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

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Appendix H

shore. The distance gives a very interesting view of the Anakeion {supra i. 107
n. 7) or sanctuary at Therapne (?), where the Dioskouroi lived on underground
(Alkm. frag. 5 Bergk4 ap. schol. Eur. Tro. 210, Pind. Nem. 10. 103 f. with schol.
ad loc). The reclining figures are the buried heroes themselves. The snake
containing their numen creeps across from the old sanctuary to the new, intent
on tasting the libation of Argenidas), at the Spartan colony Tarentum (see e.g.
Garrucci Mon. It. ant. p. 130 pi. 100, 48, cp. Brit. Mies. Cat. Coins Italy p. 160
nos. 1—3, Head Coins of the Ancients p. 66 pi. 33, 12, id. Hist, num.2 p. 58, and
especially M. P. Vlasto in the Journ. Intern. d'Arch. Num. 1899 ii. 331 f. pi. 17,
1—6 gold stateres of Tarentum struck c. 281 B.C.: obv. head of Zeus to left with
NIK as monogram in the field to right; rev. TAPANTI NflN and NIKAPand
on one specimen eagle to right on thunderbolt with two amphorae, sometimes
surmounted by stars, in the field to right, id. ib. 1899 ii. 333 f. pi. 17, 16—18
quarter stateres of gold with same reverse type, but obverse showing laureate
head of Apollon. The presence of the amphorae as symbols on these coins is
explained by the fact that at Tarentum there was a cult of the Dioskouroi
{supra i. 35 n. 6 fig. 8). In 1880 A.D. numerous terra-cottas were found at
Tarentum, including a series of votive tablets studied by E. Petersen ' Dioskuren
in Tarent' in the Rom. Mitth. 1900 xv. 3—61 with 2 pis. and many figs, and by
G. Gastinel 'Cinq reliefs Tarentins' in the Rev. Arch. 1901 i. 46—58 with 4 figs.
The» tablets are in the form of naiskoi and were originally painted. As classified
by Petersen, they comprise the following types :

A. The Dioskouroi standing without horses (Petersen loc. cit. p. 7 fig. 1 and

p. 8 fig. 3)-

B. The Dioskouroi standing by their horses (Petersen loc. cit. p. 15 fig. 1).

C. The Dioskouroi riding (Petersen loc. cit. p. 18 fig. 2).

D. The Dioskouroi driving (Petersen loc. cit. p. 23 fig. 1).

E. The Dioskouroi on horse-back coming to the Theoxenia (Petersen loc.

cit. p. 24 fig. 6).

F. The Dioskouroi reclining at the feast (Petersen loc. cit. p. 27 fig. 2).

It should be observed that the amphorae are a constant feature of the Tarentine
reliefs (G. Gastinel loc. cit. p. 55 cp. the amphorae on the cake-moulds from
Tarentum : supra p. 131), being placed usually on the ground, but sometimes
on the dokana (cp. supra p. 158 ft". fig. 99), or on pillars), in Etruria (Gerhard
Etr. Spiegel iii. 42 pi. 48, 6 and 8, cp. supra i. 770 fig. 564), and at Tauion in
Galatia (Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Galatia, etc. p. 24 pi. 1, Head Hist, num.2
p. 749 coppers of s. i. B.C.).

These Dioscuric amphorae have been variously explained. E. Petersen in
the Rom. Mitth. 1900 xv. 41 calls them ' agonistisch' and supposes that jars
of wine were given as prizes and contained the drink required for the Theoxenia
(schol. Pind. 01. 3 argum., 1, cp. 72 : see further Nilsson Gr. Feste p. 418 ft".).
A. Furtwangler in Roscher Lex. Myth. i. 1171 hesitates whether to regard them
as ' Weinamphoren' implying a ritual use or as merely ' sepulkrale Symbole.'
E. Bethe in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. v. 1108 takes them to be bottomless
vessels, like the great 'Dipylon' vases (cp. supra i. 766 n. 9), set up over the
grave for the reception of funereal offerings. Gerhard Gr. Myth. i. 524 f. long ago
described them as ' Aschengefasse.' My friend Dr J. Rendel Harris Boanerges
Cambridge 1913 p. 377 f. acutely conjectures that in them we have a Greek
parallel to the pots used throughout Africa etc. for the burial of a twin or of a
twin's placenta. Personally I should be content to say that the amphorae both
of Zeus Ktesios and of the Dioskouroi presuppose the custom of pithos-burial, and