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

632 The Bull and the Sun in Syria

of the Hittite son-god1. Hence I conclude that the title'where
iron is born' properly belongs to Dolichenus as successor of the
Hittite son-god. It may even be that this strange appellation
points backwards to a time when the god was identified with his
own double-axe2 and the making of the latter implied the birth of
the former: he was 'born where iron arises3.'

In any case the same geographical clue will enable us to trace
the connexion of Iupiter Dolichenus with the precious metals. The
Chalybes, according to Strabon, were originally workers in silver4.
They also collected gold in a small island lying off their coast5.
The Doiicheniyj--plat.es were of silver gilt.

Finally, to return to our point of departure, we have seen that
Iupiter Dolichenus, like the Iupiter Heliopolitanits with whom he is

1 Supra pp. 599 f., 604 f.

2 For 'Minoan' parallels see infra ch. ii § 3 (c) i.

3 Terrestrial iron perhaps stood in some relation to celestial iron. H. R. Hall The
Oldest Civilization of Greece London 1901 p. 200 n. 1, apropos of the Sumerian name for
iron, which was expressed ideographically by means of the signs An-Bar, observes :
' The Sumerians may have first used meteoric iron at a very early period, like the
Egyptians, since AN. BAR means practically the same thing as the Egyptian Ba-n-pet,
"Heavenly Metal."' My friend the Rev. Dr C. H. W. Johns, however, kindly informs
me that the meaning of An-Bar, which is taken to denote 'Divine Weight,' cannot be
considered certain. And L. de Launay in Daremberg—Saglio Diet. Ant. ii. 1076 gives
good reasons for doubting the supposed use of meteoric iron. It is ignored by Sir W. M.
Flinders Petrie The Arts &= Crafts of Ancient Egypt Edinburgh & London 1909
p. 104 ff. and J. H. Breasted A History of Egypt New York 1911 p. 136 when mention-
ing the rare examples of iron in early Egypt and the possible sources of supply.

On the other hand, the Egyptians believed that the tops of some mountains touched
the floor of heaven, which was formed by a vast rectangular plate of iron (E. A. Wallis
Budge The Gods of the Egyptians London 1904 i. 167, 491, ii. 241). It is interesting to
observe that the Iliad always speaks of the sky as made of bronze, whereas the Odyssey
usually describes it as made of iron: cp.Il. 17. 425 x<xX/ceoi> ovpavbv (so Pind. Pyth. 10. 27,
Nem. 6. 3 f.), Pind. Isthm. 7 (6). 44 %aX/c67re§o^ dewv edpav, II. 1. 426 Atos ttotl %a\/co-
/Sares 5ui (II. 21. 438, 505 ; //. 14. 173, Od. 8. 321), //. 5. 504 ovpavbv is tto\^xci.\kov ,
Eur. Ion 1 "ArXas 6 xaX«:eot(ri vwtols ovpavbv k.t.X.; but Od. 15. 329 and 17. 565 aidr/peov
ovpavbv with Eustath. in II. p. 576, 33 ff., in Od. p. 1783, 18 ff.

4 Sitpra p. 631.

5 Aristot. mir. ausc. 26. The Chalybes seem to be connected with gold as well as
with iron by the story of the metal-eating mice. Aristotle stated that in the island of
Gyaros mice ate iron ore; Amyntas, that at Teredon in Babylonia they had the same
peculiarity (Ail. de nat. an. 5. 14). Theophrastos 'goes one better': in Gyaros, he says,
mice drove out the inhabitants and were then reduced to eating iron ; they do the same
by nature in the iron-workings of the Chalybes; and in gold mines they are so fond of
making away with the precious metal that they are regularly ripped up to recover it
(Theophr. ap. Plin. nat. hist. 8. 222, cp. 104, and ap. Phot. bibl. p. 528a 33 ff. Bekker). *
See further Aristot. mir. ausc. 25 f., Antig. hist. mir. 18 and ap. Steph. Byz. s.v. Tvapos,
Herond. 3. 75 f., Sen. apocol. 7. 1. Since there is no iron ore in Gyaros (Pauly—
Wissowa Real-Enc. vii. 1954), it is possible that we should assume another island of the
same name off the coast of the Chalybes.