Themis, a study of the social origins of Greek ... - Warburg Institute

IV] Magical Rain-making 77
specimen of somewhat advanced style 1
, and we may safely place
it at about 800—700 B.C.
The centre of the design is occupied by a rectangular table or
altar; on it is a large indented Mycenaean shield, apparently
made of some sort of wicker-work. To the right is a seated man
holding in either hand an implement 2 for which hitherto archaeo-
logists have found no name. From the implement in the man's
right hand comes a zigzag pattern. A similar pattern also seems
to issue from his right thigh. It is probable that to the left of
the table or altar another man was seated, as the remains of a
latticed seat are clearly visible, and also the remains of a
zigzag pattern corresponding to that issuing from the topmost
implement.
Fig. 10.
It has been conjectured that the man is 'worshipping' the
shield. The shield is undoubtedly sacred, its prominent position
on the altar shows that, and it confers sanctity on the place where
it is set up. Its full significance will be shown later. But the
man is not ' worshipping ' it. If he were, common reverence would
demand that he should stand up, and somehow salute the object
1 For the chronology of Dipylon vases see F. Poulsen, Die Dipylon-Grdber mid
die Dipylonvasen, Leipzig, 1905, and S. Wide, Geometrische Vasen, Jahrb. d. Arch.
Inst. xii. (1897), 195. Our fragment is placed by Mr Droop in Dr Wide's Class II (a).
2 There is a crack in the vase between the two hands, but Mr Woodward of the
British School, who has kindly re-examined the original of the fragment for me,
thinks it improbable that the two objects formed one implement.