Siphnian Treasury, I – East Frieze
The Siphian frieze exhibits one of the earliest continuous narrative Greek friezes noticed in the Greek sculpture. The East frieze is divided into two scenes: on the left the assembly of the gods, and on the right the battle over a fallen warrior (Sarpedon, or Antilochos son of Nestor.
The east frieze is the earliest known representation of the Greek gods seated in formal assembly on Olympos, just as described in the Iliad. In Homer, the gods assemble primarily to decide upon the fate of mankind, which may explain why they are assembled on the frieze. Zeus, who sits on an elaborate throne while the other gods are provided with stools, separates the two divine pro-Trojan and pro-Greek factions, and faces toward the battle scene on the right.
On the far left is Ares; enough of the painted inscription beside him remains to make his identity certain. In front of him sit two females. The first is usually identified as Aphrodite on the basis of a very fragmentary inscription. Brinkmann, in his restudy of the painted names, believes the inscription is retrograde and restores it as Aos, the Dorian form of Eos. The next goddess is probably Artemis, seated just behind a youthful god, almost certainly Apollo. In front of him, one of the central figures set somewhat apart, is probably Zeus. The inscriptions naming these last three are lost, though under the right foot of Zeus, on the plinth, is an inscription which appears to name Achilles. It must refer to a figure lost in the gap which occurs here. Only the fingertips of the figure to the right of Zeus remain; they touch his knee. It has been suggested that they belong to Thetis, who pleads for the life of her son Achilles. However, neither the gender of this figure nor the number of figures (one or two) which occupied the lacuna in this long block is certain. To the right of the gap are Athena and Hera, both clearly identified, and a third goddess whose name has not survived.
Though the subject of the overall East frieze – goods assembly and combat over a fallen hero - is somewhat obscure, the argument is bolstered by the fragmentary inscription under the corpse, the presence of Nestor and particularly the inclusion of Eos and Achilles in the Council scene, if the restorations of these names are correct. It is likely that the two scenes on the East frieze are related. The presence of Eos within the context of such a select group of gods makes more sense if she is there in her capacity as mother of one of the central figures, in this case Memnon. Her pendant on the right would then be Thetis, mother of Achilles, the third goddess behind Hera. This restoration would place the mothers of the protagonists in positions of equal advantage in watching over their sons, whose fate hangs in the balance literally according to Brinkmann's reconstruction. According to the scene painted on a lekythos exhibited inside the British Museum in London, to the right of Zeus he restores Hermes holding a scale (metal attachment), weighing the souls of Memnon and Achilles.
Source: Livingston Vance Watrous, “The Sculptural Program of the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi”
Source @ www.perseus.tufts.edu
Greek high-relief
High Arcaic Period
530 BC - 525 BC
Siphnian Treasury
Delphi, Archaeological Museum
Siphnian Treasury, I – East Frieze
The Siphian frieze exhibits one of the earliest continuous narrative Greek friezes noticed in the Greek sculpture. The East frieze is divided into two scenes: on the left the assembly of the gods, and on the right the battle over a fallen warrior (Sarpedon, or Antilochos son of Nestor.
The east frieze is the earliest known representation of the Greek gods seated in formal assembly on Olympos, just as described in the Iliad. In Homer, the gods assemble primarily to decide upon the fate of mankind, which may explain why they are assembled on the frieze. Zeus, who sits on an elaborate throne while the other gods are provided with stools, separates the two divine pro-Trojan and pro-Greek factions, and faces toward the battle scene on the right.
On the far left is Ares; enough of the painted inscription beside him remains to make his identity certain. In front of him sit two females. The first is usually identified as Aphrodite on the basis of a very fragmentary inscription. Brinkmann, in his restudy of the painted names, believes the inscription is retrograde and restores it as Aos, the Dorian form of Eos. The next goddess is probably Artemis, seated just behind a youthful god, almost certainly Apollo. In front of him, one of the central figures set somewhat apart, is probably Zeus. The inscriptions naming these last three are lost, though under the right foot of Zeus, on the plinth, is an inscription which appears to name Achilles. It must refer to a figure lost in the gap which occurs here. Only the fingertips of the figure to the right of Zeus remain; they touch his knee. It has been suggested that they belong to Thetis, who pleads for the life of her son Achilles. However, neither the gender of this figure nor the number of figures (one or two) which occupied the lacuna in this long block is certain. To the right of the gap are Athena and Hera, both clearly identified, and a third goddess whose name has not survived.
Though the subject of the overall East frieze – goods assembly and combat over a fallen hero - is somewhat obscure, the argument is bolstered by the fragmentary inscription under the corpse, the presence of Nestor and particularly the inclusion of Eos and Achilles in the Council scene, if the restorations of these names are correct. It is likely that the two scenes on the East frieze are related. The presence of Eos within the context of such a select group of gods makes more sense if she is there in her capacity as mother of one of the central figures, in this case Memnon. Her pendant on the right would then be Thetis, mother of Achilles, the third goddess behind Hera. This restoration would place the mothers of the protagonists in positions of equal advantage in watching over their sons, whose fate hangs in the balance literally according to Brinkmann's reconstruction. According to the scene painted on a lekythos exhibited inside the British Museum in London, to the right of Zeus he restores Hermes holding a scale (metal attachment), weighing the souls of Memnon and Achilles.
Source: Livingston Vance Watrous, “The Sculptural Program of the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi”
Source @ www.perseus.tufts.edu
Greek high-relief
High Arcaic Period
530 BC - 525 BC
Siphnian Treasury
Delphi, Archaeological Museum