Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 2,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (thunder and lightning): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1925)

of the thunderbolt 771

early kylix of 'Chalcidian' style1 from Siana (Mnasyrion ?) in
Rhodes shows the introduction of Herakles
to Olympos, where Zeus and Hera are seated
on richly embellished thrones. Zeus (fig. 734)
holds in his left hand a thunderbolt looking
like a bunch of leaves or petals, while from
the upper rail of his throne rises a lotos-
bloom of absurdly large dimensions. Another
'Chalcidian' vase-painting already discussed
{supra p. 731 fig. 663) treats the bolt in the
god's hand as itself an unmistakable lotos. lg' ,

And this floriform fashion once started had a considerable vogue
throughout the Hellenic world. It lingered on even into imperial
times. Indeed, a rare copper of Kibyra in Phrygia, struck by
Diadumenianus (217—218 A.D.), actually represents Zeus enthroned
with a simple lotos-flower, instead of a thunderbolt, in his right
hand (fig. 735)2.

The popularity of the lotos in this connexion was due in part,
no doubt, to its obvious ornamental qualities, but in part also to
long-standing significance. Fire in general, as P. Jacobsthal points
out, was sometimes regarded by the ancients as a flower1'. And the

pi. 5 ( = my fig. 736)). If so, these are the earliest known lightnings of Greek art. But
I suspect that they are rather to be regarded as flowers (cp. supra i. 208 figs. 153, 154).

Fig. 736.

1 Brit. Mus. Cat. Vases ii. 2ioff. no. B 379, Sir Cecil Smith in the Journ. Hell. Stud.
1884 v. 220 ff. pis. 40—42, Perrot—Chipiez Hist, de C Art vs.. 532 n. 1.

3 Fig- 735 's fr°m a specimen, which came to me from the Rhousopoulos collection.

3 P. Jacobsthal op. cit. p. 10 ft. quotes //. 9. 212 avrap errei wvpbs avdos aireirTaTO
Tvavaaro be 0\6£ (so Aristarchos in schol. LTV ad loc, cp. schol. A id., Eustath. in II.
p. 748, 41 ff., Plout. de fac. in orb. Inn. 21, schol. Aisch. P. 7'- 7), Aisch. P. v. 7 to gov
yap avdos, iravrexvov irvpbs ae\as, | dvqroiaL K\e\pas unraGev, Orph. frag. 291 Abel ap.
Prokl. in Plat. 7tm. i. 451, 20 Diehl 'ivdev Gvpbfxevos irp-i)GTr\p a.fj.vbpol irvpbs avdos \ Kbnp.wv
evdpuicTKwv KoCKihfj.ao-1. [ = G. Kroll De oraculis Chaldaicis Vratislaviae, 1894 p. 20. Add
Prokl. in Plat. Parin. iii (p. 622 Stallbaum) = Kroll op. cit. p. 24 'ivvoiai voepai, Trr^yrjs
irarpiKrjs airo, ttovXv j bparrbfxevai (G. Thilo cj. bpetrrofxevai) irvpbs avdos 6.kol/xrjTov xpbvov

49—2