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)

814 The owl of Athena

successes against the Ambraciotes and their Peloponnesian allies at Olpai, the Corcyraean
insurgents on Mt Istone, and the inhabitants of Anaktorion. They testified their gratitude
by dedicating a fresh statue of Athena Nike, and this in turn was restored at some date
between 350 and 320 B.C. (Inscr. Gr. ed. min. ii—iii. 1 no. 403, a, Dittenberger Syli-
inscr. Gr? no. 264, a). These considerations have led to a summary rejection of
Benndorf's hypothesis (E. Curtius in the Arch. Zeit. 1S79 xxxvii. 97, C. Robert in
U. von Wilamowitz-Mollendorff Aus Kydathen Berlin 1880 p. 184 n. 1, R. Kekule
Die Reliefs an der Balustrade der Athena Nike Stuttgart 1881 p. 25, A. Furtwanglet
in Roscher Lex. Myth. i. 689, H. Bulle ii. iii. 310 f., Collignon Hist, de la Sculpt, gf-

Fig. 62 r.

ii. 99 n. i, W. Judeich Topographic von Athen* Mtinchen 1931 pp. 218 n. 1, 22^ '.^g
and indeed it is clear that Kimon cannot have had any hand in the building or equipP ^
of the extant temple. It might, however, be contended that he built and equipP s
earlier structure on the same site, especially in view of the ' post-Persian' blocks 0 / ^
found by N. Balanos (supra p. 813 n. 3). Even so it remains highly improbable tn j
cult of Athena Nike was introduced from Pamphylia, or that the pomegranate 1
hand was a piece of canting heraldry. 1 ha0''

Assuming then, as we have every right to do, that the pomegranate in Athena s e
was an ancient symbol, we have next to discover the nature of the symbolism- s
Greeks were struck by two characteristics of the fruit—its red colour and its n p^js
seeds (cp. Kallim. lavacr. Pall. 27 f. of Athena's toilet before the Judgment o
t6 5' Zpevdos av^dpaixe, irptbiov o'ia.v \ rfj pbbov 7} fft/35as kSkkos &x€l xp°^av)' The fii*s^ ceI ^ct)-
suggested blood (Artemid. oneirocr. 1. 73 poaX di Tpavpi&tuv elel G-nnavTiKoX Sat T^ ^ ^j,
The second possibly suggested fertility (Furtwangler Masterpieces of Gk. Sculps P ^yCt
Farnell Cults of Gk. States ii. 696 n. c), though of this we have no definite Pr°ep)ilrlts
P. Saintyves Les Vierges Meres et les Naissances Miraculeuses Paris 1908 p- 9* e tfO
that pomegranates occur in a Florentine spell against sterility in women)-