Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 3,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (earthquake, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorits): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1940)

Nephelokokkygia 67

whole plot of the bird-comedy. The bird-Zeus was the mate of Hera
Basileia: Pisthetairos must follow suit. The sceptre, of which we
hear so much in the course of the play1, was perhaps directly sug-
gested by the cuckoo-sceptre of the Argive Hera2.

I end by anticipating an objection. Aristophanes (it may be
urged), lover of old-fashioned Athens as he was, would not have
appealed to an Athenian public by thus dwelling on a virtually
foreign cult. Still less (I shall be told) could he have assumed in
his work-a-day audience familiarity with or appreciation of a cult-
statue carved by an alien sculptor for a Peloponnesian town. The
objection may be met, or at least minimised, by the consideration
of a certain red-figured lekythos from Ruvo, now in the British
Museum3, which—if I am not in error—makes it probable that this
very statue was known and admired by ordinary folk at Athens in
the days of Aristophanes. The vase-painting (pi. xi)4, which is
contemporary or nearly contemporary with our play, represents
a frequent subject—the judgment of Paris. To our surprise, however,
the central goddess is not Aphrodite but Hera, who sits on a throne
raised by a lotos-patterned base. As befits a 'Queen,' she wears
a high decorated stephdne and holds in her left hand a long sceptre
tipped by a cuckoo with spread wings. Her feet rest on a footstool,
and beside the further arm of her throne is an open-mouthed panther
sitting on its hind legs5. Advancing towards her comes Nike with

G. Loeschcke Vermutungen zur griechischen Kunstgeschichte und zur Topographic
Athens Dorpati Livonorum 1884 pp. 14—24, followed by O. Kern in Pauly—Wissowa
Real-Enc. iii. 44 f., would identify the BacriXeia of Kratinos and Aristophanes with the
Meter of the Athenian market-place, protectress of the Bouleute'rion.

1 Aristoph. av. 480, 635 f., 1534 f., 1600 f., 1626 f., 1631.

2 Cp. Aristoph. a?'. 508 ff. VPX01> oOrw &<pt>dpa ttjv dpxvv tocr', ei tls kclI /3a<rtXetfoi |
tv Tats ir&keiTiv tCjv 'EXXt^wj' ' Ayap.4iivwv 7} MeyAaos, [ etri t&v aKT^ivrp^v {nad^r' opvis
M€t^w 6 tl 8u)poSoKQL7j with ib. 504 AiyuTTOu 5' a5 Kai ^olvIktjs TrdffTjs k6kkv^ /3a<7iXei)s rjv.
It is important to note that both Egypt (Epaphos, Memphis, Libye, Belos, Anchinoe,
Aigyptos, Danaos, etc.) and Phoinike (Agenor, Kadmos, Phoinix, etc.) play a large part
in the mythology of the early kings of Argos.

3 Brit. Mus. Cat. Vases iv. 61 no. F 109, Gerhard Ant. Bildw. p. 289 f. pi. 43, Welcker
Alt. Denkm. v. 410 no. 61 pi. B, 3, Overbeck Gr. Kunstmyth. Plera p. 140 ff. (li) Atlas
pi. 10, 1 and 1 a.

4 The vase, when I first saw it, had been very skilfully repainted so as to appear quite
complete. My friend Mr H. B. Walters kindly had it cleaned for me with ether (Sept. 29,
1910), and thus fixed the exact limits of the restoration. I was therefore enabled to publish in
the Ridgeway volume (supra p. 44 n. 1) for the first time an accurate drawing of the design
by that excellent draughtsman, the late Mr F. Anderson. The present plate is reproduced
from his coloured drawing to a larger scale.

6 The panther appears to be a variant of the lion, which on other vases representing
the judgment of Paris precedes (Welcker Alt. Denkm. v. 388 no. 22) or is carried by Hera
(id. ib. v. 398 f. no. 52 pi. B, 2, Furtwiingler Vasensamvil. Berlin ii. 716 ff. no. 2536,

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