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1

Das anikonische Kultbild des Hermes im Elischen Kyllene

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Hirschler M.

Eirene. Studia Graeca et Latina

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2015

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vol. 51

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issue 1-2

197-219

EN

At ﬁrst glance, the image and functions of the Greek god Hermes appear to be well known: Hermes, wearing winged sandals and the chlamys, was the messenger of the gods and the protector of travelers and thieves, as well as the guide of souls on their way to the Underworld. It must not be forgotten, however, that all these elements are based on the so-called Homeric religion. In fact, the attributes and ﬁgure of this god were surely more multifaceted than the Homeric poems and hymns actually tell us. The present contribution is devoted to the aniconic cult image of Hermes in the harbor town of Cyllene in Elis, where the god was worshipped as a statue in the shape of a large phallus. Representations of the male sexual organ are not uncommon in the cult of Hermes; rather, they were an essential attribute of herms. Nevertheless, the meaning of the phallus is still under discussion. This paper focuses on the signiﬁcance of the aniconic cult image and shows how it can be linked with the character of Hermes as a god of fertility.

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Can similarities be found in the cults of prehistoric hunters and farmers? Analysis of ‘dance’ scenes of four beings of the Mesolithic from Alta, Finnmark, Norway, and of the beginning of the Eneolithic from Střelice, southwestern Moravia, Czech Republic

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Kovárník J.

Acta Archaeologica Carpathica

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2021

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vol. LVI

103-152

EN

The ways of life of hunters, fishers and gatherers are noticeably different from those of farmers. Surviving evidence of their cultures is very rare. Although we are aware that it is very difficult to interpret and compare them, sometimes external similarities can be observed, such as in the depiction of human figures, particularly female figurines (also in zoomorphic sculptures) in the Upper Palaeolithic (‘the Cult of Hunters’) and in the Neolithic (‘Field Fertility Cult’ and ‘Domestic Animals Fertility Cult’). The depiction of a woman and three men with their arms stretched upwards on a famous vase of Moravian – East-Austrian group, Phase MOG IIa (around 4525–4375 BC) of the Painted Pottery culture from Střelice in the Czech Republic is significant, and has been interpreted by the author as an example of hieros gamos (i.e. a dialogue with space). This vase has considerable similarity with a petroglyph of a circular dance, again obviously depicting a woman and three men holding hands, from Alta in northern Norway, one of the central ‘galleries’ of hunters (5 stages, the oldest being 5300 BC). We can only assume (with just a certain amount of probability) that they depict a story (rite or myth?) in the form of a ‘language of symbols’ (e.g. a restoration of ‘Mother Earth’).

3

„Kochankowie z Ain Sakhri” w kontekście aktualnych badań nad kultem płodności na terenie Palestyny

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Sobczak K.

Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Archaeologica

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2015

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issue 30

45-54

EN

The main purpose of this article is to demonstrate the possible continuity between early Palestinian cults reconstructed from anthropomorphic figurines and later beliefs. Figurines from the major archeological cultures including: Kebarian, Natufian or Yarmukian indicate a common ceremony of religious character, possibly connected with the cult of fertility. In this contexts particularly noteworthy is so-called „Ain Sakhiri Lovers” figurine which is unique and interpreted as showing a sexual intercourse. By presenting some of the types of early Palestinian anthropomorphic figurines, the author would like to discuss possible connections between earliest artifacts of probable religious meaning with documented religious systems.

PL

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Refine search results

1 Acta Archaeologica Carpathica

1 Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Archaeologica

1 Eirene. Studia Graeca et Latina

1 Hirschler M.

1 Kovárník J.

1 Sobczak K.

1 2021

2 2015

Das anikonische Kultbild des Hermes im Elischen Kyllene

Can similarities be found in the cults of prehistoric hunters and farmers? Analysis of ‘dance’ scenes of four beings of the Mesolithic from Alta, Finnmark, Norway, and of the beginning of the Eneolithic from Střelice, southwestern Moravia, Czech Republic

„Kochankowie z Ain Sakhri” w kontekście aktualnych badań nad kultem płodności na terenie Palestyny