The Origin of Aphrodite

345 Pages·2003·18.072 MB·English

by  Stephanie Lynn Budin

T O A
he rigin of phrodite
Stephanie Lynn Budin
GDI Press
Bethesda, Maryland
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bud in, Stephanie
The origin of Aphrodite / Stephanie Budin
p. crn.
includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN l-,S830vw0-i>
1. Aphrodite (Greek deify) I, Title.
BL820.V5 B83 2002
292.2Ί l4-dc21 200203-1972
Cover design by Duy-Khuong Van.
Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. This hook may not be reproduced, in
whole or in part, in any form (beyond that copying permitted in Sections 10”
and 108 of the L.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public
press), without written permission from the publisher, CDL Press. PC). Box
34454. Bcthesda. Md. 2082".
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments,....,.,.,....,,,.,,».,.,,....,«,,,...,,,.,,,.,,,,,,,...,,,,,..,.,,,,,.,..,,.,.., vit
Abbreviations.................. ix
I. Introduction....................... 1
II, The Persona of Aphrodite.................................................................. 13
TIT. Aphrodite in Early Greece ................... .....33
IV, The Cults of Aphrodite................................. ..............................69
V, Aphrodite and Cyprus:
The Chalcolithic to Late Prehistoric Periods................... 103
VI. Aphrodite and Cyprus:
The Protohistoric Age.................................................... 131
VII. Cyprus between Occident and Orient..................................... 181
VIIL Levantine Contributions to Aphrodite.................................... 199
IX. The Phoenician Question .......................... 243
X. Aphrodite Becomes Greek.......................................................273
Appendix A....................... ..283
Ditties in the Linear B Texts .............................. 283
"History" of the Greek Gods................ 285
Emily Greek Sanctuaries and Temples...................286
Appendix B: Text Transcriptions..............................................291
Bibliography..................... ....305
Selected Index .........................................................................337
V
Acknowledgments
liiere are many people and institutions who deserve a world of thanks for
helping me at various points in the completion of this study. At the
University of Pennsylvania, I thank Sheila Murnaghan, Keith DeVries,
Jeremy Maclnerney, and Earl Leichty for help on matters feminist, geo­
metric, and Assyrioiogical. Special thanks go to Philip Betancourt at Temple
University for guidance in Bronze Age matters, especially concerning
contacts between Crete and Cyprus; and to Neal Walls of Emory University,
for help in the study of Levantine goddesses. My gratitude also goes to
former Dean Licht for the Pennflek! Fellowship that enabled me to spend
my first year in Athens at the American School of Classical Studies, and the
Samuel H. Kress Foundation for the Samuel H. Kress Joint Athens-Jerusalem
Fellowship, which let me continue my studies at the American School in
Athens as well as work at the Albright Institute in Jerusalem.
At the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, thanks go to the
late William Coulson. Connie and Ronald Stroud, Charles K. Williams TÏ,
Molly Richardson (for help with epigraphy), Sandra Blakely. Barbara Olsen,
and Albert Morales. At the Albright institute of Archaeological Research in
Jerusalem, 1 thank Sy Gitin, Edna Sachar, Gerald Bilkes, and F.W. “Chip”
Dobbs-Allsopp.
I am eternally indebted to the people who helped me in areas of Cypri­
ot research. First and foremost, is Jenny Webb of LaTrohe University. Grati­
tude and extreme fondness go to Nancy Serwint, former acting director of
CAARL and to Diane Bolger, for organizing the excellent conference “En­
gendering Aphrodite," which contributed much data for Chapter Six and
for their willingness to discuss their work with me. Such thanks also go to
Edgar Pel ten berg of the University of Edinburgh, who discussed with me
his work at Lemba and allowed me to use some of his materials in this book.
To the east, I thank Garth Gilmour for reviewing the section on
Levantine archaeology and offering extremely helpful bibliography on easi-
west connections. I am also grateful to Steve Wiggins and M. Dijkstra for
allowing me to quote their works here, and for showing general enthusiasm
in this topic.
On a more personal level, I thank my friends Kellce Barnard, Eric
Robinson, Jenny Wilson, and John Criinmins for help, good cheer, and
empathy. I thank the Summer Session Office at Rutgers University, Camden,
viti THE ORIGIN OF APHRODITE
for office and technical support. Regards to Janice, Tina, and especially Tom
Venables. 1 thank my parents for all sorts of support.
Finally, most of all, I thank my husband Paul Butler. He drew most of the
illustrations in this hook. He also provided technical and moral support,
transportation, trips to the zoo. and remarkable patience and good humor.
All these people contributed to the completion of this book. I again
express my deepest gratitude to each.
When quoting from translations prepared by other scholars, I have main­
tained the spelling of proper nouns in that translation, e.g.. Astari, Astarte,
or Attart. Transcriptions or transliterations of texts translated have been
gathered in Appendix B. However, I have not included the Ugaritic trans­
literations, since they are easily accessible in M. Dietrich, O. Loretz, and J.
Sanmartin, The Cuneiform Alphabetic Texts from Ugarii: Ras Ihn Hanl
and Other Places (2nd ed.; Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 1995) and H. Donner
and W. Rollig, Kcmaanciische und Aramäische Insehriften (Wiesbaden:
Ο t to Ha ira ssowi tz. 1962).
S. L. B.
Abbreviations1
AAA Αρχαιολογικά αναλεκτα εξ AQvyn\yv/Athens Annals of
Archaeology.
ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary.
Λ Deli Αρχαιλογικον Δελτlov/Archaiologikou Deltion.
AION Annal i. Isti iulo IJniversiiario (trientali (Napoli).
AJA A n i e i ica n Jour n al o f' Ai vi ia eo log) ·.
AJBA A astral ia n Journal of Biblical Archaeology.
Alasia I Mission Archéologique d'Alasia. Cl. F A. Schaeffer (ed.) E.J.
Brill. Paris. 1971.
Ant Cl L Antiquité Classique.
Arch An z A rch ä olo gisch e A n.zeiger.
A RSI A Annuario. Regia Scuola Archeologia llaliana A tene.
ASAA Annuario. Reale Scuola Archeologica di Ale ne.
ASCSA American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
ASOR American Schools of Oriental Research.
A til Mitt Mitteilungen. Deutsches Archäologische Institut. Abteilung
Athens.
BA Biblical Archaeologist.
BASOS, Bulletin, American Schools of Oriental Research.
BCH Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique.
BSA British School at Athens. Annual.
BSRAA Bulletin. Société Royale clArchéologie d Alexandrie.
CA Current A nthropology.
CAA Cyprus and the Aegean in Antiquity: From the Prehistoric
period to the ~th century A.D.: Nicosia 8-10 December 1995.
Department of Antiquities, Cyprus. Nicosia. 1997.
CAB Cambridge Ancient History.
CAJ Cambridge Archaeological Journal.
CANE Civilizations of the Ancient Near Fast. J.M. Sasson (ed.).
Scribner. New York. 1995.
1. Based on Alkire 1998: passim.
X THE ORIGIN OF APHRODITE
CBOO Acts of the International Archaeological Symposium
"Cyprus Between the Orient and the Occident.'' Nicosia 8-14
September 1985. V. Kanigeorghis (ed.). Dept, of Antiquities,
Cyprus. Nicosia. 1986.
CPh Classical Ph ilology.
CMAI Comptes Rendus: l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles.
Lettres.
CW Classical World.
HSPh Harvard Studies in Classical Philology.
ICr Inscriptiones Creticae. M. Giiarducei (eel.).
m Israel Explo rat io /1 Jo a n ml.
JG Inscriptiones Graecae.
JAOS Journal. American Oriental Society.
JAM _ Jo i irnal of A n thro palog real Research.
JARCE Journal. American Research Center in Egypt.
JEA Journal of Egyptian Archaeology.
JFA Journal of Field Archaeology.
JHS Journal of Hellenic Studies.
JNIIS Journal of Near Eastern Studies.
JRAS Journal. Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
KAI Kanaanaische and A ret maische Inschriften. Donner, H. and
W. Rolling (eds.). Otto Harrassowitz. Wiesbaden. 1968.
Kret Chrom ΚρητιKtl Xpovιh:<i/Ki'elika Chronika.
KTU Keilalphabeiischcn Texte ans Ugarit. Dietrich et al. (eds.).
LIMC Lexicon Iconographie!an Mythologicae Graecae. Boardman,
J. et ai. (eds.). Artemis Verlag. Zurich. 1981-1994.
Marh W Pr Ma charger Win k el mann-Prog} mc\ mm.
M.A.R.l. Mari: Annales de Recherches Interdisciplinaires. Éditions
Recherches sur les civilizations. Paris. Volumes 3-8. 1984-
1997.
MEM Ad s of the International Archaeological Symposium “The
Mycenaea ns in the Eastern Mediterranean." Nicosia 27th
March - 2nd April 1972. Dept, of Antiquities, Cvpnts. Nicosia.
1973-
MIO Mitteilungen des Instituts für Orientforschung.
MUSJ Mélanges. Université Saint Joseph.
OA Opuscula A rchaeoiogia.
OpAth Opuscula Athen i ens ia.
PAAH Πρακτικό π|; rv ΑΜηναις Αρχαιολογικής Ιιταψειας/Praktika
tes en Athenais Ardiaio/ogikes Hetaireias.
PBA Proceedings. British Academy.
PEG Palestine Exploration Quarterly.
Praktika 1985 Πρακτικά Toi’ Δεύτερου Διεθνουσ Κυπριολογικου Συνέδριου:
Αρχαιον Τμήμα. Λευκο>σια. 1985.
Praktika 1972 Πρακτικό. του Πρώτου ΔαΗνουσ Κυπρολογικσψ Συνέδριου:
Αρχαιον Τμήμα. Λευκωσία. 1972.
PR U Palais Royal d’Vga rit. C. F.-A. Schaeffer (cd.).
PW Pauley- Wissova Realef icvclopä die der Classischen
A lie ru 'issend i a ft.
RAA Re taie d Assyriologie et d‘Archéologie Oriental.
RBÇC Acts of the International Archaeological Symposium “The
Relations Between Cyprus and Crete. ca 2000-500 B.CE
Nicosia 16th April - 22nd April 1978. Dept of Antiquities.
Cyprus. Nicosia. 1979.
RDAC Report. Department of A) lit quittes of Cyprus,
Rend Line Rendiconti. Reale Accademia dei Lincei.
Rend Pont Ren diconi i. Pontificia Accademia Romania di Archologia.
RIA Reallexikon der Assyriologie. Walter de Gruyter. Berlin and
New York.
S CE I The Swedish Cyprus Expedition: lands and Results of the
Excavations in Cyprus: 192~7-1931. E. Gjerstad J. Lindros, E.
Sjöqvist and A. Westhold (eds.). Swedish Cyprus Expedition.
Stockholm. 1934”.
SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Alphen aa den Rija.
Sijtheff and Noordhoff.
SEL Studi Epigrafici e Li giltst ici.
SEA Sitzungsberichts. Heidelberg Akademia der Wissenschaft.
SIMA Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology.
Stud Or Studia Orientalia (Helsinkif.
TAPA Transactions and Proceedings. American Philological
Association.
UP ftgurit-Forschungen: Internationales Jahrbuch für die
Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas. Verlag Biitzor & Bercher
Kevelaer. Neukirchener Verlag Neukirchen-Vkiyn.
wo Welt des Orients.
ZDPV Zeitschrift. Deutscher Palästina verein.
I.
Introduction
This book is an examination into the origins of the Greek goddess Aphrodite,
whose main areas of concern and power were erotic love and sexuality. She
was revered in the Greek-speaking world by the names Aphrodite, Aphrodita,
and Aphordita, as well as by the epithets Kythereia, Paphia, and Kypris. This
study addresses how this goddess came into being.
It is clear that Aphrodite existed in the Greek pantheon as a Greek goddess
by the end of the eighth century BCE (as per the dating of the inscription on
the so-called Nestor cup from Pithekoussai) and that she was well en­
trenched in Greek mythology and folklore by the early seventh century BCE
(as per her presence and prominence in the works of Homer and Hesiod).1
The question remains, however, as to whether and when she evolved in
Greece, or whether she was imported into Greece and under what influences.
Three hypotheses exist concerning the possible origins of Aphrodite: (1)
Aphrodite was an indigenous Greek goddess; (2) Aphrodite was not an
indigenous Greek goddess, but was importée! from outside the Greek-speak­
ing world before c. 750 BCE: (3) there were elements of Aphrodite in a deity
or deities of the pre-iron Age Aegean that combined with external elements
to create the Hellenic goddess. All hypotheses will be considered in the fol­
lowing pages, and I shall attempt to determine which of them, or combina­
tion of them, is best supported by the available evidence.
Over the centuries various historians and scholars have adopted one or
more versions of these hypotheses to explain the origins of Aphrodite. What
follows is a brief survey of the various schools of thought that have emerged
since the days of Homer regarding either the origins of the goddess or her
introduction into the Greek pantheon.
The Ancient Opinions
There is a general consensus among the ancient authors that Aphrodite came
from the east, with the extent of her eastern origins extending outward
throughout the passing centuries. Both Homer and Hesiod see the goddess as
being at home on Cyprus, notably at her sanctuary at Paphos. In the Theog-
ony. II. .188-202, the goddess first alights on land at Paphos,2 while in the Song
1. More on these in Chapters Two and Three.
2, The goddess passes by Kythera before landing on Cyprus. 'This first landing makes
Cyprus especially important in this context. The interjection of Kythera is an attempt
1
THE ORIGIN OF APHRODITE
of Demodokos (Odyssey, VIII, 360-64) she retires there after her tryst with
Ares.
When the two were free of the bonds (which seemed even stronger than they
were to them),
immediately Ares went off to Thrace,
while smile-loving Aphrodite went to Cyprus,
to Paphos, where are her temple and altar of sacrifice.Λ
Herodotus is the first to assert that Aphrodite (specifically Aphrodite Ou ra­
llia) is Phoenician in origin. He claims that the Paphian sanctuary of the god­
dess was actually preceded by the cult of the goddess in Ashkalon in the south­
ern Levant, and that it was the Phoenicians who brought this cult to Cyprus:
This is the sanctuary, as i discovered through inquiry, the oldest of all the
sanctuaries of this goddess; for the sanctuary of Cyprus originated from there
(Ashkalon), as the Cypriots themselves say. and as for the one among the
Kytherians, the Phoenicians are its founders, who are from Syria too. (Histo­
ries 1.105. 2-3)·"*
Aphrodite's origins are placed even farther to the east by Pausanias, who
claims that the cult of Aphrodite O urania was originally practiced by the Assyr­
ians, who taught her rites to the Phoenicians, who then passed the cult onto
the Cypriots, before she was finally brought to Greece:
Nearby is a sanctuary of Aphrodite Ourania. it is held that the first people
to revere Ourania were the Assyrians, and after the Assyrians the Paphians
of Cyprus and those of the Phoenicians who dwell in Ashkalon in Palestine;
Kytherians worship her having so learned from the Phoenicians (Pausanias
1, XIV, 7),3 4 5
In these claims, aspects of her cult (if not the cult entirely) were said to
have been originated by Easterners and passed on to the Greeks byway of the
Phoenicians.
The ‘Orientalist” School of Thought
This school of thought has endured since the Archaic Age, but emerged espe­
cially as a topic of debate among Classicists in the nineteenth century. Both
Röscher in his Lexikon and L.R. Farnell in his Cults of the Greek States under­
stood Aphrodite to be a more-or-less Hellenized Astari-istar figure, Famell,
on the part of Hesiod to explain the epithet “Kythereia" and the belief, held by later
authors, that this was the site of Aphrodite's earliest sanctuary in Greece. These
hypotheses will be taken up in Chapter Four in the section on Kythera.
3. All translations, unless otherwise noted, are my own. See Appendix 13 1.1.
4. See Appendix B 1.2.
5. See Appendix B 1.3.