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THE SPHINX ON THE ROOF: THE MEANING OF THE GREEK TEMPLE ACROTERIA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2013

Thierry Petit
Thierry Petit*
Affiliation:
Département des Sciences historiques, Université Laval
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

In the Archaic period, from the end of the seventh and above all in the sixth century bc, sphinxes are ubiquitous in the figured decoration of Greek temples. They appear not only as acroteria, but also on antefixes and simas. As acroteria, they always occur as lateral versions, flanking the central acroterion at a distance. Although these figures have recently been the subject of several exhaustive studies, their significance remains a matter of debate. In the absence of explicit texts, the only means of comprehending their meaning is by examining the combinations of figures in which the sphinx makes an appearance. It is their association in three-part or heraldic compositions with a central vegetal or floral motif which provides the key to the explanation. This group is similar to that known in the Levant in which two sphinxes flank a ‘Tree of Life’, a group which the Old Testament texts allow us to identify as the cherubim guarding the Tree of Life of Genesis 3.24. This group was transmitted to Cyprus and to the Aegean world without losing its meaning. A series of documents allows us to verify that the ‘extended’ group of acroteria that we are concerned with has not lost its symbolic value by comparison with the ‘compact’ group known particularly from Archaic Greek vase-painting. An explanation in terms of eschatological ends and aspirations also permits us to interpret the other associations of the sphinx – with gorgons, with horsemen and with ‘Nike' figures.

Η σφίγγα στη στέγη: η ερμηνεία των ακρωτηρίων στους ελληνικούς ναούς

Στην Αρχαϊκή περίοδο, από το τέλος του έβδομου και κυρίως στον έκτο αιώνα, οι σφίγγες εμφανίζονται συχνά στη διακόσμηση των ελληνικών ναών, όχι μόνον ως ακρωτήρια, αλλά επίσης ως ακροκέραμα και σίμες. Ως ακρωτήρια, εμφανίζονται πάντα στο πλάι, πλαισιώνοντας από απόσταση το κεντρικό ακρωτήριο. Αν και υπάρχουν αρκετές πρόσφατες, εκτενείς μελέτες των μορφών αυτών, η ερμηνεία τους παραμένει αντικείμενο διαφωνιών. Εξαιτίας της απουσίας σαφών κειμένων, το μόνο μέσο για την κατανόηση της σημασίας τους είναι η εξέταση των συνδυασμών των μορφών στις οποίες οι σφίγγες εμφανίζονται. Το κλειδί για την ερμηνεία τους αποτελεί η σύνδεσή τους, σε τριμερείς ή εραλδικές συνθέσεις, με ένα κεντρικό φυτικό μοτίβο ή μοτίβο ανθέων. Οι συνθέσεις αυτές είναι παρόμοιες με τη γνωστή σύνθεση από την Ανατολή, στην οποία δύο σφίγγες πλαισιώνουν το «Δέντρο της Ζωής» που σύμφωνα με τα κείμενα της Παλαιάς Διαθήκης ταυτίζεται με τα Χερουβείμ που φυλάνε το Δέντρο της Ζωής (Γένεσις 3.24). Αυτή μεταφέρθηκε στην Κύπρο και τον Αιγαιακό κόσμο χωρίς να χάσει το νόημά της. Μια σειρά εγγράφων μας επιτρέπει να επιβεβαιώσουμε ότι η αναπτυγμένη σύνθεση ακρωτηρίων που μας ενδιαφέρει δεν έχει χάσει τη συμβολική της σημασία σε σύγκριση με τη συμπαγή σύνθεση που είναι γνωστή κυρίως από την ελληνική αγγειογραφία της Αρχαϊκής περιόδου. Μια ερμηνεία με όρους εσχατολογικού τέλους και φιλοδοξίας μας επιτρέπει επίσης να ερμηνεύσουμε τις άλλες συνδέσεις της σφίγγας – με τις Γοργόνες, τους ιππείς και μορφές «Νίκης».

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Articles
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Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 108 , November 2013 , pp. 201 - 234
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Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 2013 

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