildings. They were decorated with relief or pictorial, usually floral, designs. crepis / crepidoma The solid mass of stepped masonry serving as the visible base of a building. The crepidoma usually consists of three steps. The top step from which the columns spring is called the stereobate. high relief, the Sculptural structure in which the figures protrude a lot from the carved surface. himation, the Rectangular woolen (mainly) cloth that was worn over the chiton (cloak). It could be wrapped around the shoulders and the body in different ways and was fastened with a belt or with brooches. intercolumnar space (or intercolumniation) The space between two adjacent columns. semi-column, the Half column projecting out of the surface of a relief structure. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 30/1/2017 Σελίδα 5/5