Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
NANNO MARINATOS
We are left to ourselves within a highly
complicated cosmos which allows neither
tale nor picture for description, but only
the most abstract mathematics,with a Big
Bang as its first beginning and possibly a
Black Hole as its final singularity.
WalterBurkert
Summary
In vain have scholarstriedto producea coherentgeographicalpictureof Odysseus'
travels.It is arguedherethatOdysseusmakesa cosmic journeyat the edges of the earth
(peratages), a phraseused in the text to describe several lands that the hero visits.
The cosmic journey was a genre currentin the East Mediterraneanregion in the
Iron Age. It was modeled on the Egyptian the journey of the sun god who travels
twelve hours in the darknessof the underworldand twelve hours in the sky. Evidence
of similar concepts in the Near East is providedby a Babylonian circularmap (now
in the British Museum) as well as by Phoeniciancircularbowls. Gilgamesh seems to
performa cosmic journey. As well, Early Greek cosmology utilizes the concept of a
circularcosmos.
Odysseus' journey spans the two cosmic junctures of the universe: East, where
Circe resides, and West, where Calypso lives. Another polar axis is the underworld
andthe island of the sun.
1. Introduction
NUMEN, Vol. 48
382
Nanno Marinatos
the aims of this paper is to suggest that the Egyptian journey of the sun
around a circular cosmos was the original model for the adventures of
Odysseus' around the world.3 It is likely that these adventures were
not directly derived from Egyptian sources; rather, they reflect a type
of tale which had become a common East Mediterranean tradition by
the Iron Age and was mediated via the Phoenicians. This tale entailed
the hero's journey to the end of the universe. Another example of such
a tale from Greek mythology is the Argonautica.4
2.
383
Figure 1.
384
Nanno Marinatos
Figure2.
in the morningand old in the evening, as well as by the East-Westaxis
of the double horizon.
Circularityis behind anotherfigure inventedby the Egyptians:the
cosmic serpent,called by Greeksouroboros(he who eats his own tail).7
The serpenthas a circularshape, thus being both his beginning and
his end (Fig. 2). Normally, the ouroboros encircles the sun disc; in
the centreis a child representingthe young sun god. Sometimeshe is
supportedby a cow's head,8which accordingto one theoryrepresents
the sun'sjourneyin an abbreviatedfashion.9The boukephalionappears
also on scarabs.'0Since the lattertraveleasily, these amuletsmay have
been the carriersof the imagery which diffused Egyptian concepts.
The idea thatthe sun was connectedwith cattle may well havereached
wider cultural groups. (Did the idea of the cattle of the sun in the
Odysseyarise in this way? In Babyloniancosmology as well thereis a
mythical region which is designatedas the home of cattle.) To return
7 The ouroboros
appearsfirstin the period of Tutankhamun:Homung 2000.
8 It could be identified as an aspect of Hathor,the celestial cow, but important
argumentsagainst this theory have been advanced by Homung 1990, 107-114. See
also Keel and Schroer 1998.
9
Horung and Staehlin 1976.
10Keel and Schroer 1998.
385
Figure3.
to the circle, we note that the ouroborosis flankedby two lions; they
representthe West and the East (Fig. 2). This is importantto note in so
far as the East-Westaxis is emphasisedas much as the circle.
A totally differentimage entails the sun disk shown in connection
with the body of the goddess Nut who representsthe sky. The sun
travelsalong the body or inside it in a barque,or is shown rightbelow
Nut, as on a 21st Dynasty Papyrus(Fig. 3). On this figure,the cosmos
is dividedinto a lower half definedby the recliningearthgod Geb and
an upperhalf with the sky goddess Nut. The barqueof the sun is in the
upperhalf.
Thus, the division into two hemispheresis important.Since the sun
travelsboth in the daylight and in the darkness,his journey is divided
into two halves: one section is above the earth, the other below it
(see above Fig. 3). The equivalence of the concepts "darkness"and
"underworld"must be noted: the underworldbecomes homologous to
(althoughnot identicalwith) night, which is representedby the female
goddess Nut. She is an ambivalentfigure embodying both death and
birth:she swallows the sun in the evening and gives birth to him in
the morning.Because of her centralimportanceas both the originator
and destroyerof the sun, Nut is sometimes paintedin the ceilings of
386
Nanno Marinatos
Figure 4.
387
Figure5.
(see below, Fig. 9). The cosmos is thus not only circular but bipolar
and a constant tension characterises its structure.
Finally let us note that the arched body of female Nut is supported
by a male god.15 The idea that heaven is supported by a male figure
reminds one of Atlas's role in Greek cosmology; there is even an
equivalent figure among the Hittites (see table below).
Another important concept of the Egyptian netherworld is that of
"gates" (Fig. 5). Gates correspond to the twelve hours of the night and
are guarded by special keepers.16 Each gate represents an obstacle and
a test. If the right spell is not recited, the soul cannot go any further.17
It should be noted that the journey of the sun is also followed by the
soul of the dead. It thus furnishes a model of universal validity which
could be easily followed by "the hero."
3.
388
Figure 6.
Nanno Marinatos
389
390
Nanno Marinatos
Wedo notknowmuchaboutPhoenicianliterarytraditions,30
butthe
geographical
conceptionof the cosmoscanbe deducedfromimages.
A seriesof Phoeniciancircularbowlsmadeof preciousmetals,known
asphialae,werepopularthroughout
theMediterranean
andfoundtheir
to
Greece
and
the
Iron
way Cyprus,Crete,
Italyduring
Age andthe
Orientalizing
period.31The shapeof the phialae suggestsa circular
as
on
cosmos,
Fig. 7.
27West 1997, 147.
28Cf. the Akkadian
myth of the Descent of Ishtar:Pritchard1973, 80-84. See also
West
1997, 151-167.
Strasburger1998, 7;
29Keel 1978, 22, fig. 9.
30West 1997, 100-101.
31Markoe 1985.
391
ll
CosmicJunctures
UNDERWORLD
Figure7.
One specimen, found at Praeneste(Fig. 8), depicts the adventures
of a king and his son; the episodes are renderedas a series of scenes
aligned along the rim of the bowl.32 Most scholars think that the
episodes reflect a lost tale.33 What has been less noticed is that the
king and his son are on a cosmic journey.This can be arguedbecause
a cosmic serpent, an ouroboros, encircles the bowl and bites his
own tail.34 Thus, the cosmic journey which in Egypt is connected
with the dead or the sun, is here accomplished by a mythical king
or hero. This hero (1) leaves home; (2) traversesmythical regions
picturedas mountains;(3) shoots a stag; (4) offers it to a sun goddess;
(5) encountersa wild man;(6) is saved by a winged sun goddess-this
may mean thathe has arrivedat the island of the sun, as did Odysseus;
(7) defeats otherwild men; (8) finally returnshome having completed
a full circle along the rim of the bowl. The style is Syro-PhoenicianEgyptian, a product of stylistic as well as conceptual syncretism.35
An image of the Egyptianpharaohsmiting his enemies decoratesthe
32Markoe1985, 67-68;
Karageorgis1988, fig. 18a;Giitterbock,1957,62-71. There
is a similarone in Cyprus:Fittschen1973, 9-10, fig 3; Karageorgis1988, 46, fig. 17.
33Burkert1992, 104; West 1997, 100-101.
34I am gratefulto Prof. V. Karageorghisfor drawingmy attentionto this object.
35Gubel 2000, 185-214.
392
Nanno Marinatos
Figure8.
centre.The symbol of the pharaoh,placed in the centre of the cosmos
as it were, can be takenas a pictogramof orderwhich encapsulatesthe
triumphof the king andlegitimises the hero's victory in the formof this
traditionalpictorialformula.For our purposes,the bowl is significant.
It shows that the cosmic journey was currentin the Levant at the end
of the IronAge.
Another Phoenician bowl, found at Olympia, depicts a series of
episodes that may depict the life cycle of a hero (Fig. 9): his birth,
his combat with a griffin with the help of a bearded man; scenes of
music. Note the twin naked figures at the horizontalaxis of the circle.
393
Figure9.
Nanno Marinatos
394
Figure10.
5.
The GreekCosmos
395
(790 ff.) The Ocean is also the place from which the sun rises and into
which he sets; waters thus define the borders of the universe.38
Herodotus in the fifth century B.C. describes how his predecessors
drew the world as a circle, surrounded by the river Ocean (Hdt. IV,
36). This circular map is attributedto Anaximander, but Hecataeus also
seems to have conceived of a circular world.39
In summary, the circular cosmos is common to Egyptian, Near
Eastern and Greek traditions. In addition these cultures share the
duality of up and down, the antithesis between East and West, and
the ambivalence of female deities. The results of the comparative
cosmogonies of the East Mediterranean are illustrated in the Table 1.
TABLE 1
Greece
Egypt
Babylon
Encirclingwaters
Encirclingwaters
Cosmic river
Circularcosmos
CircularCosmos
CircularCosmos
CircularCosmos
Females:Nut, Isis
and Nephthys
Ishtar
Twin goddesses
on bowl (Fig. 9)
Twin Goddesses
Circe andCalypso
Cosmic Serpent
Ouroboros
Cosmic Serpent:
Ouroboros
God Shu upholds
heaven
Hittitegiant
Upelluri bears the
world in the
Ullikummimyth.40
Gates of
Underworld
Gates of Sun
38West, 143-147.
39How and Wells 1912, in loc.
40Haas 1982, 159.
Syro/Phoenicia
Encirclingwaters
(ocean)
Atlas upholds
heaven
Gates of Night
(Parmenides)
Gates of Sun Od.
24.12.
396
6.
Nanno Marinatos
The CosmicJunctures:TheHouse of Night and the House of the
Rising Sun
397
CHARYBDIS
SIRENS
SCYLLA
S PECIANS
CALYPSO
COSMiC
JUNCTURE
CIRCE
ITHAKA
COSMIC
JUNCTURE
-'
HADES
KIMMERIANS4
lV?,
\
TELEPYLOS
LOTUS
EATERS
CYCLOPES
AEOLUS
Figure 11.
Nanno Marinatos
398
399
400
Nanno Marinatos
401
402
Nanno Marinatos
8.
Strasburger1998, 10.
56Frame 1978, 37, cites Theognis who says thatPersephonegives forgetfulnessto
mortals.
57
Exceptin two instances:in the vicinity of the floatingisland of Aeolus, andwhen
he leaves the island of the sun to pass once more throughScylla and Charybdis.
58Auffarth 1991, 276-85, sees the world of
Odysseus's adventuresas a reversed
world.
403
enteredand exited; Circe's island is to and from Hades and the rocks
of Scylla and Charybdisconstitutea gate to and from the isle of the
sun. We have seen that gates and guardiansare attestedin both Near
Easternand Egyptianmetaphysicaljourneys.
The first station is the Kikones, who are not mythical since they
are located in Thrace. But then again, it is not uncommon to use
real place names to designate mythical lands (the same applies to
Kimmeriansand the name "Artakye,"which is located at Telepylos).59
The company then is drivenby the winds for 9 days (Od. 9.82) to the
landof the LotusEaters.By now the cosmic circle has been enteredfor
sure. The Lotus Eatersrepresentthe dangerof detentionand oblivion.
In this context it is worth noting that lotus flowers are offered to the
dead in Egyptian funeraryart. Hades also gives Persephonea fruit to
detainher in the realmof death.
Next comes Cyclops. The most significantaspect of this episode for
our purposesis the giant's cave which contains sheep.60Cavernsare a
featureof the sun's journey in the underworld,hence the designation
of the Egyptiancollection of texts known as "Book of Caverns."
Next, the floating island of Aeolus is reached. Due to the gift
Aeolus gave Odysseus, a wine skin that contains all the winds, the
company almost returns back to Ithaca after nine days of travel.
But Odysseus's men in their folly open the bag and the winds are
released with the result that they are driven back to Aeolus's island.
The episode of Aeolus emphasises the extent of human folly. Had
Odysseus's comradesbeen less greedy, they would have been spared
furtheradventuresand would have returnedto Ithaca.But this was not
to be.
The next stationis reachedafter anothersix days (Od. 10.80). It is
"Tele-pylos,"a name which suggests a "faraway gate",61namely the
59Dickie1995,29-56.
60According to Burkert(1979, 88 if.), animals in a cave conjure metaphysical,
shamanistic associations; he even discusses the Paleolithic cave paintings in this
connection.
61
Page 1973, 35-37, denies this etymology but his argumentsare not convincing.
404
Nanno Marinatos
II
SL~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Figure 12.
405
not convey the dramaticfinality of the sun's setting. The Greek text
implies that this particulardiving of the sun is an unusual one. It is
not a statement which conveys only the time of day, but expresses
the irreversibilityof death. Indeed, the company does not see the sun
again.They come to frontiersof the world,the end of the Ocean,where
the land of the Kimmeriansis located. These peoples always live in
darkness,in a perpetualmist. The rays of the sun do not penetrateand
the sky is not visible: "Fordreadfulnight has spreadher mantle over
the heads of the unhappyfolk" (Od. 11.13-19). Fromthis point on, the
comradeswill travelin darkness.Therefore,the Kimmeriansare not in
the "darknorth,"as is usually assumed;they are very close to the end
of the "pathof night,"the place where the world is at its darkestsince
this realm is adjacentto Hades. Comparewith the journey of the sun
in Egyptianthought:
The distantregions of heaven lie in perpetualdarkness,
Their bordersunknownto the south, north,west and east.
These directionsare exhaustedin the primevalwaters,
Where the rays of the ba [of the sun god] do not pierce, ...
Where thereis no light.65
In the Odyssey,the sun will rise only when the men returnto the island
of Circe"atthe house of Dawn"(Od. 12.8). The companyhas followed
the sun in his deathand now has returnedto the light.
Afterleaving Circe'sisland,the men treadthe "pathof day"towards
the island of the sun which constitutes the penultimate station of
65Book of Nut, 19th
Dynasty:Hornung1990, 74.
406
Nanno Marinatos
the journey. Yet, before they get there, Odysseus and his remaining
men have to pass more obstacles. The first of these is the island of
the Sirens. What is the function of these monsters? As Sir Denys
Page noted long ago, there is no evidence that the Sirens ate their
victims, since the flesh still clings on the bodies of the unfortunate
dead decomposingon the island. The Sirenskill indirectlyby enticing
humanswith the knowledge they have to offer (Od. 12.189-190). The
victims, having become prisoners of enchantment,are presumably
eaten by vultures. On the Corinthianaryballos (above Fig. 12), the
sirens are watching as the vultures are about to attack Odysseus
and his men. The vase painter has expressed the manner of death
with which the Sirens threatenOdysseus and his comrades, namely
they will be eaten by vultures on the dry island. That the Sirens are
guardiansof the path that leads to the isle of the sun, is suggestedby
the imagery on a late Archaic stamnos, now in the British Museum
(Fig. 13). It depicts two Sirens, each perchedon a rock between which
the ship must sail, whilst a third one attacks. Here, the iconography
unambiguouslyconveys the concept of the dangerouspassage defined
by the two rocks.66In this section of his voyage, Odysseus will no
longerencountercannibals,buthe will confrontdangerousnon-human
guardians.The knowledgethatthe Sirensoffer fits well the genreof the
cosmic journey.
The next dangeris Scylla and Charybdis.The monstersare perched
on rocks exactly as the Sirens of Fig. 13; the passage between them
is a kind of gate.67There is anotherpoint here. The passage has to
be traversednot once but twice. As in the case of Circe's island,which
leads to andfromHades,the straitsof Scylla and Charybdislead to and
from the island of the sun. It can thus be suggested that the monsters
guardaccess to the island of the sun. Dangerof deathlurkseven there,
but death is totally due to humanfolly: the isle of the sun is the place
66Reeder 1995, 417, no. 137A.
67This is the function of the
plaktai, the smashingrocks which play a role in the
Argonautica,but which Odysseus avoids following Circe's advice.
407
Figure13.
of the ultimatetest. Odysseus, who is self-disciplined,passes the test
unharmed;the rest perish.
After another nine days Odysseus arrives at Calypso's island of
As we have seen, she is located at the western cosmic
"darkness."68
and
she
leads Odysseus to the Phaeacianswho make his rejuncture
entryinto the real world possible.
The Phaeacianland is a place of transit.It is located between the
cosmic circle and the real world. Odysseus has to arrivethere naked,
and Leukothea,who helps him survivethe wreck of his raft, demands
thather white veil be given back. Thus, he arriveswithoutthe vehicle
which conveys him and without his clothes. He is a new man and
all the material objects which link him to the cosmic journey have
been left behind, except his memories. This tale is not unique to the
Odyssey.Scherie has been comparedto a similarstationin the Epic of
In 'theaforementionedepic, the hero
Gilgameshby G. Strasburger.69
arrivesat the island of the wise man Utnapishtimwho lives at the edge
68Vemant 1986, 54-64; Vermeule 1979, 179 ff. Verant thinks the name signifies
that the goddess veils Odysseus by taking him out of circulation,as it were. I prefer
the explanationof Frame 1978, 73, that Calypso refersto darkness.
69
Strasburger1998, 18.
408
Nanno Marinatos
409
410
Nanno Marinatos
Thus, Odysseus learns about his human identity and its limits. Note
that the mistakes of insolence which Odysseus commits in the first
half of the journey, especially in the Cyclops incident, are avoided
in the second half. Indeed, Odysseus does not touch the cattle of the
sun, whereas he had less respect for the propertyof Cyclops. Perhaps
411
NANN6 MARINATOS
76
Utnapishtimin Gilgameshand Teiresiashave something in common: an experience of life and death which enables them to have a perspective.
77Proposed by Ganschinietz in Pauly-Wissowa's Real-Encyclopadie 10: 2362,
2401, but criticizedand rejectedby Meuli 1974, 27-30.
78Dettori 1996, 299-300. I am gratefulto A. Chaniotisand W. Burkertfor bringing
this articleto my attention.
79The bibliographyon the Odyssey is immense. Recent works: Heubeck, West,
and Hainsworth1988-92; Latacz 1991; Kullmann1992; Crielaard1995; Morris and
Powell 1997.
412
Nanno Marinatos
REFERENCES
413
Crielaard,Jan Paul
1995 (ed.) HomericQuestions:Essays in Philology,AncientHistory,and Archaeology. (Publicationsof the Netherlandsinstituteat Athens, 2.) Amsterdam:
J.C. Gieben.
Dettori,Emanuele
1996 "Testiorfici dalla MagnaGreciaal Mar Nero."Parola del Passato 51:292310.
Dickie, Matthew
1995 'The Geographyof Homer'sWorld."In Andersenand Dickie 1995, 29-56.
Faulkner,RaymondO.
1985 TheAncientEgyptianBook of the Dead. Rev. ed. London:BritishMuseum
Publications.
Fittschen,Klaus
1973 Der Schild des Achilleus. In Archaeologia Homerica: Die Denkmalerund
das fruhgriechische Epos, ed. F. Matz and H.-G. Buchholz (Gottingen:
Vandenhoeck& Ruprecht,1967 ff.), II, Kap. N, Teil 1.
Frame,Douglas
1978 TheMythof Returnin Early GreekEpic. New Haven:YaleUniversityPress.
Gubel, Eric
2000 "Multiculturaland Multimedial Aspects of Early Phoenician Art." In
Uehlinger 2000, 185-214.
Gutterbock,Hans G.
1957 "Narrationin Anatolian, Syrian and Assyrian Art."American Journal of
Archaeology61:62-71.
Haas, Volkert
1982 Hethitische Berggotter und hurritische Steindimonen: Riten, Kulte und
Mythen. Eine Einfiihrungin die altkleinasiatischenreligiosen Vorstellungen. Mainz: von Zabern.
Heubeck,Alfred, StephanieWest, and J.B. Hainsworth
1988-92 (eds.) A Commentaryon Homer's Odyssey.3 vols. Oxford:Clarendon
Press.
Holscher,Uvo
1988 Die Odyssee:Epos zwischenMarchenund Roman.Miinchen:C.H. Beck.
Horung, Erik
1984 Agyptische Unterweltsbucher.2nd ed. Zurich: Artemis Verlag. 1990 The
Valley of the Kings: Horizon of Eternity. New York: Timken Publishers
(orig. ed. in German1982).
2000 "KompositeGottheitenin der Agyptischen Ikonographie."In Uehlinger
2000, 1-20.
414
Nanno Marinatos
415
Niwinski, Andrzej
2000 "Iconographyof the 21st Dynasty."In Uehlinger2000, 21-44.
Page, Denys L.
1955 TheHomeric Odyssey.Oxford:ClarendonPress.
1973 Folktales in Homer's Odyssey. Cambridge, Mass.: HarvardUniversity
Press.
Penglase, Charles
1994 Greek Myths and Mesopotamia: Parallels and Influence in the Homeric
Hymnsand Hesiod. London:Routledge.
Piankoff,Alexandre
1939-62 Le Livre des Portes. (M6moiresde l'Institutfrancais du Caire, 74, 75,
90.) Cairo:Imprimeriede l'InstitutFrancaisd'Arch6ologie Orientale.
Pritchard,James B.
1973 TheAncientNear East. 6th rpt. Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress.
Reeder,Ellen D.
1995 (ed.) Pandora:Womenin Classical Greece.Princeton:PrincetonUniversity
Press.
Rossiter,Evelyn
1979 TheBook of the Dead: PapyriofAni, Hunefer,Anhai:[s.l.]: Miller graphics.
Strasburger,Gisela
1998 "Die Fahrtdes Odysseus zu den Toten im Vergleich mit ilteren Jenseitsfahrten."AntikeundAbendland44:1-29.
Toumay,RaymondJacquesandAaron Shaffer
1994 L'epopee de Gilgamesh: Introduction,traduction et notes. (Litt6ratures
anciennes du Proche-Orient,15.) Paris:Cerf.
Tsagarakis,Odysseus
1995 "Odyssey11: The Questionof the Sources."In Andersenand Dickie 1995,
123-132.
Uehlinger,Christoph
2000 (ed.) Images as Media: Sourcesfor the CulturalHistory of the Near East
and the EasternMediterranean.(Orbisbiblicus et orientalis,175.) Freiburg:
Universitatsverlag.
Vermeule,Emily Townsend
1979 Aspects of Death in Early GreekArt and Poetry.(Satherclassical lectures,
46.) Berkeley:Universityof Califoria Press.
Jean-Pierre
Verant,
1986 "FeminineFiguresof Death in Greece."Diacritics 16:54-64.
416
Nanno Marinatos
West, Martin
1997 TheEast Face of Helicon: WestAsiatic Elementsin GreekPoetryand Myth.
Oxford:ClarendonPress.
Whittaker,Helene
1999 "The Status of Arete in the PhaeacianEpisode in the Odyssey."Symbolae
Osloenses 74:140-150.
Wilkinson,RichardH.
1994 Symboland Magic in EgyptianArt. London:Thamesand Hudson.