Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 1): Zeus god of the bright sky (Cambridge, 1914)

128 The Mountain as the Throne of Zeus

civilisation. On this showing the mountain upon which Zeus
reclines is the Macedonian Olympos1.

An Apulian peltke from Ruvo, now at Naples2, has on one side
a design (pi. xii)3, the background of which somewhat closely
resembles that of the vase just described. The scene is laid on
a mountain near the Phrygian Kelainai, where Marsyas the flute-
playing Silenos was defeated and flayed by Apollon4. In the
centre of the composition sits Apollon, wreathed with laurel and
wearing a himdtion drawn up over the back of his head. He is
already victorious, and a winged Nike is presenting him with the
victor's fillet, but his fingers still play with the four chords of his
lyre. Below him on a spotted skin sits the defeated Silenos. His
skin flute-case lies behind on the ground. He holds the flutes in
his left hand and leans his head on his right in deep dejection.
And no wonder. For of the three Muses, who are present as judges
of his skill5, one, though she has flutes herself, stands spell-bound
listening to Apollon's strains, another is seated harp in hand
chanting the victor's praises to the delight of a pet-dog from
Malta, while the third has risen from her judgment-seat and is
reading out of a roll the fearful penalty prescribed for the
vanquished. Behind her a girl is already bringing up a basket
with flowers and a fillet, as though for a sacrifice. Marsyas himself
will be the victim. On the mountain-top are three seated deities ;
but not one of them is likely to help. Zeus naturally sympathises
with his son, Artemis with her brother. Aphrodite, who scoffed at
the effects of flute-playing6, is unconcernedly holding aphidle to serve
as a divining-glass for Eros7. Still less does the she-goat cropping
its food in the corner take thought for Marsyas' fate. Confining
our attention to Zeus, we note that his connexion with the tragedy
is but slight. He is here mainly8 as the divine dweller on the

1 H. Dem. 331, 341, 449, 484.

2 Heydemann Vasensamml. Neapel p. 5290*. no. 3231.

3 A. Michaelis Die Verurtheilung des Marsyas auf einer Vase aits Ruvo Greifswald
1864 pi. 2, 3, and more accurately in the Arch. Zeit. 1869 xxvii pi. j 7, Overbeck Gr.
Kunstmyth. Apollon p. 439 ff. Atlas pi. 25, 4.

4 O. Jessen in Roscher Lex. Myth. ii. 2441 ff.

5 O. Jessen id. ii. 2442.

6 Hyg.fad. 165.

7 A. Michaelis Die Verurtheilung des Marsyas etc. p. 13 f., Arch. Zeit. 1869 xxvii. 46,
and Overbeck Gr. Kunst?nyth. Apollon pp. 431, 442 argue that Aphrodite, in whose cult
the flute was used, is present on the side of Marsyas. If so, she is strangely apathetic :
cp. other vase-paintings of the same scene in Lenormant—de Witte &l. mon. cer. ii pi. 64,
the Arch. Zeit. 1884 xm pk 5' Overbeck op. cit. p. 433 no. 12 Atlas pi. 25, 3.

8 Overbeck op. cit. p. 441 holds that Zeus is present as witness of things in general
and of his son's victory in particular.