DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14697#0310
Zeus Meilichios
It is tempting to conjecture that his pyramid betokened a buried king. For tombs
of pyramidal form occur sporadically from Egypt to Italy1; and, if Eumelos
of later art. A 'third brass' of Geta shows Zeus seated with a phidle in his right hand, a
sceptre in his left (Rasche Lex. Num. viii. 912, Imhoof-Blumer
and P. Gardner Num. Comm. Pans. i. 29). A copper of Caracalla (?)
has CI KVW N Zeus standing to the left, naked, with thunder-
bolt in right hand, sceptre in left (Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Pelopon-
nesus p. 55, Imhoof-Blumer and P. Gardner op. cit. i. 29 pi. H,
10 = my fig. 965): cp. the obverse type of a ^«a«'-autonomous coin
in Numismata antiqua in tres partes divisa, collegit Thomas
Pembrochise et Montis Gomerici comes Londinii 1746 ii pi. 28,
11, Rasche Lex. Num. viii. 910 Zeus standing, naked, with Nike Fi<r. gg.
in his right hand and a sceptre in his left. Imhoof-Blumer and
P. Gardner loc. cit. rightly see in the British Museum coin an illustration of Pans. 2. 9. 6
rr/s <5e ayopas tarw iv ti2 inraidpcp Zed's x<x\/coOs, rexvy AwLttttov (cp. Overbeck Gr. Kunst-
myth. Zeus p. 151 f.).
1 A good collection of evidence is got together by R. Pochette ' Sur la pyra, comme
type de monument funeraire' in the Me"moires de VLnstitut National de France Academie
des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres 1848 xvii. 388—401, who derives pyramidal tombs
from pyramidal pyres. Without necessarily7 subscribing to this view, we may admit that
pyres and similar structures of funerary import must be taken into account along with
actual tombs. A rough classification of the relevant monuments according to form would
include (a) stepped pyramids, (b) smooth-sided pyramids, (c) stepped pyramids on plinths,
(d) smooth-sided pyramids on plinths. Examples are :—
(a) The stepped pyramid at Saqqara built by Zosiri of the third dynasty (G. Maspero
The Dawn of Civilization* London 1901 p. 359, E. A. Wallis Budge A History of Egypt
London 1902 i. 193, 218 f. fig., J. H. Breasted A History of Egypt New York 1911
p. 113 f. fig. 63, E. Bell The Architecture of Ancient Egypt London 1915 p. 236°. fig.),
or that at Riqqeh, whose occupant is unknown (G. Maspero op. cit:.4 p. 359 n. 3), or again
that at Medum built by Snofrui the last king of the third dynasty, though this at least was
probably meant to be cased with polished stone (G. Maspero op. cit.* p. 359b fig., E. A.
Wallis Budge op. cit. ii. 24 f. fig., J. H. Breasted op. cit. p. 115 fig. 64, E. Bell op. cit.
p. 25 b fig.). The form has traceable antecedents, viz. the four-sided tumulusthe brick-
built mastaba the stone-built mastaba -*• a series of stone-built mastaba superposed = a
stepped pyramid.
(b) The fully developed pyramids of Egypt, those of Kenchreai (A. Blouet etc. Expedi-
tion scientifique de Moree Paris 1833 ii. 92 pi. 55, 1—3, Frazer Pausanias iii. 2f2—2(4,
v. 565 f.) and Ligourio near Epidauros (A. Blouet etc. op. cit. ii. 164 pi. 76, 2 f, Frazer
Pausanias iii. 233, v. 570), that at Astros in Kynouria (W. Vischer Erinnerungen und
Eindritcke aus Griechenland Basel 1857 p. 327), that of Cestius on the via Ostiensis (A.
Schneider Das alte Rom Leipzig 1896 pi. 4, 15, O. Richter Topographie der Stadt Rom-
Mtinchen 1901 p. 355, H. Jordan—C. Huelsen Topographie der Stadt Rom im Alterthum
Berlin 1907 i. 3. 179!.), if not also the one formerly existing near the Mausoleum of
Hadrian and known to the middle ages, or earlier (Acron in Hor. epod. 9. 25), as the
sepulcrum Scipionis or Romuli (O. Richter op. cit.2 p. 280, H. Jordan—C. Huelsen op.
cit. i. 3. 659 f, H. Jordan ib. Berlin 1871 ii. 405 b). A pyramid of the sort is grouped
with a warrior or gladiator (bustuarius?) in two different gem-types (E. Saglio in Darem-
berg—Saglio Diet. Ant. i. 755 fig. 898, Reinach Pierres Gravies p. 65 no. 73, 5 pi. 65 ;
Reinach op. cit. p. 83 no. 90 pi. 80).
(c) The stepped tomb of ' Ryros' on the site of Pasargadai (C. F. M. Texier Description
de PArmenie, la Perse et la Me'sopotamie Paris 1852 ii. 152IT. pis. 81—83, Perrot—Chipiez
Hist, de VArt v. 597 ff. figs. 375—377, J. Fergusson A History of Architecture in all
Countries* London 1893 i. 196 ff. figs. 84—86) can hardly be said to have a plinth, but
forms the starting-point for such edifices as the lion-tomb at Knidos (Sir C. T. Newton A
It is tempting to conjecture that his pyramid betokened a buried king. For tombs
of pyramidal form occur sporadically from Egypt to Italy1; and, if Eumelos
of later art. A 'third brass' of Geta shows Zeus seated with a phidle in his right hand, a
sceptre in his left (Rasche Lex. Num. viii. 912, Imhoof-Blumer
and P. Gardner Num. Comm. Pans. i. 29). A copper of Caracalla (?)
has CI KVW N Zeus standing to the left, naked, with thunder-
bolt in right hand, sceptre in left (Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Pelopon-
nesus p. 55, Imhoof-Blumer and P. Gardner op. cit. i. 29 pi. H,
10 = my fig. 965): cp. the obverse type of a ^«a«'-autonomous coin
in Numismata antiqua in tres partes divisa, collegit Thomas
Pembrochise et Montis Gomerici comes Londinii 1746 ii pi. 28,
11, Rasche Lex. Num. viii. 910 Zeus standing, naked, with Nike Fi<r. gg.
in his right hand and a sceptre in his left. Imhoof-Blumer and
P. Gardner loc. cit. rightly see in the British Museum coin an illustration of Pans. 2. 9. 6
rr/s <5e ayopas tarw iv ti2 inraidpcp Zed's x<x\/coOs, rexvy AwLttttov (cp. Overbeck Gr. Kunst-
myth. Zeus p. 151 f.).
1 A good collection of evidence is got together by R. Pochette ' Sur la pyra, comme
type de monument funeraire' in the Me"moires de VLnstitut National de France Academie
des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres 1848 xvii. 388—401, who derives pyramidal tombs
from pyramidal pyres. Without necessarily7 subscribing to this view, we may admit that
pyres and similar structures of funerary import must be taken into account along with
actual tombs. A rough classification of the relevant monuments according to form would
include (a) stepped pyramids, (b) smooth-sided pyramids, (c) stepped pyramids on plinths,
(d) smooth-sided pyramids on plinths. Examples are :—
(a) The stepped pyramid at Saqqara built by Zosiri of the third dynasty (G. Maspero
The Dawn of Civilization* London 1901 p. 359, E. A. Wallis Budge A History of Egypt
London 1902 i. 193, 218 f. fig., J. H. Breasted A History of Egypt New York 1911
p. 113 f. fig. 63, E. Bell The Architecture of Ancient Egypt London 1915 p. 236°. fig.),
or that at Riqqeh, whose occupant is unknown (G. Maspero op. cit:.4 p. 359 n. 3), or again
that at Medum built by Snofrui the last king of the third dynasty, though this at least was
probably meant to be cased with polished stone (G. Maspero op. cit.* p. 359b fig., E. A.
Wallis Budge op. cit. ii. 24 f. fig., J. H. Breasted op. cit. p. 115 fig. 64, E. Bell op. cit.
p. 25 b fig.). The form has traceable antecedents, viz. the four-sided tumulusthe brick-
built mastaba the stone-built mastaba -*• a series of stone-built mastaba superposed = a
stepped pyramid.
(b) The fully developed pyramids of Egypt, those of Kenchreai (A. Blouet etc. Expedi-
tion scientifique de Moree Paris 1833 ii. 92 pi. 55, 1—3, Frazer Pausanias iii. 2f2—2(4,
v. 565 f.) and Ligourio near Epidauros (A. Blouet etc. op. cit. ii. 164 pi. 76, 2 f, Frazer
Pausanias iii. 233, v. 570), that at Astros in Kynouria (W. Vischer Erinnerungen und
Eindritcke aus Griechenland Basel 1857 p. 327), that of Cestius on the via Ostiensis (A.
Schneider Das alte Rom Leipzig 1896 pi. 4, 15, O. Richter Topographie der Stadt Rom-
Mtinchen 1901 p. 355, H. Jordan—C. Huelsen Topographie der Stadt Rom im Alterthum
Berlin 1907 i. 3. 179!.), if not also the one formerly existing near the Mausoleum of
Hadrian and known to the middle ages, or earlier (Acron in Hor. epod. 9. 25), as the
sepulcrum Scipionis or Romuli (O. Richter op. cit.2 p. 280, H. Jordan—C. Huelsen op.
cit. i. 3. 659 f, H. Jordan ib. Berlin 1871 ii. 405 b). A pyramid of the sort is grouped
with a warrior or gladiator (bustuarius?) in two different gem-types (E. Saglio in Darem-
berg—Saglio Diet. Ant. i. 755 fig. 898, Reinach Pierres Gravies p. 65 no. 73, 5 pi. 65 ;
Reinach op. cit. p. 83 no. 90 pi. 80).
(c) The stepped tomb of ' Ryros' on the site of Pasargadai (C. F. M. Texier Description
de PArmenie, la Perse et la Me'sopotamie Paris 1852 ii. 152IT. pis. 81—83, Perrot—Chipiez
Hist, de VArt v. 597 ff. figs. 375—377, J. Fergusson A History of Architecture in all
Countries* London 1893 i. 196 ff. figs. 84—86) can hardly be said to have a plinth, but
forms the starting-point for such edifices as the lion-tomb at Knidos (Sir C. T. Newton A