Symbolism of the Sphere: A Contribution to the History of Earlier Greek Philosophy

136 Pages·1977·33.394 MB·English

by  Otto J. Brendel

SYMBOLISM OF THE SPHERE
ETUDES PRELIMINAIRES
AUX RELIGIONS ORIENTALES
DANS L'EMPIREROMAIN
PUBLIEES PAR
M. J. VERMASEREN
TOME SOIXANTE-SEPTIEME
OTTO J. BRENDEL
SYMBOLISM OF THE SPHERE
LEIDEN
J.
E. BRILL
1977
J.
OTTO BRENDEL
SYMBOLISM OF THE SPHERE
A Contribution to the History of Earlier Greek Philosophy
WITH 30 PLATES
LEIDEN
J.
E. BRILL
1977
Translated by Maria W. Brendel
ISBN 90 04 05266 6
Copyright 1977 by E. J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
translated in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche
or any other means without written permission from the publisher
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
To
Cornelia Brendel Foss

CONTENTS
Preface .... IX
Bibliography . XI
Abbreviations. XIV
I. The Philosopher Mosaic in Naples . I
II. A Riddle of the Seven Sages 19
III. Thales. . . . . . . . . . 41
IV. World Spindle and Celestial Sphere. 50
V. The Celestial Sphere of the Moirai . 70
Index .... 86
List of Plates . 89
Plates I-XXX

PREFACE
Otto J. Brendel died in 1973, two days before his 72nd birthday.1
During his life in Germany, Denmark, Italy and the U.S.A. he
wrote among many other things a number of substantial essays
dealing with rites and symbols in ancient Greek and Roman art.
These studies cover not only the whole era of classical art but
include also manifestations of its survival during the Italian
Renaissance. In his early thirties Brendel wrote an extensive study
on the "Symbolism of the Sphere".2 At a time when many scholars
doubted whether archaeological monuments could support literary
evidence, he used archaeological as well as literary sources in his at
tempt to give new, original explanations for a number of classical
monuments.
The subject is of great importance for all students in art history
as well as in classical religion and deserves to this day the attention
of those interested in the cults of the oriental deities as for instance
Dea Syria. Therefore it seems appropriate to republish Brendel's
early contribution to classical scholarship which already fore
shadowed his later work.
This new edition was made possible by the German Archaeological
Institute in Rome which granted permission to publish a translation
into English. Dr. Hellmut Sichtermann kindly supplied the greater
part of the photographs. We owe the translation to Maria W.
Brendel who thereby turned the "Kugel" into a "Sphere". The
essay will now be more accessible to the English speaking world.
Mrs. Brendel wishes to express her cordial thanks to Andree
Conrad for her understanding help and suggestions. Special thanks
are due to Mrs. M. E. C. Vermaseren-van Haaren and Margaretha
B. de Boer who were most helpful in providing the bibliography.
Amsterdam 1977 MAARTEN J. VERMASEREN
1 See now: In Memoriam Otto J. Brendel. Essays in Archaeology and the
Humanities (ed. L. Bonfante and H. v. Heintze), Mainz 1976.
2 See Rom Mitt 51, 1936, 1-95. For recent bibliography, see the forthcoming
study of H. v. Heintze, Zu den Bildnissen der Sieben Weisen in Festschrift
fur Frank Brommer, Mainz 1977, 163-173.