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)

Zeus as god of the Dark Sky 967

a triumphant victor or even a threatening tyrant more readily
than a peaceful, undemonstrative ruler. The god whose government
was based upon right not might, love not fear, was an ideal for
future ages, born five hundred years in advance of his time.

During those five centuries his statue experienced some sur-
prising vicissitudes. The descendants of Pheidias, entrusted by
the Eleans with the task of cleaning it, were called officially the
Phaidryntai or 1 Burnishers,' and before setting about their duties
used to sacrifice to Athena Ergdne1. Oil was poured out in front
of Zeus to preserve the ivory from decay2, a dark oil made from
pitch being regarded as best for the purpose3. H. C. Schubart4,
however, with the approval of the technologist H. Bliimner5,

1 Pans. 14. 5 ravr-Q rrj "Epydvy Kal ol d-rrbyovoi Qeidlov, KaXov/xevoi Si QaiSpvvTal,
yipas 7rapa 'HXdaiv ciXijipoTes rod Albs to dyaXfia dirb twv irpo<rifav6vTwv Kadalpeiv, oSroi
dvovaiv ivTavBa irplv rj Xaixirpvveiv rb &yaXp.a tpfavrai. A base found at Olympia records
one of these icuSpwral (E. Loewy Inschriften gricchischer Bildhauer Leipzig 1885
p. 367 f. no. 536, 3 f., W. Dittenberger—K. Purgold in Olympia v. 555 f. no. 466, 3 f.
'Fhov QXdoviov I 'HpaKXarov, rbv \ dwb beiSiov, QaiSovTyv \ rod Aibs tov 'OXvpnrlov). Others
are mentioned in inscriptions from Athens, where they had a special seat in the theatre
(Corp. inscr. Att. ii. 1 no. z%$ = Inscr. Gr. ed. min. ii—iii. 3 no. 5064 of Hadrianic date
'baiSuvrov I Aibs 4k Ileiinjs) and might hold office as drchon (Corp. inscr. Att. ii. 1
no. 1058, 2 ff. = fnscr. Gr. ed. min. ii—iii. 2 no. 1828, 2 ff. of c. 210 a.d. [4vl] &pxovtos
*65w[to]![0] Aibs 4v 'OXvvvlq. Ti/StO'ov] | KXavSiov IlaTpbKXoy [Ao]|[/t]7tt/^ws). The
corresponding official attached to the Athenian Olympieion had another reserved seat
in the theatre (Corp. inscr. Att. ii. 1 no. 2gi=fnscr Gr. ed. min. ii. 3 no. 5072 of
Hadrianic date QaiSwroO | Aios 'OXv/tTrfov 4v do-mi) and dedicates a statue of his wife at
Eleusis (Corp. inscr. Att. iii. 1 no. 928, 2 ff. = /uscr. Gr. ed. min. ii. 3 no. 4075, 2 ff.
after 150 A.D. [6 Seiva - - 6] | ayipvoBiT-qs 'OXu/wfrfciW Kal 'OXv/iwlov Aib]\s ' Ae-qvijcriv
*aiowT?j[s ---]), where Demeter and Persephone had long had their own cleaner
(Dittenberger Syll. inscr. Gr? no. 42, c 129 f. in an Attic decree of c. 460 B.C. Kal r[bv
*aioui>Tev] I [t]ov Otoiv, ii? no. 885, 16 f. in an Attic decree of c. 220 a.d. Kal 6 QaiSvvTris
toXv 0ej[otx]). On the Elean spelling *ai5wr^s, as opposed to the Ionic-Attic QaiSpw-
■r^s, see F. Solmsen in the Rhein. Mns. 1899 liv. 347 f. and 495 f. The duties of the
office are discussed by E. Kuhnert ' De cura statuarum apud Graecos 1 in the Berliner
Studun fur classische Philologie und Archaeologie 1884 i. 336 flf.

2 Pans. S. ii. 10 oaov Si rod iSdipovs iarlv lp.Tpoodev tov dyd\p.aTos, tovto oil Xcvkoj,
p-4Xavi Si Kareo-Kevao-rai Tip XWip. irepi9el Si iv kvkXip rbv pJXava \Wov Ylapiov Kpriwls,
Zpv/ia dvat Tip iXaltp t£ iK%eo^ivip. tXaiov yap -ip dydXp-aTi iariv iv 'OXv/iwlq. avp.<j>ipov
K0-l iXaibv io-ri rb dirupyov p.ij yiveffSai rip iXiipavTi f3\d(3os Sid to iXibSes rrjs "AXrews.
"•rX Similarly Methodios, bishop of Olympos in Lykia, who was martyrized under
Maximums Daza in 311 a.d. (W. Christ Geschichte dcr griechischen Litteratur6 Miinchen
'9^4 ii. 2. 1355), ap. Phot. bibl. p. 293 b j ff. Bekker Sti <p-qol QtiSiav rbv dyaXpiaToiroibv
Tb ilnraioc (ISwXov iroi^ffacra 4( iXtipavTOS irpotrTa£ai IXaiov lp.irpoa8<:v tov dydX/xaTos
ei<Xieiv, uo-Tt dffdvaTOv is 8vvau.1v aiiTO abvXdcrtTeo-Bai (cited also by Epiphan. panar. haeres.
6+- '9 (ii- 619 Dindorf)).

s Plin. nal. hist. 15. 31 f. e pice fit quod pissinum appellant, cum coquitur, velleribus
Sllpra halitum eius expansis atque ita expressis...existimaturque et ebori vindicando a
cane utile esse, certe simulacrum Saturni Romae intus oleo repletum est.

4 H- C. Schubart in the Arch. Zeit. 1849 Zeitschrift fiir die Alterthumswissenschaft

H. Bliimner Technologic und Terminologie dcr Gewerbe und Kiinste bei Griechen
""d Romern Leipzig 1879 ii. 374 n. 1.