Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

Th e spear
pCc of Z eus 709
sometimes show a naked Zeus advancing with thunderbolt and
spear (fig. 645)^ The earhest specimen, however, gives him a long
sceptre (fig. 647)^^ and most of the later specimens a short headless
spear or sceptre (fig. 648)^— a type found also on the third-century
federal coppers of the Bruttians (fig. 649)-* and Lucanians (fig. 650)'.
A magnificent mirror from Arezzo, now in the Museum at
Bologna", represents (pi. xxix) the birth of Athena from the head
Fig. 647. Fig. 648. Fig. 649. Fig. 650.
of Zeus {Tinay. The god is seated upon the clouds of heaven,
holding a leaf-shaped lance in his right hand and a sceptre in his
left. Two goddesses occupy the place and perform the duty of the
Eileithyiai. They are named Thabia and Thanr^ respectively. The
former clasps Zeus about the waist. The latter makes magic passes
over his head, from which emerges the diminutive figure of Athena
in full armour. Hephaistos, here called Sethlans^, who has cleft the
^ Garrucci Mon. It. ant. p. 157 pi. 112, i ( — my fig. 645) describes this very obvious
spear as a ' scettro.' If his illustration is right, his text is wrong.
^ I am indebted to my friend Mr C. T. Seltman for the example of series A here
illustrated (fig. 647).
^ Garrucci op. cit. p. 157 pi. 112, 9 ('con lo scettro nella sin.'), Brit. Mtis. Cat. Coins
Italy p. 371 f. nos. i ('holding sceptre') and 5—8 ('holding sceptre'). Hunter Cat. Coins
i. 139 nos. I— 3 ('holding sceptre in 1.'), Head Hist, nitni? p. 107. Fig. 648 is from a
coin in my collection.
* Garrucci op. cit. p. 184 pi. 124, 23 ( = my fig. 649) and 24 ('con iscettro nella sin.'),
Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Italy p. 330
f. nos. 93— 98 ('sceptre in extended 1.'), Hunter Cat.
Coins i. 124 no. 55 pi. 9, 5 and nos. 56—61 ('spear in extended 1.'), Head Hist, nuin.^ p. 92.
•' Garrucci 0/. cit. p. 182 pi. 123, 27, 28, 29 ( = my fig. 650) ('con scettro nella sin.'),
Brit. Mtis. Cat. Coins Italy p. 224 nos. 2—4
" E. Brizio in the Guida del Mtcseo Civico di Bologna Bologna 1882 p. 24.
(' holding spear in 1.'), Head Hist, nttm.' p. 70.
^ F. Inghirami Monnmenti etruschi di etrtisco name Poligrafia Fiesolana 1824 ii.
202— 245 pi. 10—a careful detailed drawing, which served as the foundation of Gerhard
Etr. Spiegel m. 67— 69 pi. 66 ( = my pi. xxix). A fresh tracing of the mirror is published
by E. Braun in the Attn. d. Inst. 185 1 xxiii. 142 ff. pi. I— K. For further bibliography
see C. Pauli in Roscher Lex. Myth. iv. 785.
^ So E. Braun loc. cit. p. 143 fif. read the name, which had previously been transcribed
as Thana. His attempt to identify Thanr with luno {Uni) is, however, hopeless.
^ C. Pauli in Roscher Lex. Myth. iv. 786 ff. proposes to connect sedlans with aiSrjpos:
* Das Wort geht auf eine Form *seeia zuriick, die nach etruskischen Lautgesetzen fur
*se0ala stehen kann. Dies sefela aber ist so klarlich gleich a-lddpos, dass es keiner weiteren
Erorterungen dariiber bedarf. Der sedlans ist somit der "ferrarius," und die Form wiirde
in griechischem Gewande ^iSrjprjvos lauten.'