Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 7979230, member: 83845"]I became fascinated by this type after I read about it in the book Monumental Coins: Buildings and Structures on Ancient Coins which I bought earlier this year.  Since then, I’ve been on the lookout for a nice example. Though it may not look that impressive at first glance I think that the details shown on this example make it special. In particular the figures shown at bottom of the statue on the obverse are noticeably human in shape.  This conforms to other representations of the cult statue and is unlike most of the other dies I've seen where the figures are abstracted as lines. [ATTACH=full]1384790[/ATTACH]Pamphylia, PergeAE16, Perge mint, struck ca. 50-30 BCDia.: 16.6 mmWt.: 3.9 gObv.: Cult statue of Artemis Pergaea facing within distyle temple, facing eagle in pedimentRev.: ΑΡΤΕΜΙΔΟΣ ΠΕΡΓΑΙΑΣ, Bow and quiverRef.: SNG France 373-8 Foundation of PergeThe city of Perge (as Parha) is mentioned in a Hittite treaty dating from between 1241 and 1209 BC.  The inhabitants of the region at this time were Luwian speaking Anatolian people.  According to Strabo, Achaean Greeks settled in the area after the Trojan War.  The early Greek city was built on the flat hill north of the Roman era ruins. The Goddess of PergeBefore the hellenization of Perge in the archaic period, the native inhabitants of the area worshipped a nature / mother goddess referred to on an archaic inscription as Wanassas Preiia.  Wanassas is a Mycenaean word meaning “queen” or “mistress” and Preiia is related to the Hittite Parha and was an early name for the city [1][2]. Thus, Wanassas Preiia means “Queen of Perge.” The inclusion of the Mycenaean title lends some credit to the story that Greek speakers settled in the region during the Bronze Age. According to native legend Wanassas Preiia threw down a stone image of her face from the sky as a gift to the Pergaeans [1]. This sacred stone (sometimes called a Baetile) was from then on worshipped as the most important cult object of the city. Later, as the culture of the Greeks became more influential, Wanassas Preiia was syncretized with the Greek Artemis to produce the uniquely local Artemis Pergaea. A major temple on a hill near Perge was dedicated to Artemis Pergaea and the sacred stone of Wanassas Preiia was incorporated into a unique cult statue that became the main religious symbol of the city. Even though the cult statue is lost we can get a good idea of what it looked like from coins as well as two Roman era reliefs that have survived into our time. The Cult StatueAs stated above the sacred stone was meant to represent the face of the goddess. We don’t know if the stone’s natural shape was vaguely “face-like” or if it was sculpted to resemble a face after the fact.  Either way the stone became the central focus of the cult statue shown on the coins. The sacred stone was crowned by a polos (cylindrical headdress) and was set on a plinth that was decorated with multiple rows of sculptures showing a procession or a sacrifice scene. The entire statue was set against a background that tapered at the top and was heavily decorated. There are two instances that I am aware of that the cult statue was shown in art other than the depictions on coins.  One of them is on the main frieze of the Hadrianic era theatre in Perge and the other is on a pillar of the same theatre.  See below. [ATTACH=full]1384792[/ATTACH]Frieze of the Theatre of Perge: On the frieze we see a sacrifice scene leading to a seated Tyche (who represents the city of Perge in this context).  In Tyche's right arm is held the cult statue. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) [ATTACH=full]1384793[/ATTACH]Seated Tyche: This is a closer view of Tyche as the city of Perge.  She holds a cornucopia in her left arm and the cult statue in her right arm.  There is a sacrificial flame on her right side near the cult statue. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) [ATTACH=full]1384794[/ATTACH]Comparison to Coins: We can see many of the same elements shown on the coins and the relief carving. Note the human figures in both representations.  This is probably a festival or sacrifice scene like we see in the frieze above. The other representation of the cult statue in the theatre shows even more detail, particularly in regards to the figures carved into the plinth. <img src="http://www.soniahalliday.com/images/TR1000-1FHC.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> References[1] Rietveld, K., The Promotion of Perge as a Stable Political Force: Taking Advantage of the Iconization of Artemis Pergaea, Graduate Thesis, University of Florida, 2017 [2] <a href="https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/perge" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/perge" rel="nofollow">https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/perge</a> [3] <a href="https://belleten.gov.tr/tam-metin-pdf/1602/eng" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://belleten.gov.tr/tam-metin-pdf/1602/eng" rel="nofollow">https://belleten.gov.tr/tam-metin-pdf/1602/eng</a> Pile onI am aware that there are many coins in the Hellenistic and Roman period that show this statue and emphasize various details.  Please feel free to share those as well as...<ul> <li>Coins with temples or cult statues</li> <li>Coins showing Artemis or Diana</li> <li>Coins of Perge</li> <li>Fascinating architecture types</li> <li>Anything relevant</li> </ul>[/QUOTE]

Create my FREE Account!

Log in or Sign up

Reply to Thread

Useful Searches