BMCR 2009.07.53: Marconi on Barringer, Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece

Judith M. Barringer, Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece.
Cambridge/New York:  Cambridge University Press, 2008.  Pp. xv, 267.
ISBN 9780521646475.  $27.99 (pb).

Reviewed by Clemente Marconi, Institute of Fine Arts, NYU
([email protected])
Word count:  2266 words
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This book is a general introduction to the use of myth as the subject
of Greek architectural sculpture during the fifth and fourth centuries
BCE. It consists of chronologically arranged case studies about four
monuments in Mainland Greece and one in Asia Minor: the Temple of Zeus
at Olympia, the Parthenon, the Hephaisteion in the Athenian Agora, the
Temple of Apollo at Delphi, and the Heroon at Trysa. In each case, a
presentation of the building and its topographical context is followed
by a systematic description and iconographic analysis of its sculptural
decoration. This approach leads to an iconological interpretation of
the sculptures in relation to the original cultural, political, and
social context of the building. It thus follows the model set by Heiner
Knell in his 1990 important monograph on Greek architectural
sculpture.[[1]]

In the Introduction (pp. 1-7) Barringer lays out the premises and
objectives of her book. Her first premise is that the myths chosen for
architectural sculpture were not randomly selected and that, rather
than having a purely decorative function, they had meaning. Her second
premise is that meaning, and consequently the interpretation of a given
myth, depend on context. Both premises have guided the interpretation
of Greek architectural sculpture over the past two decades and, from a
methodological point of view are clearly sound. On this basis,
Barringer explores how ancient viewers might have interpreted these
mythological representations in their original cultural context.

Chapter 1 (pp. 8-58) views the sculptural decoration of the Temple of
Zeus at Olympia in relation to the agonistic contexts of this
Panhellenic sanctuary. Barringer explores the question of how the
athletes who came to compete at the Olympic games were meant to
understand the decoration of this building. Arguing against previous
interpretations of the sculptures as an admonition against hubris, as a
general vision of justice imposed by the gods, and as negative
paradigms to the athletic competitors, Barringer suggests that the
sculptures of the temple of Zeus instead offered "positive models of
heroism, arete, and glory expressly aimed at the Olympic competitors,
who were urged to emulate these examples in various areas of their
lives" (pp. 18-20). According to Barringer, it was Nike, not dike, that
was more prominent in the message of the sculptural decoration of the
temple, and in the mind of the Eleans who commissioned the building
(cf. p. 46). The metopes depicting the labors of Herakles accord well
with this interpretation, as does the Centauromachy, although in this
last case the behavior of the half-beasts must have also served as a
negative, mythological exemplum for the athletes. In the case of the
chariot race between Pelops and Oinomaos, this interpretation only
works if, like Barringer, one excludes the possibility that this
pediment featured the version of the myth in which Pelops cheated by
bribing Oinomaos' charioteer. This is an issue that cannot be resolved
with the evidence at hand , Barringer's main argument for discounting
this version -- that it "is implausible that the Eleans would have
celebrated their hero and founder of the games, Pelops, with sculptures
that depicted him as a cheat" (p. 35)-- is, however, not particularly
sound. To quote from a memorable discussion of Greek heroes by Angelo
Brelich,[[2]] "l'inganno e\ caratteristico di tutta la vita eroica" (p.
255). One may mention as an example heroes who were famous for their
cunning, like Sisyphos and Tantalos, and still received heroic worship
in their hometowns. As for Barringer's central argument, one can only
agree with her idea that the sculptures of the Temple of Zeus were
particularly meaningful to athletes, and that in the imagery of this
building one can find several elements that resonate with the athletic
games. Both ideas are found frequently in previous literature (in
Ashmole and Tersini, for example). But limiting the intended public of
the sculptures of the Temple of Zeus to athletes is dangerously
reductive, because one runs the risk of losing sight of the very
Panhellenic nature of the Sanctuary at Olympia and its games, which
attracted a large, varied crowd from all over the Greek world. In
addition, one should not forget that the Olympic competitions were part
of a cult festival. A contextual interpretation of the sculptures of
the temple of Zeus in relation to the local ritual should have this
cult festival as its background, rather than just the athletic games
and the athletes.

Central to Chapter 2 (pp. 59-108) is the discussion of the sculptural
decoration of the Parthenon, in which Barringer devotes particular
attention to the role of women. Barringer focuses her analysis on the
special links between the myths chosen for the decoration of the
building and the myths and rituals of the Akropolis. Here the author's
main argument is that the representations of women on the Parthenon and
other fifth-century monuments reveal much about the contemporary
Athenian male view concerning women. This view was a dual one, that
regarded women both as necessary to the survival of the city and
capable of bringing disaster to their families and community if their
seemingly irrational nature and sexuality were not kept in check. Thus,
for Barringer--who argues against the traditional reading of the
sculptures as visual metaphors for recent historical events, such as
the Persian Wars--the Amazons on the west metopes offer the negative
example of powerful and independent females who invade the heart of the
patriarchal city and threaten its male populace. The androgynous female
deity Athena triumphs on the west pediment over her male antagonist,
Poseidon. On the east metopes, the same goddess is celebrated for her
role in the defeat of the Giants by the Olympian gods. On the south
metopes, the Lapith women embody female vulnerability and modesty.
Finally, on the north metopes, the Ilioupersis presents the destruction
and chaos wrought by the power of Helen. For Barringer, this emphasis
on women could also reflect the concern of the Athenian state for
legitimate citizenship and the family, the role of Athenian women, and
the significance and benefits of Athenian marriage. Barringer extends
this interpretation of the Parthenon sculptures to other fifth-century
monuments on the Akropolis, such as the Erechtheion caryatids and the
Prokne and Itys by Alkamenes. The author's exploration of the Parthenon
sculptures as a reflection of male views of women in contemporary
Athenian society is persuasive and valuable. Yet the relation between
the genders and the status of women were important subjects of Greek
temple decoration well before the Parthenon: I need only mention, for
the Archaic period, the first temple of Hera at Foce del Sele (not a
treasury, as this building is still incorrectly referred to by
Barringer at p. 189), and, for the Early Classical period, the metopes
of the Heraion at Selinous. This insistence on gender relations and on
the status of women, on public images that were meant to educate the
polis, therefore does not come as a surprise. In the case of the
Parthenon, however, this theme was only one of the multiple layers of
meaning of the complex and sophisticated imagery of this building, and
to turn it into the key to its interpretation would quickly lead to
problems. I need mention only the east metopes, which are first and
foremost celebrations of victory in war, like the Gigantomachy on the
pediment of the Treasury of the Megarians at Olympia decades before.
Finally given Barringer's contextual approach and her interest in the
relationship between images and ritual, I am surprised that she does
not include the figural decoration of the temple of Athena Nike and its
precinct in her discussion of the fifth-century Akropolis.

Chapter 3 (pp. 109-143) is dedicated to the sculptural decoration of
the Hephaisteion. In keeping with a line of interpretation that can be
found in previous literature on this building (e.g., Thompson and
Knell), Barringer explores the potential meaning of its sculptural
adornment in relation to both the other monuments of the west side of
the Agora and the various activities that took place in the civic
center of Athens. Barringer focuses her attention on the friezes (for
the east frieze she suggests that it might feature the battle of
Atlantis (Plato Timaeus 24e-25d) and the metopes (which feature the
labors of Herakles and Theseus). Barringer's conclusion is that the
Hephaisteion's sculptural themes resonated with monuments such as the
Stoa Basileios and the Stoa Poikile, and offered models of heroic
behavior to Athenian citizens, particularly young men, who would have
been the primary intended public for the images. This suggestion is
certainly appropriate in the case of Theseus, the founder of the
Athenian state and the model ephebe. Unfortunately, we know too little
about the decoration of the pediments (not to mention the akroteria) of
the Hephaisteion to propose a comprehensive interpretation of its
sculptural "program." One last note: Barringer suggests that the
association of Theseus with Herakles in the Hephaisteion would
represent "the Greek ideal, the joining of brains, in the form of
Theseus, and brawn, represented by the athletic Herakles (pp. 121-122;
cf. also 128). This is certainly not what one sees on the metopes ,
given that their emphasis is on Theseus' physical strength, which is
paralleled visually to that of Herakles. It may be added that in the
representation of Herakles on the east side, particular emphasis is
given to the labor of the Golden Apples featured on the last metope
(East X) of the series, near the north corner. It seems to show the
hero-god who has successfully deceived Atlas (according to the version
of this myth by Pherekydes) and is now proudly presenting the apples of
the Hesperides to Athena. The labor of the Golden Apples is not only
about brawn, but also about brains and the cunning of Herakles at the
expense of Atlas.

Chapter 4 (pp. 144-170) is dedicated to the pediments of the
fourth-century temple of Apollo at Delphi. The east pediment featured
Apollo together with Artemis, Leto, and the Muses, and the west
pediment featured Dionysos in the company of the Thyiades. Barringer
observes that the two gables are remarkable in two respects. The
combination of their subjects is radically new in Greek sculpture. At
the same time, however, their composition looks strikingly
old-fashioned for the fourth century. Barringer explains this
peculiarity as a deliberate effort to echo the east pediment of the
Late Archaic temple of Apollo, which was directly sponsored by the
Athenian family of the Alkmeonids. According to Barringer, this effort
was in turn part of an Athenian strategy to stress both its
well-established, special relationship with Delphi and also its
leadership in the Greek world, vis-a\-vis the Macedonians. Athens had a
say in the Amphictyony during the course of the fourth century, and--as
pointed out by Croissant--with the precedent of the Alkmeonids, Athens
could easily have had a say on the sculptural decoration of the temple.
In fact, the commission was given to Athenian sculptors. Granted that
the paratactic composition of the two pediments of the fourth-century
temple of Apollo seems unconventional by contemporary standards
(although we know little about the figural decoration of many temples
built during this century), I am not convinced by Barringer's
suggestion that it was meant to quote the east pediment of its Late
Archaic predecessor. In such a case, one would have expected the
repetition of its central image: the epiphany of the god on a quadriga.
Based on present knowledge, the composition of the fourth-century
pediments of the temple of Apollo at Delphi remains without precedents.
The possibility that the sculptures were carved in Athens and
transported to Delphi may account for their paratactic character.

Chapter 5 (pp. 171-202) focuses on the fourth-century Heroon at
Gjoelbaschi-Trysa, and analyzes the rich imagery of the doorways and
friezes of its peribolos wall. The identification of many of the scenes
on the friezes is notoriously difficult. Moreover, there is a total
absence of written documentation that could help to interpret the
monument. Basing her interpretation on comparative evidence, Barringer
draws a parallel between the Heroon at Trysa and the Throne of Apollo
at Amyklai, which she proposes may have served as a model, in
particular for the idea of a funerary monument decorated with a vast
array of mythological scenes. Barringer concludes her analysis of the
individual mythological themes, suggesting that monuments in Athens--in
particular the Theseion--had an influence on the decoration of the
heroon. In the decoration of the latter there are also elements of
Lycian and Near Eastern derivation, including the blending of
mythological and non-mythological themes. This association is seen by
Barringer as part of a strategy of heroization of the deceased ruler
through visual metaphor and juxtaposition. The final message of the
Heroon was that the Lycian ruler had significant achievements, just as
the heroes of Greek myth did. This is all very convincing. A similar
line of interpretation of the imagery of the Heroon, and similar
conclusions are to be found in an important essay by Claude
Be/rard,[[3]] which is not mentioned by Barringer, but to which the
reader of this chapter should be directed.

In the Conclusion (pp. 203-212) Barringer summarizes the main arguments
of her book: context determines the selection and depiction of
mythological scenes on Greek sacred buildings, and context determines
their meaning to contemporary audiences.

The clarity of the exposition, the carefully designed structure, and
the excellent collection of images make this book a valuable
introduction to the study of fifth- and fourth-century Greek
architectural sculpture, and for this the author and the publisher
deserve to be congratulated. Barringer should also be praised for her
contextual approach to this important subject.


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Notes:


1.   Knell, H. Mythos und Polis. Bildprogramme griechischer
Bauskulptur. (Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1990).

2.   Brelich, A. Gli eroi greci, un problema storico-religioso. (Roma:
Ateneo, 1958).

3.   Be/rard, C., 'La Gre\ce en barbarie: l'apostrophe et le bon usage
des mythes', in Me/tamorphoses du mythe en Gre\ce antique, ed. C.
Calame, 187-199. (Gene\ve: Labor et Fides, 1988).