DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0216
Agyieus- Pillars
161
as an altar1, set up before a doorway. Attempts have been made
to distinguish the pillar from the altar'2; but these are now gene-
rally discredited3 in view of Hesychios' gloss—'Agyieus, the pillar-
shaped altar that stands before the doors4.' The association of
pillar with doorway recalls the dokana of the Dioskouroi as figured
on the Etruscan mirrors5. And the use of a pillar before the doors
for an actual altar can be paralleled from the cult of Zeus Kataibdtes
at Tarentum6. Nor are we dependent for our notion of an Agyieus
merely upon the verbal descriptions of ancient scholars. Those
descriptions are precise enough to warrant us in giving the name
to the monument represented on coins of northern Greece struck at
Apollonia (figs. 100, ioi)7, Orikos (fig. 102)8, and Olympe (fig. 103)"
1 Harpokr. s.v. 'Ayvids — Bekker anecd. i. 332, 3 fif. = Souid. s.v. dyviai = schol. Aid.
Aristoph. vesp. 875 = Zonar. lex. s.v.'\ymas = Fworm. lex. p. 28, 29 ff. Nigidius {frag. 42
Funaioli) ap. Macrob. Sat. 1. 9. 6. Varr. ap. Porphyr. in Hor. od. 4. 6. 28. Poll. 4. 123.
Helladios ap. Phot. bibl. p. 535 b 33 ff. Bekker. Phot. lex. s.v. Aortas. Eustath. in II.
p. 166, 23 f. Of the passages cited by Harpokr. etc. the least equivocal is Soph. Laocoon
frag. 341 Nauck'2, 370 Jebb \dfxirei 8' ayvietis /3w,u6s drfxi^uv nvpi | a/xvpvqs <TTa\ay/j.ovs,
j3ap(3dpovs (crraXc^/xoZs /3<xp/3dpous Harpocr. libri fere omnes) evocrfj.ias.
3 First by F. Wieseler ' Interno all' 'AyvLevs ossia ayvievs /3w/xoj, ed alcune rappre-
sentanze di esso sopra monumenti' in the Ann. d. Inst. 1858 xxx. 222—227 (cp. Helbig
Wandgem. Camp. p. 490 Index s.v. ?'Ayvievs j3cjfj.6s), then by E. Reisch in Pauly—
Wissowa Real-Enc. i. 910, 912, and last by A. C. Pearson on Soph. frag. 370 Jebb
(supra n. [).
3 J. Six ' Der Agyieus des Mys' in the Ath. Mitth. 1894 xix. 344 f., Gruppe Gr. Myth.
Rel. p. 776 n. 1, De Visser De Gr. diis non ref. spec. hum. p. 47 f. § 23.
We must, however, admit that the shape of the Agyietls was somewhat variable. Six
loc. cit. 1894 xix. 340—345 figs. 1—7 holds that a conical limestone pillar at Korkyra
inscribed 3I0s /xe hi<j\a.To and three blocks still standing on quadrangular plinths beside
house-doors at Pompeii (a cone of dark lava in the Strada dell Abbondanza = reg. viii. 3. 2,
a limestone omphalos in the Strada della Fortuna = reg. vi. 14. 14, a round-topped stile of
travertine in the Strada Stabiana = reg. ix. 3. 3) served as Agyici'ts-stoues: but see A. Mau
ib. p. 344 n. 2. Helladios ap. Phot. bibl. p. 535 b 34^ speaks of (3o3fj.6v.. .arpoyyvXov—a
loose phrase, which would cover a variety of shapes.
4 Hesych. 'A-yuteiV 6 wpb tQ>v dvpwv earths /3co/j.bs ev cr^/mr; Kiovos = et. mag. p. 15, 29L
''Ayvievr 6 irpb twv dvp&v iffTd/Aevos ev ffxVfjLaTL niovos /cat (/cat om. codd. Vb. D.) (3u)/j.6s.
5 Supra p. 160.
H Supra pp. 29 ff., 45, infra p. 166. On pillar-altars in general see W. Robertson Smith
lectures on the Religion of the Semites- London 1907 pp. 188, 487 ff., \V. H. Ward The
Seal Cylinders of Western Asia Washington 1910 p. 360 ff., Sir A. J. Evans in the Jonrn.
Hell. Stud. 1901 xxi. 112 ff., 130 ff., supra i. 587 n. 4.
7 Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Thessaly etc. p. 56 pi. 12,2 (copper of c. 400—350 B.C. obv.
seven-stringed lyre; rev. A CO A AflNOS obelisk), p. 59 f. pi. 12, 9 and 12 (copper of
229—100 B.C. obv. head of Apollon laureate; rev. ATTO AAfl N I AT A N variously
arranged to right and left of obelisk, the whole in a bay-wreath), p. 61 f. pi. 12, 15 and
13, 1 (silver of 100 B.C.—Augustus obv. ANAPflNOZ head of Athena; rev. ATTOA-
AH NIATAN Tl MHN obelisk: copper of 100 B.C.—Augustus obv. AYIHN
and monogram before head of Apollon laureate; rev. ATTOAAn NIATAN obelisk,
the whole in a bay-wreath), Hunter Cat. Coins ii. 2 f. (copper of 229—100 B.C.), Plead
Hist, num.'1 p. 314, Anson Num. Gr. v. 14 nos. 92—95 pi. 3, 92 f., ib. v. 15 nos. 98—
C. ii.
I I
161
as an altar1, set up before a doorway. Attempts have been made
to distinguish the pillar from the altar'2; but these are now gene-
rally discredited3 in view of Hesychios' gloss—'Agyieus, the pillar-
shaped altar that stands before the doors4.' The association of
pillar with doorway recalls the dokana of the Dioskouroi as figured
on the Etruscan mirrors5. And the use of a pillar before the doors
for an actual altar can be paralleled from the cult of Zeus Kataibdtes
at Tarentum6. Nor are we dependent for our notion of an Agyieus
merely upon the verbal descriptions of ancient scholars. Those
descriptions are precise enough to warrant us in giving the name
to the monument represented on coins of northern Greece struck at
Apollonia (figs. 100, ioi)7, Orikos (fig. 102)8, and Olympe (fig. 103)"
1 Harpokr. s.v. 'Ayvids — Bekker anecd. i. 332, 3 fif. = Souid. s.v. dyviai = schol. Aid.
Aristoph. vesp. 875 = Zonar. lex. s.v.'\ymas = Fworm. lex. p. 28, 29 ff. Nigidius {frag. 42
Funaioli) ap. Macrob. Sat. 1. 9. 6. Varr. ap. Porphyr. in Hor. od. 4. 6. 28. Poll. 4. 123.
Helladios ap. Phot. bibl. p. 535 b 33 ff. Bekker. Phot. lex. s.v. Aortas. Eustath. in II.
p. 166, 23 f. Of the passages cited by Harpokr. etc. the least equivocal is Soph. Laocoon
frag. 341 Nauck'2, 370 Jebb \dfxirei 8' ayvietis /3w,u6s drfxi^uv nvpi | a/xvpvqs <TTa\ay/j.ovs,
j3ap(3dpovs (crraXc^/xoZs /3<xp/3dpous Harpocr. libri fere omnes) evocrfj.ias.
3 First by F. Wieseler ' Interno all' 'AyvLevs ossia ayvievs /3w/xoj, ed alcune rappre-
sentanze di esso sopra monumenti' in the Ann. d. Inst. 1858 xxx. 222—227 (cp. Helbig
Wandgem. Camp. p. 490 Index s.v. ?'Ayvievs j3cjfj.6s), then by E. Reisch in Pauly—
Wissowa Real-Enc. i. 910, 912, and last by A. C. Pearson on Soph. frag. 370 Jebb
(supra n. [).
3 J. Six ' Der Agyieus des Mys' in the Ath. Mitth. 1894 xix. 344 f., Gruppe Gr. Myth.
Rel. p. 776 n. 1, De Visser De Gr. diis non ref. spec. hum. p. 47 f. § 23.
We must, however, admit that the shape of the Agyietls was somewhat variable. Six
loc. cit. 1894 xix. 340—345 figs. 1—7 holds that a conical limestone pillar at Korkyra
inscribed 3I0s /xe hi<j\a.To and three blocks still standing on quadrangular plinths beside
house-doors at Pompeii (a cone of dark lava in the Strada dell Abbondanza = reg. viii. 3. 2,
a limestone omphalos in the Strada della Fortuna = reg. vi. 14. 14, a round-topped stile of
travertine in the Strada Stabiana = reg. ix. 3. 3) served as Agyici'ts-stoues: but see A. Mau
ib. p. 344 n. 2. Helladios ap. Phot. bibl. p. 535 b 34^ speaks of (3o3fj.6v.. .arpoyyvXov—a
loose phrase, which would cover a variety of shapes.
4 Hesych. 'A-yuteiV 6 wpb tQ>v dvpwv earths /3co/j.bs ev cr^/mr; Kiovos = et. mag. p. 15, 29L
''Ayvievr 6 irpb twv dvp&v iffTd/Aevos ev ffxVfjLaTL niovos /cat (/cat om. codd. Vb. D.) (3u)/j.6s.
5 Supra p. 160.
H Supra pp. 29 ff., 45, infra p. 166. On pillar-altars in general see W. Robertson Smith
lectures on the Religion of the Semites- London 1907 pp. 188, 487 ff., \V. H. Ward The
Seal Cylinders of Western Asia Washington 1910 p. 360 ff., Sir A. J. Evans in the Jonrn.
Hell. Stud. 1901 xxi. 112 ff., 130 ff., supra i. 587 n. 4.
7 Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Thessaly etc. p. 56 pi. 12,2 (copper of c. 400—350 B.C. obv.
seven-stringed lyre; rev. A CO A AflNOS obelisk), p. 59 f. pi. 12, 9 and 12 (copper of
229—100 B.C. obv. head of Apollon laureate; rev. ATTO AAfl N I AT A N variously
arranged to right and left of obelisk, the whole in a bay-wreath), p. 61 f. pi. 12, 15 and
13, 1 (silver of 100 B.C.—Augustus obv. ANAPflNOZ head of Athena; rev. ATTOA-
AH NIATAN Tl MHN obelisk: copper of 100 B.C.—Augustus obv. AYIHN
and monogram before head of Apollon laureate; rev. ATTOAAn NIATAN obelisk,
the whole in a bay-wreath), Hunter Cat. Coins ii. 2 f. (copper of 229—100 B.C.), Plead
Hist, num.'1 p. 314, Anson Num. Gr. v. 14 nos. 92—95 pi. 3, 92 f., ib. v. 15 nos. 98—
C. ii.
I I