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

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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14695#0834

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Zeus Oromdsdes

of between 6800 and 7100 ft1, a prodigious cairn of stones was
piled containing c. 264,750 cubic metres of material (fig. 543).
Various attempts to penetrate the vast mass and rifle the dead
king's chamber have been made in modern times and have failed'2.
Antiochos set forth his intentions in a pompous inscription :

' When I had determined to construct the foundations of this sacred monu-
ment beyond the reach of time's wasting" hand, hard by the heavenly throne, to
the end that here the body of my outward form, having lived till old age in
felicity and sent forth a soul beloved of the gods to the heavenly throne of Zeus
Oromdsdes, might sleep for endless ages, then of a truth I chose to make this
spot the sacred seat of all gods in common, that so not only this heroic company
of mine ancestors which thou seest might be established by my care, but also
the divine shapes of manifest deities sanctified on a holy summit, and that they
might have this place as a witness by no means bereft of my piety. Wherefore,
as thou seest, I have established these godlike effigies of Zeus Oromdsdes and
Apollon Mithras Helios Hermes and Artagnes Herakles Ares and mine all-
nurturing country Kommagene. Moreover, made of the self-same stone-work
with gods that answer prayer and throned together with them, I have set up the
fashion of mine own form, and have caused the ancient honour of great deities to
become coeval with a new Tyche, thereby preserving a just representation of the
immortal mind which has many a time been seen to manifest itself in my support
and to lend me friendly help in the carrying out of my royal projects3.' Etc., etc.

The concluding sentences of this passage refer to the fact that
east and west of the cairn were two terraces, each of which had a
similar series of five seated statues—ungainly colossal figures, built
up of limestone blocks to a height of some 26 ft. Hamdy Bey,
who saw the tumulus half-covered with snow, compares its clumsy
guardians with a set of snow-men4. The central statue, somewhat
larger than its neighbours, was that of Zeus Oromdsdes in Comma-
genian costume with a short bundle of rods, the Persian baresman

1 Humann—Puchstein op. cit. p. 236. 2 Eid. ib. p. 240 f.

i Humann—Puchstein op. cit. p. 272 f. i b I3ff. (= Dittenberger Orient. Gr. inscr. set.
no. 383, 36 ff.) iirel 5e lepodecriov rovbe Kpfjweiba divbpdrjTov XP^V0V Xvjuais | bvpaviwv
ayxL<TTa Qpbvwv KaTaa-\rr](racrdai irpoepo7]dr)v, ii> t3i p.a',Kapt.crTbi> &XP1- [ylvpws vwdp^av
crCbpia I pLopcpijs ifxrjs irpbs ovpaviovs Aids | 'iipopcdaSov Opbvovs deocpCKrj \pvxw j irpoire[A\f;av
els tov direipov alwva K.oi\fX7]<TeT<xi ' Tore 87} /cat rbvSe x&P0V I '<-tpov dirdvTWV kolvov
avaSeiijac \ deCov evdpbvLo~p.a ivpoeCKdp.riv, ottws \ pA] pbvov epGiv irpoybvwv ovtos bv bpas J
rjpu>(o)s X6%os epicus eiri.p.e\eiai.s virdp\xv KadiSpvpLevos, dWd /cat \ Saipibvcov eirKpavQv deios
Tviros ev I dy'iuii \b<puiL KaOoaiwdeis, pirjSe rbv\8e tov tottov opepavbv e\p.r}s evcrefieias exv
p.[a]pTvpa. 8ibirep | tl>s bpas Albs re 'Qpop.do'Sov /cat ' A7rb\\\wvos Widpov 'HXlov 'Hpp,ov
/cat 'Aprd\yi>ov 'Hpa/cAeous "Apeus ep.rjs re Trarpidos | iravTpbcpov YLop.p*ayr]vr)s 6eoirpe\irr)
ravra dyd\p.ara Kadidpvo-durjv | dirb re Xideias //,tas 8aip.oaiv eirrjKboLS \ avvdpovov xapaKT7]pa
popeprjs £p,7)s | avvavedrjKa /cat Ttf^r/s veas 7]\iklQ\tiv dpxatav 6eG>v peyaKwv Tipirjv
eiroLlr]crdp,7]v, p,lp,r)p.a 8'inaLov cpvXda■ crwv ddavdrov cppovTidos, rj 7ro\\d kls epol irapaaraTLS
iiTL(pavi]s- eis j3or)\6eiav dy&vcov fiaaiXiKWP evp-evrjs \ ecopdro. k.t.\. J. H. Moulton Early
Zoroastrianism London 1913 p. 107 f. detects in these last clauses a clear reference to the
Fravashi or 'double' of Persian belief.

4 Humann—Puchstein op. cit. pp. 252—259, 293—298 pis. 23—31, Hamdy Bey—
Osgan Efifendi op. cit. pp. 15—19 pis. 12, 121, 14—19, 191, 20—22.
 
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