Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (1.1882-1883)

232

THE ERECHTHEION.

irpo 8s tt]3 icr68ov Aios icm /?o>/xos Yttoltov, evOa c[xij/v)(ov Ooovcnv ovSey,
rre/j./xara 8k Sevres ovoiv tl oli/o) -^pyrracrOai. vojxC^ovcriv. Now tliere is
also a building called the Erechtheion ; and before the entrance is an
altar* of Zeus Hypatos, at which they sacrifice nothing which has
life, but offer cakes, making no use of wine. Pausanias, if he saw
things on the Acropolis in the order in which he describes them,
approached the Erechtheion from the east. From the inscriptions
we know that there was an altar, called " the altar," on the east of
the Erechtheion. When now Pansanias says, " Before the entrance
is an altar of Zeus Hypatos," what is more natural than to identify
this with the /3w/xo? of the inscriptions ? Of course Pausanias might
have entered the Erechtheion by the north porch, in which case the
altar of Zeus Hypatos must be sought at that entrance ; but in this sup-
position he must have passed the eastern entrance without noticing it,
in order to reach the north porch, which is hardly probable. As there
was no regular entrance by the porch of the Maidens, it is most natural
to suppose that Pausanias entered the Erechtheion from the east.

Pausanias proceeds : 'EcreA^oSo-t 81 do-i /3aj/xoi, Iloo-ewWos, i<f> ov
Kal 'Epr^ei Ovovctlv ?k tov [xavTevfxaTO<;, koll rjpwos JiovTov, Tpiro? 81
'H^cuorou. ypa(j>cti 8e errl tlov tol^lov tov yevovs elcri tov BouraSw;/.
Upon entering, there are three altars; one of Poseidon, upon which
they sacrifice also to Erechtheus, according to some oracle ; one of the
hero Butes; and one of Hephaestos. And there are upon the walls
pictures of the family of the Butadae. These three altars must have
been near the eastern entrance, in the cella where stood the most
sacred image of Athena. Pausanias nowhere mentions an altar of
Athena. Were there then in the cella with the ancient statue altars
of Poseidon, Butes, and Hephaestos, but none of Athena? This
seems hardly possible. An altar of Athena must have been there,
and it was probably quite as conspicuous as any of those mentioned.
But an altar of Athena was a necessary part of the temple of Athena,
the presence of which Pausanias quietly assumes without taking the
trouble to mention it; whereas the presence of the other three altars

* This was probably the altar founded by Kekrops. See Paus., VIII. 2, 3 :
6 fxev yap (KeKpoi|') Ala T€ wvojxaffev "Tirarov rrpcvTos, Kal cnr6aa e^ei ipvx^v tovtwv
filv yil'i'jiaev ovb~\v Ovaai, Tre/ufiara Se iirix&pia eir\ tov fiwfxov Kadrjyiaev, /c.r.A.
Eusebius, Praep. Evang., X. 9, 22 : Trpccros 5e KeKpoip Atyerai Zr/va KeK\rjKeyaL
tov dsoy, jxy] irporepc:.' o'jtco Trap' avOpwirois ccvoixafffxivov ' iVeiTa j3wp.ov Trap' 'KQrj-
va'iois iBpvaai irpa/Tos.