DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14695#0405
The Solar Wheel combined with Animals 331
from which these little objects came contained geometric pottery
of the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. The bronzes themselves
are in the form of a wheel with four, six, seven, eight, or nine spokes,
from the centre of which rises a shaft supporting either a duck
(fig. 263)1 or the heads of two animals adosses. The animals thus
combined are mostly goats (figs. 261, 262)2, but cows3, rams4, and
asses (?)5 also occur. In one case (fig. 261)6 the wheel has become
a square base, but remains four-spoked. In another the central
shaft terminates in a mere loop, no animals being added to it7. In
yet another we have a rude human figure winged and mounted on
Fig. 261. Fig. 262. Fig. 263.
a similar wheel8. Since the principal cult of the early Rhodians
was that of Helios9, it can hardly be doubted that the wheel repre-
sents the sun. And it is reasonable to conjecture that the
1 Brit. Mtis. Cat. Bronzes p. 12 nos. 158—160, cp. p. 13 no. 174 and Olympia iv. 36
no. 2rob pi. 13 (bird on wheel-base), id. p. 61 no. 420 pi. 24 (cock on wheel-base).
2 Brit. Mus. Cat, Bronzes p. 12 f. nos. 161 — t66, cp. Olympia iv. 36 no. 206 pi. 13
(stag on wheel-base).
3 Brit. Mus. Cat. Bronzes-p. 13 nos. 168 f.
4 lb. p. 13 no. 170, cp. Olympia iv. 66 no. 477 pi. 25 (two rams back-to-back).
5 lb. p. 13 no. 167.
6 lb. p. 12 no. 161.
7 lb. p. 13 no. 175.
8 lb. p. 11 no. 136.
9 Gruppe Gr. Myth. Rel. p. 265 ff.
from which these little objects came contained geometric pottery
of the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. The bronzes themselves
are in the form of a wheel with four, six, seven, eight, or nine spokes,
from the centre of which rises a shaft supporting either a duck
(fig. 263)1 or the heads of two animals adosses. The animals thus
combined are mostly goats (figs. 261, 262)2, but cows3, rams4, and
asses (?)5 also occur. In one case (fig. 261)6 the wheel has become
a square base, but remains four-spoked. In another the central
shaft terminates in a mere loop, no animals being added to it7. In
yet another we have a rude human figure winged and mounted on
Fig. 261. Fig. 262. Fig. 263.
a similar wheel8. Since the principal cult of the early Rhodians
was that of Helios9, it can hardly be doubted that the wheel repre-
sents the sun. And it is reasonable to conjecture that the
1 Brit. Mtis. Cat. Bronzes p. 12 nos. 158—160, cp. p. 13 no. 174 and Olympia iv. 36
no. 2rob pi. 13 (bird on wheel-base), id. p. 61 no. 420 pi. 24 (cock on wheel-base).
2 Brit. Mus. Cat, Bronzes p. 12 f. nos. 161 — t66, cp. Olympia iv. 36 no. 206 pi. 13
(stag on wheel-base).
3 Brit. Mus. Cat. Bronzes-p. 13 nos. 168 f.
4 lb. p. 13 no. 170, cp. Olympia iv. 66 no. 477 pi. 25 (two rams back-to-back).
5 lb. p. 13 no. 167.
6 lb. p. 12 no. 161.
7 lb. p. 13 no. 175.
8 lb. p. 11 no. 136.
9 Gruppe Gr. Myth. Rel. p. 265 ff.