DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4679#0165
12. THE NATIVE SOCIAL SYSTEM. 139
Laodiceia on the Lycos as an accompaniment of Zeus, the chief god
of the city. On a coin of Verus Zeus AC£IC, standing, lays his right
hand on the horns of a goat. Another coin has a bust of ZEYC • AC€ IC
on the obverse and a goat on the reverse1. Addend. 30.
That the goat played some part in the Phrygian mysteries we can
hardly doubt. Its connexion with the cultus led to various religious
legends (Upol Xoyoi). According to the Cretan legend the infant Zeus
was suckled by a goat; and a similar legend was probably current at
Laodiceia, for a coin shows a bearded god standing supporting an
infant on his left arm and extending his right to the horns of a goat
(MG p. 407). The connexion of Dionysos with the goat was popularly
explained by the Attic legend as resulting from the goat's fondness
for eating the vine-leaves. The connexion probably grew up in Asia
Minor in a state of society in which the goat was of great importance
for the well-being of the people, and was represented as a divine
gift to men too holy for sacrifice except as an entire burnt-offering,
rendered to the god by his worshippers as a peculiarly valuable thing.
The close association of the divine life with animals generally (Ch. Ill)
was also exemplified in the connexion of the god and the goat. The
view to which I have been led is that the Anatolian religion assumed
its form on the great plains of the central plateau, where flocks were
the chief possession of the inhabitants, and where goats were exceed-
ingly numerous. In that case we might ask whether the sheep also
was sacred. No evidence to that effect is known in later time, yet
in the very ancient sculptures with which the front of the palace at
Eyuk (15 m. N. from Pteria) were adorned, the victims for the solemn
sacrifice which was represented on the left side of the entrance
were a he-goat and three sheep2. It is, however, to be noticed that
the goat is in front and single, and his horns are. grasped by the
priest3; while the very number of sheepi shows that they were
1 Waddington Voy. Nttmism. p. 26, goat: the action is probably symbo-
Irnhoof-Blumer MG p. 407 ; see Ch. II Heal.
§ 1. 4 They are not in single file, in which
2 The animals are represented in PL case the number might be taken as
60 of M. Perrot's Exploration Archeolog., literally three : two are represented in
and the whole scene in PI. 55. He calls perspective behind and above the most
the animal in front a mouffon on bou- prominent, and the intention appar-
quetin; but, though the horns are rather ently is to indicate a flock. It is, how-
higher than those of a goat, the head is ever, certain that a ram played some
a goat's, and I believe that such was the part in the Phrygian mysteries, d™-
artist's intention. avatras 6 Zevs tov xpioO tovs &tSifiovs,
3 On Laodicean coins the god stretches (pepav iv /xeVoir eppi\jr( tois ko\wois rijs
out his hand towards the horns of the Aiyour, Clemens Alex. Protrept. c 2
Laodiceia on the Lycos as an accompaniment of Zeus, the chief god
of the city. On a coin of Verus Zeus AC£IC, standing, lays his right
hand on the horns of a goat. Another coin has a bust of ZEYC • AC€ IC
on the obverse and a goat on the reverse1. Addend. 30.
That the goat played some part in the Phrygian mysteries we can
hardly doubt. Its connexion with the cultus led to various religious
legends (Upol Xoyoi). According to the Cretan legend the infant Zeus
was suckled by a goat; and a similar legend was probably current at
Laodiceia, for a coin shows a bearded god standing supporting an
infant on his left arm and extending his right to the horns of a goat
(MG p. 407). The connexion of Dionysos with the goat was popularly
explained by the Attic legend as resulting from the goat's fondness
for eating the vine-leaves. The connexion probably grew up in Asia
Minor in a state of society in which the goat was of great importance
for the well-being of the people, and was represented as a divine
gift to men too holy for sacrifice except as an entire burnt-offering,
rendered to the god by his worshippers as a peculiarly valuable thing.
The close association of the divine life with animals generally (Ch. Ill)
was also exemplified in the connexion of the god and the goat. The
view to which I have been led is that the Anatolian religion assumed
its form on the great plains of the central plateau, where flocks were
the chief possession of the inhabitants, and where goats were exceed-
ingly numerous. In that case we might ask whether the sheep also
was sacred. No evidence to that effect is known in later time, yet
in the very ancient sculptures with which the front of the palace at
Eyuk (15 m. N. from Pteria) were adorned, the victims for the solemn
sacrifice which was represented on the left side of the entrance
were a he-goat and three sheep2. It is, however, to be noticed that
the goat is in front and single, and his horns are. grasped by the
priest3; while the very number of sheepi shows that they were
1 Waddington Voy. Nttmism. p. 26, goat: the action is probably symbo-
Irnhoof-Blumer MG p. 407 ; see Ch. II Heal.
§ 1. 4 They are not in single file, in which
2 The animals are represented in PL case the number might be taken as
60 of M. Perrot's Exploration Archeolog., literally three : two are represented in
and the whole scene in PI. 55. He calls perspective behind and above the most
the animal in front a mouffon on bou- prominent, and the intention appar-
quetin; but, though the horns are rather ently is to indicate a flock. It is, how-
higher than those of a goat, the head is ever, certain that a ram played some
a goat's, and I believe that such was the part in the Phrygian mysteries, d™-
artist's intention. avatras 6 Zevs tov xpioO tovs &tSifiovs,
3 On Laodicean coins the god stretches (pepav iv /xeVoir eppi\jr( tois ko\wois rijs
out his hand towards the horns of the Aiyour, Clemens Alex. Protrept. c 2