The Judgment of Animals in Classical Greece: Animal Sculpture and ...

meaning of these zw|~a, whose sense is also very general, is that they are decorative
elements that depict animate subjects.
The truth is that Herodotus is silent about this possibility; therefore, it should not
be considered conclusive. What he does talk about, and what actually agrees well with
the evidence for resist-dyeing, is that these zw|~a cannot be washed out (ta_ de\ zw|~a ou)k
e0kplu&nesqai). In fact, so fascinated is he by this exceptional quality of the zw|~a, that he
attributes it to the use of ground-up tree leaves and water as a compound for their
application on clothes. Within this context, zw|~a gain their meaning as decorative
elements of indelible quality from the use of natural substances. 386 These substances, in
turn, lend qualitative value to the technical process of e0ggra&fein.
Apart from connecting zw|~a with e0ggra&fein, Herodotus also mentions that they
looked as if they have been woven in from the beginning (kata& per e0nufanqe/nta
a)rxh&n). This evidence does not rule out Barber’s suggestion that zw|~a were produced by
means of resist-dyeing, but rather highlights that this was a term for both painted, most
likely resist-dyed, and woven-in decorations of some kind on textiles. Although not
mentioning zw|~a per se, a passage from Euripides’ Ion is illuminating, for it suggests that
fifth-century Athenian audiences paid attention to and valued greatly elaborate
decorations that were woven in textiles from the conceived as adjacent to Caucasus, land
of the Amazons, and other foreign places in general. 387
386 Interestingly, Fraser-Lu, Indonesian Batik 15, mentions that “traditional batik dyes came from a variety
of natural substances,” and “the oldest and first dye to be applied in classical Indonesia batik was blue
made from the leaves of the indigo plant.”
387 In Euripides’ Ion (1145-1165), the leader of the chorus describes the setting up of a tent by Ion in the
following way: “Then he took sacred tapestries from the storerooms and draped them for shade over the
frame, a marvelous sight for men to see. First on the top he put a covering of garments dedicated by
Heracles, garments which the son of Zeus offered the god as spoils from the Amazons. On them were
woven the following. Heaven was mustering the stars in the circle of the sky. Helios was driving his
horses toward his final gleaming, bringing on the brightness of Eveningstar. Night, robed in black, was
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