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)

622

Zeus as an ox; Zeus Olbios

a vegetation power1 and as such associated with flowers and fruit.
The fertilising god must needs have a fertile bride.

' The Greek type of Europe with her flowers seated on the back
of the bull Zeus seems to have originated in the Hittite type 0l~
Chipa with her flowery kirtle standing on the bull of Tesub2, and

(from a tracing of the original) =my fig. 419, Alinari's photo no. 35731 =my fig- 42°''
Europe stoops to attach a cord to the horns of the submissive bull (cp. Ov. met. 2. 8<5? ''
Anth. Lat. cod. Salmas. 14. 17 f. (i. 1. 49 Riese), while one of her playmates holds hiBj
by the tail. The bull is painted white. Eros with a tainia and a flower in his left 'iaI1^
extends his right with a wreath towards Europe. The rest of the figures are divine, an
correspond with those on the reverse of the preceding vase. On the left Aphro '.^
uplifting a mirror, leans over a pillar to watch the scene. On the right Hermes, ^
petasos, chlamj/s, caduceus, and wreath, awaits the issue in his favourite attitude of
supported foot (supra a. 47911. 6, infra p. 706). Finally, seated at a higher 'eve'j_a^g
half-draped in a fine himdtion, with a wreath in his hair, is the bridegroom i°° ^ ^
towards his bride. The sceptre in his hand marks him as Zeus. Jahn toe. cit. speaks 0^
as crowned with an eagle. Overbeck too calls it an ' Adlerscepter' and figures it as ^
though in the modern photograph the bird is hard to trace. Jahn further describes ^
as 'unbartig.' Overbeck says 'in seltener Erscheinung jugendlich' and compares ^ellS^y
a beardless lover on an lo-amphora of the Coghill collection (Lenormant—de Wit'e
mon. ct>r. i. 55 ff. pi. 26, Overbeck op. cit. Zeus p. 466 f. (no. 1) Atlas pi- 7, 7' * •
p. 638 n. o fig. 435); but Overbeck's own tracing shows that the god's face is 01
and Gori op. cit. pi. 163 gives it a beard! ^

(3) A South-Italian krate'r (hydriaf), likewise in the Museo Gregoriano, simpli"_es ^
scene (O. Jahn op. cit. p. 5, Overbeck op. cit. Zeus p. 437 (no. 18) Atlas pi. 6, *3 \ ^
tracing of the original) = my fig. 421). Europe hurries forward to caress the wh' e g
which stands erect before her on the flowery plain. Her old nurse (?) turns away ^ g.
gesture of astonishment. Above Europe is seen a taiiiia. Above the bull's head, a ^
winged Eros with mirror and dulcimer. On a higher level, left and rigW>_ s j
deities facing each other—Zeus with phidle and long sceptre, Aphrodite with niirrur
toilet-box. . nand

An Apulian krate'r in the Louvre represents a slightly earlier moment in the ac ^
gives no hint of Zeus in human shape (Overbeck op. cit. Zeus p. 434 (no. 15) AtlaS^ ^5
12 (from a tracing of the original) = my fig. 422). The treatment is interesting aI1
perhaps inspired by some such painting as that described in Ach. Tat. 1. 1 e^p-a g^gpa,
dvdeaLU 6 Aa(ut6i' ■ b&b'puv avrois dvepJpLiKTO (pd\ay^ Kai <pvTLoy' Gvvexh Ttx ^
ffvvqpe<pT} to. iriraXa- avpTjtnov ol irrdpOoi ra $6Wa, Kai iyivero tois &vdeo~iv bpo<P°* ^01/
<pvKKoiv ffv/iir\oKri. typatpev 6 TexvlTijs iirb ra wfraXa Kai ttjv GKidv ...iiSup bi s<tT*efl.( ^aX
tppei rod Xei/j.wvos Trjs ypatpijs, to p.kv dva§\i^ov KaruBev Atto rijs yijs, to 8£ tois ^gfn
Toh cjtvroh irepLxebjxevov. Here too in the midst of the meadow is a spring we ^^hed
a hollow rock, on which sits Europe beneath two overarching trees. On the left a^s ^gfs
woman bears a large pitcher. On the right a great bull, coloured white and re 1 ^
his head before Europe, who looks longingly at him and toys with her veil. °g seen
Aphrodite is seated, with Eros standing beside her. And above the horiz°n
a male and a female (? two females) conversing together. 414,

3 So most frequently, e.g. supra i. 471 fig. 327, 526 pi. xxxii, 531 fig. 4°5' 5+7 j x[vii,
iii. 615 n. 5 (1) fig. 415, 615 n. 5 (2) fig. 416, 619 n. 1 fig. 418, 619 n. » (»/ P *

620 n. o (2) figs. 419, 420, 622 n. o (3) fig. 421, 622 n. o fig. 422.

4 E.g. supra i. 539 fig. 411, iii. 618 n. o (3) pi. xlvi, 1 and 2.
6 E.g. infra p. 627 n. o (3) pi. xlviii.

1 Supra i. 524 ff.

2 Supra i. 526 n. 2, 606, 644 figs. 503 and 504.