DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0781
706
The spear of Zeus
B.C. show him as he rests upon a spear (fig. 636)\ while others give
only the helmeted head (fig. 637)2 or bust3 of this martial deity.
Whether the Zeus Areios, before whom at Passaron in Molossis the
kings and people of Epeiros plighted their troth4, was a form of the
ancient Epeirote thunder-god we cannot definitely assert; but it is
likely enough. Again, the altar at Olympia, on which Oinomaos
Fig. 636. Fig. 635. Fig. 637.
used to sacrifice to Zeus Areios5, may have stood in some relation to
the altar of Zeus Keraunios adjoining the foundations of Oinomaos'
house6. Be that as it ma}', the title Areios was remembered for many
centuries as one appropriate to the sky-god7; and Zeus Areios was
apparently Latinised as Iupiter Militarist.
1 Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Caria, etc. p. 122 pi. 20, 12, W. Wroth in the Num. Chron.
Third Series 1896 xvi. 95 f. pi. 7, 12 ( = my fig. 636), Imhoof—Blumer Kleinas. Afunzen
i. 134, Head Hist, num.'2 p. 620.
3 Imhoof—Blumer Kleinas. Miinzen i. 134 no. 1 pi. 5, 7 ( = my fig. 637), Head Hist.
num.'1 p. 620.
s Imhoof—Blumer op. cit. i. 134 no. 2, Head Hist, num.- p. 620.
4 Flout, v. Pyrrh. 5 eiibdeiaav oi /SacriXeis ev Hacraapuivt, x^pty ttjs MoXorridos, 'Apeito
Ad Ovaavres opKup-orelv tols 'Hireipwrais kcll opltffreiv, avrol fxev apijeiv Kara tovs vo/j.ovs,
eKeivovs 5e Tr\v fiaaCke'iav dt.a<pv\ai;eLV Kara tovs vo/j.ovs.
5 Paus. 5. 14. 6 tov 5e "Hcpaiarov tov (3wp:6v eiaiv 'Wkeiwv ot ovop-d^ovaiv 'Apeiov Atos.
Xeyovai 5e oi avrol ovtol /cat ws Oivbp.ao's ewi tov [3u/j.ov tovtov dvoi ti2 'Apeiip Ad, birore twv
'lirirodafxeLas p.v7)aTr)puv KadiffTaadaL p.£Xhoi nvl es tinruv apxWav. This altar of Zeus
"Apetos explains the varying tradition that Oinomaos sacrificed on such occasions to Zeus
(Diod. 4. 73: supra i. 36 ff., 407 ff.) or to Ares (Philostr. min. imagg. 9. 5). But the
presence of Hephaistos at Olympia is unexpected, and his relation to Zeus "Apetos very
problematic (cp. C. Robert in Hermes 1S88 xxiii. 430 with n. 2). The coin which
T. Panofka in the Abh. d. berl. Akad. i8jj Phil.-hist. Classe p. 34 pi. 1—2, 3 takes to
be a copper of Elis with obv. head of Plephaistos or Zeus "Apetos, rev. thunderbolt in
wreath of wild olive, is a common mintage of Ithake [Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Peloponnesus
p. 105 pi. 21, 9) showing the head of Odysseus but lacking the legend [IOA] ! Equally
unconvincing is the conjecture of Welcker Gr. G'dtterl. ii. 211 n. 127 that the altar was
adorned with a relief representing the head of Hephaistos, whose cap was compared with
the helmet of Zeus "Apetos. There is more to be said for the view advanced by F. Streber
in the Abh. d. bayer. Akad. 1835 Philos.-philol. Classe p. 234, viz. that the archaic
helmeted figure standing beside the enthroned Hera in the Heraion at Olympia (Paus. 5.
17. 1) was none other than Zeus "Apeios. But even this is far from tTertain.
6 Paus. 5. 14. 7 cited infra § 3 (c) iv (e).
7 Scholl—Studemund anccd. i. 264 'Eiridera At6s no. 15 apeiov, 266 'E^t^era Atos
no. 14 dpetou. See further O. Jessen in Pauly—Wissowa Keal-Enc. ii. 624.
8 Apul. de mundo 37 (Iupiter) est Militaris et Triumphator et Propagator, Tropaeo-
The spear of Zeus
B.C. show him as he rests upon a spear (fig. 636)\ while others give
only the helmeted head (fig. 637)2 or bust3 of this martial deity.
Whether the Zeus Areios, before whom at Passaron in Molossis the
kings and people of Epeiros plighted their troth4, was a form of the
ancient Epeirote thunder-god we cannot definitely assert; but it is
likely enough. Again, the altar at Olympia, on which Oinomaos
Fig. 636. Fig. 635. Fig. 637.
used to sacrifice to Zeus Areios5, may have stood in some relation to
the altar of Zeus Keraunios adjoining the foundations of Oinomaos'
house6. Be that as it ma}', the title Areios was remembered for many
centuries as one appropriate to the sky-god7; and Zeus Areios was
apparently Latinised as Iupiter Militarist.
1 Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Caria, etc. p. 122 pi. 20, 12, W. Wroth in the Num. Chron.
Third Series 1896 xvi. 95 f. pi. 7, 12 ( = my fig. 636), Imhoof—Blumer Kleinas. Afunzen
i. 134, Head Hist, num.'2 p. 620.
3 Imhoof—Blumer Kleinas. Miinzen i. 134 no. 1 pi. 5, 7 ( = my fig. 637), Head Hist.
num.'1 p. 620.
s Imhoof—Blumer op. cit. i. 134 no. 2, Head Hist, num.- p. 620.
4 Flout, v. Pyrrh. 5 eiibdeiaav oi /SacriXeis ev Hacraapuivt, x^pty ttjs MoXorridos, 'Apeito
Ad Ovaavres opKup-orelv tols 'Hireipwrais kcll opltffreiv, avrol fxev apijeiv Kara tovs vo/j.ovs,
eKeivovs 5e Tr\v fiaaCke'iav dt.a<pv\ai;eLV Kara tovs vo/j.ovs.
5 Paus. 5. 14. 6 tov 5e "Hcpaiarov tov (3wp:6v eiaiv 'Wkeiwv ot ovop-d^ovaiv 'Apeiov Atos.
Xeyovai 5e oi avrol ovtol /cat ws Oivbp.ao's ewi tov [3u/j.ov tovtov dvoi ti2 'Apeiip Ad, birore twv
'lirirodafxeLas p.v7)aTr)puv KadiffTaadaL p.£Xhoi nvl es tinruv apxWav. This altar of Zeus
"Apetos explains the varying tradition that Oinomaos sacrificed on such occasions to Zeus
(Diod. 4. 73: supra i. 36 ff., 407 ff.) or to Ares (Philostr. min. imagg. 9. 5). But the
presence of Hephaistos at Olympia is unexpected, and his relation to Zeus "Apetos very
problematic (cp. C. Robert in Hermes 1S88 xxiii. 430 with n. 2). The coin which
T. Panofka in the Abh. d. berl. Akad. i8jj Phil.-hist. Classe p. 34 pi. 1—2, 3 takes to
be a copper of Elis with obv. head of Plephaistos or Zeus "Apetos, rev. thunderbolt in
wreath of wild olive, is a common mintage of Ithake [Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Peloponnesus
p. 105 pi. 21, 9) showing the head of Odysseus but lacking the legend [IOA] ! Equally
unconvincing is the conjecture of Welcker Gr. G'dtterl. ii. 211 n. 127 that the altar was
adorned with a relief representing the head of Hephaistos, whose cap was compared with
the helmet of Zeus "Apetos. There is more to be said for the view advanced by F. Streber
in the Abh. d. bayer. Akad. 1835 Philos.-philol. Classe p. 234, viz. that the archaic
helmeted figure standing beside the enthroned Hera in the Heraion at Olympia (Paus. 5.
17. 1) was none other than Zeus "Apeios. But even this is far from tTertain.
6 Paus. 5. 14. 7 cited infra § 3 (c) iv (e).
7 Scholl—Studemund anccd. i. 264 'Eiridera At6s no. 15 apeiov, 266 'E^t^era Atos
no. 14 dpetou. See further O. Jessen in Pauly—Wissowa Keal-Enc. ii. 624.
8 Apul. de mundo 37 (Iupiter) est Militaris et Triumphator et Propagator, Tropaeo-