Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

2 66 The stratification of Delphic Cults
which stands^ Zeus, with bay-wreath and sceptre, announcing to
his 'prophet^' the mandate of omnipotence. Who the remaining
deities may be and what exactly they are doing, has been the sub-
ject of much futile discussion. Apparently the painter has utilised
Fig. 174.
the type of Hermes conducting Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite to
the judgment of Paris^ merely for the purpose of suggesting a crowd
of deities. It is as ruler of the assembled gods that Zeus issues his
royal decrees.
(v/r) The stratification of Delphic Cults.
We are now in a position to gather up results and to venture
upon a conspectus of Delphic worship. The main cults appear to
be stratified as in the following diagram:
iii. APOLLON Bay
ii. DIONYSOS Tripod
i. ZEUS Aphesios (?) and GE Themis (?) Eagles and omphalos
^ The pose is unusual for Zeus (Overbeck Gr. Kunsttiiyth. Zeus p. 185 f.), who does
not appear elsewhere in the attitude of the supported foot (infra § 9 (h) ii [0)).
'^ Supra p. 204 n. i, infra § 3
(a) vi (X) sub fin.
^ Objections brought against the interpretation of this scene as a judgment of Paris
viz. that Athena would then have some distinctive attribute (Furtwangler loc. cit. p. 14)
and that Aphrodite would not be riding on a swan (A. Kalkmann loc. cit. p. 259)—lose
their force, if, as I suppose, the artist is reminiscent and no more ; for in that case he is
free to contaminate or adapt.