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)

The aigis and Gorgdneion of Athena 845

The earliest Gorgon's head known to me occurs on a signet-seal of
black steatite now in my collection (fig. 659: scale f). It is Cretan
work of the 'Middle Minoan ii'1 period (1900—1700 B.C.) and,
though broken, shows clearly enough the broad full face with its
emphasised eyes, gross ears, and bristling hair. The nearest con-
temporary parallels are afforded by the horned imp on a signet
from Mochlos2 and one or two of the 'demonic' types on the
clay-sealings from Kato Zakro3.

On the primary significance of the Gorgdneion there has been
much rash speculation. Scholars ancient and modern have elaborated

b c
Fig. 659.

not a few mutually destructive hypotheses. Plutarch dwells on the
hideous face in the moon4, and an Orphic fragment dubs it
G°rg6nionh. Hence E. Gerhard6, G. R. Gaedechens7, and many more8
have identified the Gorgon's head with the moon, though on
occasion it appears in a solar rather than a lunar context9. Others,
3 reconstruction of pediment, C. Picard La sculpture Paris 1935 i. 475—478 with pi. 4

rysaor and figs. 89 whole pediment, 143 Gorgon, 144 lion, 145 Zeus v. Giant, 146

Ch:

no«hern angle,"]*. Hampe 'korfugieberimd frUhe Perseusbilder' in the Ath. Mitth.
'935/36 lx/lxi. 269—299 figs. 1—8 pis. 93—100). My pi. lxiv is from a drawing by
Mrs D. K. Kennett of the cast in the Museum of Classical Archaeology, Cambridge.

1 See Sir A. Evans The Palace of Minos London 1921 i. 274.

2 R. b. Seager Explorations in the island of Mochlos Boston—New York 1912 p. 58
%• 27 no. x, b, Sir A. Evans The Palace of Minos London 1921 i. 703 fig- 526, 1936
'ndex p. ,7l n. , (>m.M. \\ or H\\ s. Marinatos in the 'E(p. 'Apx- 1927—1928 p. 17
% 6, F. Mate Die friihkretischen Siegel Berlin—Leipzig 1928 p. 19 pi. 13. 4-

3 D. G. Hogarth in the Journ. Hell. Stud. 1902 xxii. 84 no. 76 fig. 20, no. 78 fig. 22.

4 Hout. de fac. in orb. lun. 29 <!/c0o/3« Si avras {sc. ras twv Ko\aS<>ixtvav ^xis) Kal
Ti> KoXointvov TrpoawTTov, orav iyyiis yivumai, p\oavp!>v n Kai <ppiKCiie% bpwixevov.

6 Supra p. 805 n. 4. 0 Gerhard Gr. Myth. i. 583.

7 G. R. Gaedechens in J. S. Ersch-J. G. Gruber Allgemeine Encycbpiidie der
Wustnschaftcn und Kiinstc Lei pzig I. lxxiv. 400'' ff.

Listed by K. Ziegler in Pauly—Wissowa Peal-Em: vii. 1645 f.
° Supra i. 292 f. fig. 212, 306 f. figs. 242—245. 8°5- CP- J' Six De Gorgone
^"wtelodami 1885 p. 91 : 'Huius tamen (sc. ducis Luynensis) argumentis longe facihus
'••monstraveris Gorgonis caput solem esse quam lunam.' Kaiser Wilhelm II. Studien zur
orgo Berlin 1936 p. 79 ff. treats her as ' Nachtsonne ' or ' Unterweltssonne.'