Crete in the Greek tradition [thesis]

74 Pages·1915·3.341 MB·English

by  Theodore Arthur Buenger

Crete in the Greek Tradition
Theodore Arthur Buenger
ll
A Thesis, presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of
the University of Pennsylvania, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Philadelphia,Pa.
1915
PRESS OF
Steinman& Foltz,
Lancaster, Pa.
Thewriterwishes toexpresshissincerethanks
to Prof. William N. Bates, Prof. HenryL. Cros-
by, Prof. Walter W. Hyde, and Dr. Edith H.
Hall.
330272

.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Introduction 7
II. Sources 9
III. MythsabouttheGods 11
1. Titans, IdaeanDactyls, Curetes II
2. Zeus 14
3. Poseidon 16
4. Apollo 17
5. Hermes 18
6. Hephaestus 19
7. Dionysus 19
8. Hera 21
9. Demeter 21
10. Athena 22
11 Artemis 23
12. Aphrodite 24
13. Asclepius 24
14. Helios 24
15. Eileithyia 24
16. Muses 25
17. OtherGods 26
18. Summary 26
IV. MythsabouttheHeroes 27
1. EarliestRulersofCrete 27
2. Europa 28
3. Minos 30
A. TheCretanBull 32
B. Glaucus 32
C. Britomartis 33
D. Talos •..;..,;.... 35
E. Procris 36
F. Ganymede. 37
G. Pasiphae 38
H. Androgeus 39
I. Nisus 39
J. Theseus 41
K. Daedalus 45
L. Summary 47
4. Rhadamanthys 48
5. Sarpedon 50
5
6 Contents
6. Deucalion 50
7. Asterius 51
8. Idomeneusand Meriones 51
9. CatreusandAlthaemenes 53
10. Orion 54
11. Odysseus 55
12. Epimenides 55
13. Summary 56
V. EthnologyofCrete 57
VI. CretanColonies 61
1. TheIslands 61
2. TheMainlandofGreece 63
3. Asia 64
4. TheWest 67
5. Summary 68
VII. Conclusion 70
VIII. Bibliography 72
INTRODUCTION
I.
NowthattheexcavationsatCnossus, Phaestus, HagiaTriada,
and other places in Crete have given us certain definite facts
about the earliest Cretan civilization, it is perhaps worth while
to examine again the mass of traditions and myths clustering
about the island. What information concerning the early state
of Crete did the later Greeks possess, how does this square with
the archaeological evidence, does it help us to explain any of
the results of the excavations? These are the questions which
mustbekeptinmindwhile goingoverthe traditions.

SOURCES
II.
Besides the many writers who treated one or another of the
Cretan myths in a poetical way, there were a number of men
who wrote more or less scientific works on Crete. Aristotle
was the author of a Constitution of Crete.1 Several works bear
the name of Epimenides:2 the Origin of the Curetes and Cory-
bantes; a Theogony; a poem comprising a Catalogue of Sacri-
fices, the Constitution of Crete, and the Story of Minos and
Rhadamanthys; Letters to Solon on the Cretan Constitution.
Other writers mentioned are Xenion,3 Antenor,4 Petellides of
Cnossus,5 Alexander Polyhistor,6 Dinarchus,7 Echemenes,8 Pyr-
gion,9 Dosiades,10 Sosicrates,11 and Lasthenidas.12 Ephorus13
wrote about the constitution of Crete, though probably he did
notdevotea separate work to it. Meneclesof Teos14 wrote on
Cretan history and mythology, Callisthenes on Cretan laws.1*
The longest and most consistent report of the earliest "his-
tory" of Crete that has come down to us is furnished by Dio-
dorus Siculus, V. 64-81. He bases his work especially on the
writings attributed to Epimenides, and on Dosiades, Sosicrates,
and Lasthenidas, stating that the authorities do not agree and
that he follows the more probable accounts.16 Strabo, X. 4,
1Arist.frag.475.P- 155^Bekker.
2Diog.L.Epim. 1, 10,5;Ath.VII,288E.
3Etym. M.s.v.'Apxsciov;passim.
4Ael. N.A. XVII,35-
5Hyg.Astr. II,4.
6Schol.Ap.Rh.IV, 1491.
7Dion. H. Dinarch 1,1.
8Ath.XIII,601 E.
9ibid. IV, 143E.
10ibid.VI,263E. .
"Schol.Ar.Av.521.
12Diod.V,80,4.
13Strab.X,4, 16.
14Ch. Michel,Recueild'inscr. Gr. n.66,9f.
15Polyb.VI,45- I.
16Diod.V,80,4.
10 Sources
gives a geographical description of Crete; in X. 3 he discusses
the question of the Curetes. Manyvaluable notesarefurnished
by Homer,1 Herodotus,2 Thucydides,3 and a host of others. In
fact there are few Greek or Roman authors who do not touch
on Crete in some way.
1II.XIV,320. Od. IV,563;V, 125;XIII,256,etc.
!Hdt. 1, 171;III, 122;VII, 169;etc.
1Thuc. 1,4.