DOI chapter:
Division A: The Agora and adjacent buildings lying to the west and north of the Acropolis, from the city gate to the Prytaneion
DOI chapter:Section VII
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61302#0308
MYTHOLOGY AND MONUMENTS
DIV. A
136
the scene he mentions, the council held after the outrage of Ajax,
was the only episode depicted. Probably the whole Ilionpersis
was painted somewhat after the fashion of the great fresco at
Delphi by Polygnotus, which Pausanias describes in detail; but
some special point arrested the attention of Pausanias in the
Ajax scene, and he mentions nothing else. It is noticeable that
vase-paintings frequently depict the actual scene of the outrage of
Ajax, as shown on the chest of Cypselus, but never the conse-
quent council of the chiefs.
As regards the figure of Laodike, daughter of Priam, she was
naturally prominent in the Athenian picture as well as in that at
Delphi, from her connection with the Athenian hero Akamas.
Akamas forms, as previously noted, the link that connects
Theseus with the Trojan cycle. The story of Laodike and
Akamas is given by the scholiast271 on Lycophron’s Alexandra.
He says—“ Diomedes and Akamas, the son of Theseus, went on
an embassy to the Trojans, and it fell out that Laodike, daughter
of Priam, loved Akamas, and became his wife and bore him a son
called Mounitos ; but being in fear, she gave the babe to Aithra,
mother of Theseus, to bring up; but she recognised the child of
her grandson, and took care of it and reared it ; and when Troy
was taken, she was recognised by Akamas and went away with
him, taking Mounitos ; but when they came to Thrace and went
out hunting, a snake bit Mounitos and he died.”
The battle of Marathon was — if we may judge from the
number of allusions to it—by far the most famous of the paint-
ings. Pausanias elsewhere, 272 in his account of the painting of
the balustrades of the throne of Zeus, says they were painted by
Panainos, and “ this Panainos was brother to Pheidias, and he
painted the battle of Marathon in the Stoa Poikile at Athens.”
Against this we have to set the testimony of ZElian,273 who
says that a portion of the picture was done by either Mikon or
Polygnotus ; as he seems uncertain which, we need not attach
much weight to his opinion. The passage quoted above from
Arrian certainly implies that he thought the battle of Marathon,
as well as the Amazonomachia, was painted by Mikon. It is
very probable that the whole decoration of the stoa was under-
taken by the three great painters in common, and that they helped
each other all round.
As to the figures represented, we have a good deal of informa-
tion. From the account of Pausanias the action seems to have
fallen into three scenes — (1) an equal fight; (2) the Persians
DIV. A
136
the scene he mentions, the council held after the outrage of Ajax,
was the only episode depicted. Probably the whole Ilionpersis
was painted somewhat after the fashion of the great fresco at
Delphi by Polygnotus, which Pausanias describes in detail; but
some special point arrested the attention of Pausanias in the
Ajax scene, and he mentions nothing else. It is noticeable that
vase-paintings frequently depict the actual scene of the outrage of
Ajax, as shown on the chest of Cypselus, but never the conse-
quent council of the chiefs.
As regards the figure of Laodike, daughter of Priam, she was
naturally prominent in the Athenian picture as well as in that at
Delphi, from her connection with the Athenian hero Akamas.
Akamas forms, as previously noted, the link that connects
Theseus with the Trojan cycle. The story of Laodike and
Akamas is given by the scholiast271 on Lycophron’s Alexandra.
He says—“ Diomedes and Akamas, the son of Theseus, went on
an embassy to the Trojans, and it fell out that Laodike, daughter
of Priam, loved Akamas, and became his wife and bore him a son
called Mounitos ; but being in fear, she gave the babe to Aithra,
mother of Theseus, to bring up; but she recognised the child of
her grandson, and took care of it and reared it ; and when Troy
was taken, she was recognised by Akamas and went away with
him, taking Mounitos ; but when they came to Thrace and went
out hunting, a snake bit Mounitos and he died.”
The battle of Marathon was — if we may judge from the
number of allusions to it—by far the most famous of the paint-
ings. Pausanias elsewhere, 272 in his account of the painting of
the balustrades of the throne of Zeus, says they were painted by
Panainos, and “ this Panainos was brother to Pheidias, and he
painted the battle of Marathon in the Stoa Poikile at Athens.”
Against this we have to set the testimony of ZElian,273 who
says that a portion of the picture was done by either Mikon or
Polygnotus ; as he seems uncertain which, we need not attach
much weight to his opinion. The passage quoted above from
Arrian certainly implies that he thought the battle of Marathon,
as well as the Amazonomachia, was painted by Mikon. It is
very probable that the whole decoration of the stoa was under-
taken by the three great painters in common, and that they helped
each other all round.
As to the figures represented, we have a good deal of informa-
tion. From the account of Pausanias the action seems to have
fallen into three scenes — (1) an equal fight; (2) the Persians