DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14697#0051
The Mountain-cults of Zeus
897
Mount Gerania(P)1.
Attike
The Akropolis at Athens2.
The Pnyx at Athens3.
Mount Anchesmos 4.
Mount Hymettos5.
Mount Parnes6.
pits and rectangular bases (9, 10) betoken a chthonian cult. On this showing the worship
of Zeus 'A<f>€(TLoi was associated with that of a local Megarian hero (cp. F. Pfister Der
Reliquienkult im Altertum Giessen 1909 i. 1 ff. 'Die mythische Kdnigsliste von Megara'),
who not impossibly had been regarded as Zeus incarnate. A similar combination occurs
e.g. at Olympia, and the surviving inscriptions [Atos A]c/>ea[toi<] and"Hpw[os] are decidedly
suggestive.
1 Paus. 1. 40. 1 ras 8e 2i0Kr5as vvp.(pas Xeyovai Meyapels elvai p.ev acpLcriv eVtxwptas,
fjua 8e avTtov [dvyarpi (seel. C. G. Siebelis)] avyyeveadat Ala, ^Sleyapov re naioa ovra Atos
Kal ravrrjs 8r] rrjs vvp.(pr]s eK(pvyeCv rrjv eVt AevKaXiiovos ttots eTrofijipLav, eK<pvyelv be irpbs rd
aicpa ttjs Tepavias (Makri Plagi 1370™ above seadevel), ovk ^xovtos 7tw rod opovs to '6vop.a
tovto, k.t.X. Cp. Dieuchidas of Megara frag. 1 [Frag. hist. Gr. iv. 388 Muller) ap. Clem.
Al. stro?)i. 6. 2 p. 443, 9 f. Stahlin and frag. 11 (Frag. Hist. Gr. iv. 290 Muller) ap.
Harpokr. s.v. Yepavia. Et. mag. p. 228, 22 ff., telling the same tale, speaks of Meyapeiis
6 Atos /cat p.ias tQv KaXov/ievuiv 6y]'l8iov (L. Dindorf corr. ~2ii6vL8wv) wp*(fiQ>v.
2 Zeus"T7raros [supra p. 875 n. 1 no. (2)). Zeus IIoAieus (infra § 9 (h) ii).
3 Zeus "T\piaTos (supra p. 876 f. n. 1 no. (1)). The Siphnian Zeus 'ETrij3rifj.ios probably
implies a statue of the god on the orator's platform (infra Append. N vied.) ; but it would
be unsafe to argue from Siphnos to Athens, and in any case it was not as mountain-god
that Zeus supported the speaker (Plout. praecept. gerend. reip. 26 kolvov earivlepov to (3rj/j.a
BovXaiov re Atos Kal UoXietos Kai Qe'p.i.Sos Kal Alktjs).
4 Anchesmos is commonly identified with Turkovuni, a range of rocky hills which
divides the Attic plain into two unequal parts watered by the Kephisos and the Ilisos
respectively (C. Wachsmuth in Pauly—-Wissowa Real-Enc. i. 2103, H. Hitzig—H.
Bliimner on Paus. 1. 32. 2). It attains a height of 733™. Somewhere on this range was a
statue of Zeus 'Ayxecr/iios (Paus. 1. 32. 2 Kai 'Ayxecr/uos opos eo-Hv ov fieya /cat Atos dya\/xa
''Ayxeajxiov). A. S. Georgiades in the'E</>. 'Ap%. 1920 p. 59 notes foundations on its E. slopes.
5 On the top of Mt Hymettos (Monte Matto or Trelo-Vuni 1027' iom) was an altar
(et. mag. p. 352, 49 ff. cited supra p. 873 n. 1) and statue of Zeus 'T/j.7)ttios, also altars of
Zeus'^^jSptos and Apollon Tlpob^pios (Paus. 1. 32. 2 ev 'T/j.t)ttu) 5e dyaX/xd eaTiv 'T/j.tjttIov
Atos' /3w/xot 8e Kai 0/x/3pt'ou Atos /cat 'AiroXXwvos eiai Upoo\piov). Hesych. T/x^ttios- Zeus
7rapa 'AttikoTs. Clouds on Hymettos portended rain (Theophr. de signis tempest. 1. 20 and
24), wind (id. ib. 2. 9), and storm (id. ib. 3. 6). W. Kolbein Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc.
ix. 138 f. thinks it very probable that the statue of Zeus 'T^rrtos stood on the small
plateau close to the highest point of the mountain, and that the cult of Zeus"Ofj.j3pios is
perpetuated on its ancient site by the chapel of St Elias perched upon a conspicuous crest
(508™) on the eastern slope of the main massif, above Sphettos, north of the Pirnari
Pass, to which chapel in times of drought whole troops of pilgrims still resort (A. Milch-
hdfer in E. Curtius and J. A. Kaupert Karten von Attika Berlin 1883 Text ii. 32).
6 On Mt Parnes was a bronze statue of Zeus Hapvj]dLos and an altar of Zeus 1,r]/j.aXeos;
also another altar on which sacrifices were made sometimes to Zeus"0,u/3ptos, sometimes to
Zeus 'A7n7p.tos (Paus. 1. 32. 2 /cat ev Hapv-qdi HapvijOLos Zei)s %a\/coOs e'errt, /cat [3oj/j.6s
Hr/p-aXeov Atos. eari Se ev tji Hdpvrjdi Kai dXXos /3wp.6s, ddovat 8e eV avTov rore fxev"Op,(3pi.ov
Tore Se 'Awqfiiov KaXovvTes Ata, et. mag. p. 352, 49 ff. cited suprap. 873 n. 1). Parnes
(Ozea) is at once the highest (1413111) and the most extensive mountain in Attike. C.
Bursian Geographie von Griechenland Leipzig 1862 i. 252 would locate the statue of Zeus
IIapj'7]#tos and the altar of Zeus 1,-rjfj.aXeos (supra p. 4) near Phyle, on the bare rocky ridge
C. II.
57
897
Mount Gerania(P)1.
Attike
The Akropolis at Athens2.
The Pnyx at Athens3.
Mount Anchesmos 4.
Mount Hymettos5.
Mount Parnes6.
pits and rectangular bases (9, 10) betoken a chthonian cult. On this showing the worship
of Zeus 'A<f>€(TLoi was associated with that of a local Megarian hero (cp. F. Pfister Der
Reliquienkult im Altertum Giessen 1909 i. 1 ff. 'Die mythische Kdnigsliste von Megara'),
who not impossibly had been regarded as Zeus incarnate. A similar combination occurs
e.g. at Olympia, and the surviving inscriptions [Atos A]c/>ea[toi<] and"Hpw[os] are decidedly
suggestive.
1 Paus. 1. 40. 1 ras 8e 2i0Kr5as vvp.(pas Xeyovai Meyapels elvai p.ev acpLcriv eVtxwptas,
fjua 8e avTtov [dvyarpi (seel. C. G. Siebelis)] avyyeveadat Ala, ^Sleyapov re naioa ovra Atos
Kal ravrrjs 8r] rrjs vvp.(pr]s eK(pvyeCv rrjv eVt AevKaXiiovos ttots eTrofijipLav, eK<pvyelv be irpbs rd
aicpa ttjs Tepavias (Makri Plagi 1370™ above seadevel), ovk ^xovtos 7tw rod opovs to '6vop.a
tovto, k.t.X. Cp. Dieuchidas of Megara frag. 1 [Frag. hist. Gr. iv. 388 Muller) ap. Clem.
Al. stro?)i. 6. 2 p. 443, 9 f. Stahlin and frag. 11 (Frag. Hist. Gr. iv. 290 Muller) ap.
Harpokr. s.v. Yepavia. Et. mag. p. 228, 22 ff., telling the same tale, speaks of Meyapeiis
6 Atos /cat p.ias tQv KaXov/ievuiv 6y]'l8iov (L. Dindorf corr. ~2ii6vL8wv) wp*(fiQ>v.
2 Zeus"T7raros [supra p. 875 n. 1 no. (2)). Zeus IIoAieus (infra § 9 (h) ii).
3 Zeus "T\piaTos (supra p. 876 f. n. 1 no. (1)). The Siphnian Zeus 'ETrij3rifj.ios probably
implies a statue of the god on the orator's platform (infra Append. N vied.) ; but it would
be unsafe to argue from Siphnos to Athens, and in any case it was not as mountain-god
that Zeus supported the speaker (Plout. praecept. gerend. reip. 26 kolvov earivlepov to (3rj/j.a
BovXaiov re Atos Kal UoXietos Kai Qe'p.i.Sos Kal Alktjs).
4 Anchesmos is commonly identified with Turkovuni, a range of rocky hills which
divides the Attic plain into two unequal parts watered by the Kephisos and the Ilisos
respectively (C. Wachsmuth in Pauly—-Wissowa Real-Enc. i. 2103, H. Hitzig—H.
Bliimner on Paus. 1. 32. 2). It attains a height of 733™. Somewhere on this range was a
statue of Zeus 'Ayxecr/iios (Paus. 1. 32. 2 Kai 'Ayxecr/uos opos eo-Hv ov fieya /cat Atos dya\/xa
''Ayxeajxiov). A. S. Georgiades in the'E</>. 'Ap%. 1920 p. 59 notes foundations on its E. slopes.
5 On the top of Mt Hymettos (Monte Matto or Trelo-Vuni 1027' iom) was an altar
(et. mag. p. 352, 49 ff. cited supra p. 873 n. 1) and statue of Zeus 'T/j.7)ttios, also altars of
Zeus'^^jSptos and Apollon Tlpob^pios (Paus. 1. 32. 2 ev 'T/j.t)ttu) 5e dyaX/xd eaTiv 'T/j.tjttIov
Atos' /3w/xot 8e Kai 0/x/3pt'ou Atos /cat 'AiroXXwvos eiai Upoo\piov). Hesych. T/x^ttios- Zeus
7rapa 'AttikoTs. Clouds on Hymettos portended rain (Theophr. de signis tempest. 1. 20 and
24), wind (id. ib. 2. 9), and storm (id. ib. 3. 6). W. Kolbein Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc.
ix. 138 f. thinks it very probable that the statue of Zeus 'T^rrtos stood on the small
plateau close to the highest point of the mountain, and that the cult of Zeus"Ofj.j3pios is
perpetuated on its ancient site by the chapel of St Elias perched upon a conspicuous crest
(508™) on the eastern slope of the main massif, above Sphettos, north of the Pirnari
Pass, to which chapel in times of drought whole troops of pilgrims still resort (A. Milch-
hdfer in E. Curtius and J. A. Kaupert Karten von Attika Berlin 1883 Text ii. 32).
6 On Mt Parnes was a bronze statue of Zeus Hapvj]dLos and an altar of Zeus 1,r]/j.aXeos;
also another altar on which sacrifices were made sometimes to Zeus"0,u/3ptos, sometimes to
Zeus 'A7n7p.tos (Paus. 1. 32. 2 /cat ev Hapv-qdi HapvijOLos Zei)s %a\/coOs e'errt, /cat [3oj/j.6s
Hr/p-aXeov Atos. eari Se ev tji Hdpvrjdi Kai dXXos /3wp.6s, ddovat 8e eV avTov rore fxev"Op,(3pi.ov
Tore Se 'Awqfiiov KaXovvTes Ata, et. mag. p. 352, 49 ff. cited suprap. 873 n. 1). Parnes
(Ozea) is at once the highest (1413111) and the most extensive mountain in Attike. C.
Bursian Geographie von Griechenland Leipzig 1862 i. 252 would locate the statue of Zeus
IIapj'7]#tos and the altar of Zeus 1,-rjfj.aXeos (supra p. 4) near Phyle, on the bare rocky ridge
C. II.
57