A SILVER-HEAD VASE \,VITH LYCIAN INSCRIPTIONS

R. D. BARNETT

It is commonpl:r.ce in Greek archaeology that the more elaboratetypes of Greek clay vases reflect originals in more prccious metals.This can be shorvn to be true already of the Bronze Age, but it isrelatively rare to find the originals particularly in silver or goldr.In r96z Lhe Brirish_\l$g!Iq l,as so fortunate as to acqui:.e the frag-menrslll, albeit much damaged and corroded, of a vessel which it isrumoured w4s discovered in Egypt, probably in the hoard of Tell-el-Maqkutha (Pithom) 2 in rg47 (?) with Attic coins and Achaemenidsilver pla.te of 4oo-35o B. C. The frag'ments were so much corrodedthat at first the real nature of the objects could not be discerned: butlvhen cleaned and restored 2a they stood revealed as the portionsof a fine dqq!!e-lre4de{ vase .of p?{ly-gtlde-d _C&sr (tls. 3r9. 3zo),.of a type well knorvn in cla-y versions from Attic Greek workshops2b.The original shape ol the vase can be rccognised as a Kantharos, thestrap handles rising from U-shaped depressions above the head ofthe male figure, meeting the upper border a little below the rim, oneside between Paris and Aphrodite, on the other betrveen Athenaand Hermes. The portions here represent on one side, the head of awoman wearing a diadem decorated with rosettes, on the other, ayouth wearing an Anatolian, so-called Phrygian, soft cap lvith upright

I D. E. Strong, Greek and Roman Gold and Silter Plate (1966).la Reg.no. 1962, 12. 12, r. I am deeply obliged to my colleagues Mr. D.E.L.

Haynes, Kceper of Greek and Roman Antiquiries, lor permission to pubiish this,and to Drs. R. A. Higgins and Anne Birchall for advice and he1p. The drawingsof this piece are by Miss Ann Searight.

2 See Brooklyn Museum, Fira fears of Collecting Egtptia Art, 195r-1956, NervYork 1956. Strong, op.rir. p. B2.

,. By NIr. D. Akehunt, Consen'ation Officer of the Greek and Roman De-par:tment, aftcr preliminary work by Miss Iv{. McGregor, thcn of the Departmenrof Western Asiatic Antiquities,

tb There are also_4? fragrnents oI the neck of another vase, probably ajug,as the rim shows t."a3 tf: :::-:ii, .i-,,! iip, i: 1!is piece may belong two frag-i^:L'!J ot a palm.ire pattern possibll. from the base of the handle,

pcak and pcnd?tnt sidc bands; it is also decorated with engravedrosettes (Pls. 3rg, ;ao). D. Strorrg, the first publishcr of this vase3,

suggested that the \vork represents Cybcle and Attis, but we wouldsuggest as more likery, Aphrodite or possibly Flelen, and Paris, espe-

cially as the lady's liead bears no particular insignia of divinity. Theeyes of shell wcre inlaid with scparatcly inlaid iris, now lost; partof the white remainr in the female head. Unfortunatelv. the lowerpart of the double heads' faces is missing, and only a fragment remainsof the foot ol the vasc. But of the lip and high top of the vessel risingabove the heads rather like a polos, enough exists to show that it wasdecorated in rclief with figures; above the head of 'Aphrodite' are

two bearrtiful scatcd female figures, their heads turned facing each

ErI*lfpl re-__

other. One is wearing the hclmet and aegis of Athena and holds a

lance, the other is clearly Aphrodite with a- veil, wearing a rich neck-Iace, while at the sicle of the lip above tlte heads right of the gr<-tup

is part of the third figrrrc, Paris-Alexander, seated facing left, holdingtwo spears in his left harrd. His upper body is missing, but his lowerbody wearing trousers rcmains; beside him is his dog. After a gap

large enough lor a fourth figure, a fragment ro1tain.s of the garmentarrJ nuk"Jfoot of another lfiftD figur" on the left, possibly Hera.Finally frrrthcr to tlre lcfl is Hcrmcs; only thc wings on his pclasos

are left. Beside the first three are inscribed their names, surprisinglyenough in Lycian sciipt: Pedreta (Aphrodite); Mallija] lor Athena;Alekssz or Alekssd for Paris-Alexander. (Figs. rzI-rz5) It is clearlya scene of the .Judgment of Paris{, The scene is olten represented:see Clrristoplrer Clairmont, Das Parisurteil in der Antikan Kunst (Zurrchr95r), who collected all the then known examples. The tradition

s D.NI. Slrong, British llusean Qla etlJ 28, 1964, 95-Io2.a A silver patera of thc latc 5th or early 4th ccntury B. C. r,,'ith a Lycian ins-

cription is in rhe Kocabag collection, Istanbul,

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A SILVER-HEAD VASE \VITH LYCIAN INSCRIPTIONS

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A SILVER. HEAD VASE \|(/'ITH LYCIAN INSCRIPTIONS Bgg

showing Paris seated in judgmcnt is uncommon before the 5th cen-

tury. Clairmont, Kr45 and r55, 16o, I75, show him seated on a rock;the goddesses parade before him. In Kr 54 we first meet him in partlyPhrygian dress (Clairmont, p. ro5). In Kr6o, (Clairmont pI.35) a

pyxis lid in Copenhagr:n (73I), we meet him in full Phrygian dress,

ha-t and flowered trousers, turning to left, his dog half hidden, justas here, but without his spears. Before him, however, on that vase,

the goddcsses are arriving in their chariots heralded by Hermes.

There is a general, indeed close, resemblance to the composition

on an Apulian crater (Fig. r16) in London, F. r67 (Clairmont, Kr88,pl. 38), where Paris, wearing a chlarnys but again seated with his

dog as here, holds two sp,ears (Athens, .Agora P7645):nd a veiled

Aphrodites its beford him, Heia standing behind him. This figure ofParis seated, in Asiatic dress, recurs again on a fra gment (Clair-mont, Kr75 pl. 34b) with a tiny Eros figure beside him.

The seated goddess type occurs first on a lekythos in Paris (CA1516) Clairmont K. 167, (pl. 36b) of about 4oo B. C.

Fig. rz6

Onc miglrt rvcll imagine that the repctition of these figure-rypcsirnplics that they lcflcct some cciebrated sculpturcd classical 4thcentury group or relief at the time, but to investigate this in fullunfortunately lies beyond the scope of this brief article.

Apart from the sheer artistic merit and beauty, though sadlywrecked, of this fine piecc of ancient metalwork, the most interestingparticular revealed by this important work of art is the Lycian iden-tifications of thc figure, especially that disclosing for the first time theidcntity of Athena with the Lycian goddess, Malija. As first pointedout by Strong and Neumann, she is mentioned more than once inLycian inscriptions 5. She occurs in the curse-formulae of Lycianinscriptions at Tybcrisos, rvhere she is invoked to smite offenders orprotect the tomb rvith a (unknorvn word) of the Mindis (meanr'ngunknown) ; also, at thc same place on another text and at Antiphellosshe is associatcd in tliis role with Trqqas (Luwian Tarhundas); atRhodiapolis, the tomb building is said to have bcen built by thepriest(?) at Malija wedrenni, i.e. Malija of the City, and she is invokeclto protect it. In another grave inscription from the same placc, Mali-ja of the City is invoked rvith the entire Lycian community( ?) toprotect the tomb. Finally she occurs thrice on the Xanthos stele(4rz B. C.) where her lemenos is rnentioned. For all these passages,see appenclix.

Since rve knorv Lycian now to be a form of the ancient Luwianlanguage of Anatolia 6, it is justifiable to ask if there are further tracesof this goddess and her cult in Hittite ancl subsequent sources. Theyare scanty, but re cognisable. According to Laroche ?, Malija in Hittitetexts is indicated by occurrencc in names in root-form as a ,divinitiAsianique'. A god trfaliyannas, perhaps god of the Vine, is oncementioneds; a city is named Maliya, or Maliyassa 0; a river Maliya

6 See Neumann, 'Bcitrage zum Lykischen II (neue Lykische Gijttemame),Die Sptachz, Vol. XIII, 1967, p. 34f, I am obtiged to Dr. D. Flawkins ofthe Schoolof Oriental and African Studies, for examining thc Lycian texts and for his notes(see appendix). On the type of curse fonnula inscribed in such tombs, see A. Parrot,-l'tlalitlicliaw et Violations tle Tombes, Paris rg39, esp.ch,V.

6 }louwink te C^te, Tbe L uian Papulation Graups oJ Llcia and Cilicia Asleradrring tbe Ilellenistic Period (Lcyden 196r), Ch. II.

? Laroche, Receuil d'onomastique Hiuite (rg52), p. gr,3 idern., Reeherches sur les noms des dieur Hittitet (1947), pp. 85, 86,e ibid.

9oo 904

;rnd a mounierin iviaiirnaiiya arc frcqucnlty ntcntionedt0. (Possiblyonc miglrt find that. tlrcse are dcrivcd flom thc Hittire root nruLi-'toapprove') 11. But the name Malija occurs commonly z9 tirnes inI{r.rrrian circles at Nuzi 12; there are Luwian pcrsons knorvn as Mala,Malazitis and Mala/iwasfi r2o, but these arc rare. A prince at Car-chemish bears the name (rvritten in Hittite hicroglyphs) ol \{alija-Tispas r3; this sounds like a combination, occasionally me t, of thenamgs of two gods to form a pcrsonal namc, e.g. DArma-l)Dattas;

but Malija-Tispas shoulcl perhaps bc recogniscd fiom the occurrcnceof DTispas as Hurrian rathcr than Luwian. In Lycia, a man's nameMaliades occurs at Tlos r! in classical times ; a rvoman is callcd N,Ialia 16.

According to Stepltanus of Byzantium r0, Malis is the nalnc of a slaveof Omphalc, rvho (in my vicrv) is a form of Cybele. Again Hcsychiusgives Malis as cquivalcnt to Athena, ancl thcrc is somc cvidence tosuggest that Nfalis was the name of a nativc goddcss in Lydia andIsauria u.

There are howcvcr other evidcnccs ol the cult of Malija-Athenain Lycia. She appears on thc carved lid of a Lycian sarcophagus arXanthus, apparcntly unpublished, rvhcrc shc is engagcd in a battlesccne with Amazons. Slrc is also mcntioncd in inscriptions (scc:rppen-clix). Hcr importancc shoulcl bc hcncefi:rth a little clcarcr.

I ofler these pagcs in honour of our very distinguishccl Turkishcolleague Professor Arif N{tifit Mansel, who has contr.ibutcd sogreatly to tlre lccovcry ancl understanding of classical Asia Minoranrl its antirlrritics.

10 ibid; tlre river Mala, however, is the Duphratcs, Larocfu, Les Nomt tlesHiuites (t96j), p. 2tj.

I1 Fricdrich, Hethitisches lli)rterbuch, (Heidelberg r952-4). Laroche, Les Noms.,.p. 352, gives the root rnal- as Hurrian, of unknown mcaning.

1A Gelb, Purves and lt{acrae, Nu<i Personal.i/amar (Chicago rg43).\2a id,em. Receuil d'onomastiqtrc hiuitt,

'j'o.37o. idem Lcs Nanu.,, p. 3a6,

Ls Carchemish, A7; Larocbe, Recherches-.. p. 9r. Laroche, ibid,, p, 78, no, 4t(noms'theophores doublcs.')

1! Zgusta, Kleinasiatische Persanenndmen (Prag 1964), p. z8t.r5 Zgusia, loc.cit., n. 35, who howevcr suggcsts that thcsc might be mcrely the

Latin names Mallius, Mallia.

o ,0 i.e. 'AxE).1q (Zgtrst^, Io..tit.) r\o- B4g.1. 1? Masson, Let rtagnenj de llipponax (1962), pp. r28ff., quorcd by Neumann,

Loc.tit.

API'I,NDIX B]' D. HAWKINS

A estetions of Molija (Atlena) ir L|'cian.

TL. 75 (Tyberisos):This tomb, Tettmpe, son of Hfitihama, built it' On the slab where they shall

inter him, thcy shall not bury anyone else upon him, excePt (his) wife, who shall

die after him, If (any) one buries anyone else upon him, this Precinct and Malijaand the (...) of the Mindis shall smite him

Cf. Houwink ten C^te, Luw. Pofulntion Groups, P, 95.

Carrrba, Satzeinleilenden Patl;keln, p, 93.

TL. 76 (Tyberisos):The inscription is fragmentary; the curse appears to read:

[... if anyone bu]ries anyone (else), [...] Malija [shall jud]ge hin, and [Trqqlasand alfl thc gods?].

f'he word belore "Malija" is probably an epithet but the traces do not agree

with any Lnown one.

TL. Bo (Antiphellos):1'his tomb, Kacbija built it for his wife and children. May they inter him in

(it). Whoever shall - - anyone else(?) inro it, ['frqq]as shall smite him, and Malijathe highly-cxalted(?).

Cl. Carruba, oq.cit., pP. 83' tt2.TL. r49 (Rhodiapolis):

Tlris building, Ijamara, son of Terssikle, the akAbza of Malija of the City,

built it. He shall grant it to the servants and tleri for money. Should he now grant

interment to his lrrr, they shall not bury anyone (else) upon him, on Ijamara or his

wife. If (any) one shall bury anyone else upon him, or shall make any damage withthe servanr ofanorher, (he shall be), accursed for the dnaba, and [Malta] ofthe City(shall tine) him as penalty X oxen and [X] sheep. The Lycian teslti shall judge him

by (..,), and the community of tl\e lunenede...'lhe curstj continues mentioning once more "Maliya of rhe City", but it is

largely unintelligible. lve owe the elucidation of this very difficult and broken

inslription to Laroche (BSl 6r (1967), p. 59f) and Carruba (op.cit', p' B3)'

Malija uedrlfini.

"Malija of the wedi" clearly equals Athena Polias, who occurs particularly

in the inscriptions of Rhodiapolis and Phaselis (cf 'fAM 13' nos' 924, 9e5; r I84,

rzoo).akdlaza fror the context could mean (i) "priat" (or rhe like), (ii) "beloved" (or

the like). Since the form is not a participle, and -aza seems to be a "professional"

suffix (Hourvink ten Catc, oP'cit., p, 63), the former is more probable'

TL. r5o (Rhodiapolis):Here lies Ksseizija, son of Kutlapa, sewant of Muile, who built the memorial

for himself. They shall not bury anyone else upon him. If they bury (anyone else)

upon him, Malija of thc City and the entire Lycian community shalljudge him' For

Ksseizija,.. (rest unintelligible).

Bevond these references the name lvlalija occurs three tinrcs on thc Xanthos

Stele, 1L. 44 (a43; c 5, 7), each time in its gcnctival form ,4/a/yblri, "that of lr{alija"'The passages are not clearly understood, but the other namcs lcgible in the vicinity

@4 a 43tt. Patara, Melesandros, Iferacles, Achilles, Amorges; c, tff Persians, At-henians, Artemis, Tissaphernes, Hicraraenes, Xanthos) indicatc a political/rcligious

context. Laroche, loc.cit., p. 61f., and Carruba, op.cit., pp. 3r, Ioo have elucidated

various points. Based on these, the following very teotative translation of TL' 44c rff. may be oflered :-

Zisaphernes, son of [...] and rhe Persian king (??) put [...]; and [..'l fought

against the Athenians. I lcd thc army as maraza, and .'.; Otanes shall ercct stelae

by the temenos of Malija in the presence of the warrio6, ...r and the king ( ??) shall

erect stelae by the (temenos?) of this precinct and of lValija and of Arrcmis and of

the kingly (??) command, and in front he shall erect a monument. Ifanyonc shall "kbide, "king" (??), a guess from the context. Alternatively onc miSht translate

"host, arrny", associating the word with Hittite lxzzis, (see Larochc, loc.cit., p. 5o:Anatolian ,.lu,at-; > Hittite ,r/t; > tuzzi'i > L\twi^n kual+na'i to which add >Lycian kbid- (khltto as demonstratcd by Larochc) ?).

zkka-, "flglnt", associated with Hittite zaliai-. This appea$ as a verb in Lycianand also a derived nominal [orm zkkaza, hencc "warrior". For the forms cf. Hou-wink ten Cate, op.cit., p. 63 Para g.

This stele was erected by I(erei, son of Harpagos, prince of Xanthos, and

commemorates the events of 4Ir B. C., for which see Thucydidcs VIII 5 and nB'

Zisaphernes (zisaprina) seems to be different from TissaPhcrnes, sqclt cizzaprftna'