The Land of the Solstices: Myth, geography and astronolmy in ancient Greece

by: Bilic, T.

Description
Following the recent upsurge of interest in ancient geography and astronomy, together with the ever-present fascination with myth, this book offers a fresh study of what is commonly but erroneously known as ?solar myth?. This subject has been at the margins of scholarly interest, mainly due to the now-outdated theories of myth that used solar phenomena as an interpretative key to explain the majority of traditional narratives. This book offers a more rigorous methodology and more selective interpretation applicable to a group of particular myths, those referencing solar phenomena. The class of ?solar? myths discussed in this book is thus formed out of traditional narratives that either explicitly include references to solar movement or the recognition of such references does not require strained interpretations.

AUTHOR
Tomislav Bilić works at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb. He studied at the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, where he obtained his BA and Ph.D. in archaeology (prehistoric and classical). He is the author of several books, book chapters and papers published in a number of international journals.

REVIEWS
?The Land of the Solstices is an exhaustive study of solar myths and their underlying geographical and astronomical conceptions, in the first place in Homer?s Odyssey, but also in ancient Greek poetry, prose and early works on geography and astronomy, with enlightening excursions into other (mainly Mesopotamian and Egyptian) mythological traditions. It will be a treasure trove for scholars.? Dr Dirk L. Couprie, Universiteit Leiden, The Netherlands

?The author left no stone unturned: there is no ancient author, to my knowledge, pertinent to this theme that is not quoted, technically and scientifically accurately, and then incorporated into his theory and re-evaluated in accordance with his theory.? Professor Marina Milićević Bradač, University of Zagreb, Croatia

?This book offers a renovated look into some old issues in the field of Greek myth studies with valuable contributions, especially for myths that might be connected to astronomy and geography. This book will be of great interest to historians of religions and myth and for classical historians in general.? Dr A. César González-García, Institute of Heritage Sciences, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

contents
List of figures..................................................................................................................................................................... xi
Abstract............................................................................................................................................................................xiii
1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Selective interpretation of myth............................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. Ethnographic context ............................................................................................................................................... 4
1.3. Inclusive definitions of science ................................................................................................................................ 5
1.4. Myth and physical phenomena................................................................................................................................. 6
1.5. Myth and ancient science......................................................................................................................................... 6
1.6. Anthropomorphisation and narrativisation............................................................................................................... 7
1.7. Observational data in myths..................................................................................................................................... 8
1.8. Mythic models.......................................................................................................................................................... 9
1.9. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................. 10
Part One: Annual solar movement
2. The Laestrygonians and the geographical arctic circle ............................................................................................ 15
2.1. Interpreting the ?meteorological? facet of the Lastrygonian episode ..................................................................... 16
2.2. Crates? interpretation of the Laestrygonian passage .............................................................................................. 17
2.3. Crates? interpretation and arctic circle ................................................................................................................... 18
2.4. The limits of the annual solar movement............................................................................................................... 21
2.5. Arctic circle in epic poetry ..................................................................................................................................... 22
2.6. Laestrygonia, the sun and the Otherworld ............................................................................................................. 24
2.7. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................. 25
3. The Bear Mountain...................................................................................................................................................... 27
3.1. The Cyzicus episode .............................................................................................................................................. 27
3.2. Celestial bears at the solstice island....................................................................................................................... 28
3.3. A pre-Homeric Argonautica ................................................................................................................................... 30
3.4. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................. 31
4. Snatched away by the gust of wind ............................................................................................................................ 33
4.1. The island of turning .............................................................................................................................................. 33
4.2. The Harpies and eschatology ................................................................................................................................. 35
4.3. Other mythic snatchings......................................................................................................................................... 37
4.4. The snatchings in their solar context...................................................................................................................... 38
4.5. An alternative model—cosmological solstice mountain........................................................................................ 39
4.6. A reinterpretation of the northern mountains model .............................................................................................. 42
4.7. A region outside the sun?s course in non-Greek traditions..................................................................................... 42
4.8. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................. 44
5. The island of the sun?s turning .................................................................................................................................. 45
5.1. The concept of solstices in early Greek tradition................................................................................................... 45
5.2. Heliotropia and the localisations of Homeric tropai êelioio.................................................................................. 47
5.3. The localisations of Homeric tropai êelioio in the context of solar movement..................................................... 48
5.4. Pytheas? Thule and the turnings of the sun ............................................................................................................ 49
5.5. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................. 50
6. Pytheas and Hecataeus: Britain and Hyperborea..................................................................................................... 53
6.1. Pytheas and the northern barbarians ...................................................................................................................... 53
6.2. Britain in the wake of Pytheas ............................................................................................................................... 54
6.3. Hecataeus? Hyperborea .......................................................................................................................................... 55
viii
The Land of the Solstices
6.4. Hyperboreans, Apollo and Celts ............................................................................................................................ 57
6.5. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................. 58
7. Apollo?s Hyperborean voyage: a narrative model of solar movement ....................................................................................................................... 61
7.1. Delphian traditions................................................................................................................................................. 62
7.2. Athenian and Delian traditions............................................................................................................................... 64
7.3. Beyond calendar..................................................................................................................................................... 65
7.4. Apollo and the solstice island................................................................................................................................. 67
7.5. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................. 69
8. ?Hyperborean Apollo?s? swan chariot......................................................................................................................... 71
8.1. Hyacinthus—a convergence of literary and iconographic testimonies.................................................................. 72
8.2. Archaeological evidence ....................................................................................................................................... 72
8.2.1. Dupljaja .......................................................................................................................................................... 73
8.2.2. Northern Europe............................................................................................................................................. 74
8.2.3. Italy................................................................................................................................................................. 74
8.2.4. Eastern Alpine region ..................................................................................................................................... 75
8.2.5. Possible Central European parallels............................................................................................................... 75
8.2.6. The Aegean..................................................................................................................................................... 76
8.3. Methodological procedure for comparison of literary and iconographic record ................................................... 76
8.3.1. Material evidence for past beliefs .................................................................................................................. 76
8.3.2. Reading the visual language........................................................................................................................... 76
8.3.3. Structural analysis of visual language............................................................................................................ 76
8.3.4. The transfer of meaning ................................................................................................................................. 77
8.3.5. The transfer of beliefs..................................................................................................................................... 77
8.3.6. Transfer of complex symbolic structures....................................................................................................... 78
8.3.7. The Dupljaja model as a complex symbolic structure accompanied by a muthos......................................... 79
8.3.8. Comparison of literary sources with iconography ........................................................................................ 79
8.4. Concluding remarks: large-scale context, anthropomorphism and the contents of the muthos............................. 80
Part Two: Diurnal solar movement
9. Diurnal path of the Sun in Greek tradition............................................................................................................... 85
9.1. The high northern mountain................................................................................................................................... 85
9.2. The southerly path of the sun ................................................................................................................................. 87
9.3. Diurnal solar movement in Homer......................................................................................................................... 87
9.4. The sun?s cup and its southerly course................................................................................................................... 88
9.5. Stesichorus? account of the sun?s voyage in a cup ................................................................................................. 88
9.6. Hesiod?s house of Night in the light of the ?uni-polar? model ............................................................................... 89
9.7. The sun?s cup and Heracles.................................................................................................................................... 93
9.8. Iconographical testimonies for the sun in a cup..................................................................................................... 94
9.9. The Presocratic tradition of the sun?s bowl............................................................................................................ 94
9.10. Non-Greek traditions of the sun travelling in a boat............................................................................................ 95
9.11. Conclusion............................................................................................................................................................ 96
10. Liminal imagery in the accounts of solar movement assimilated to the world of the dead ................................ 99
10.1. Hesiods? concept of the daylight/night exchange................................................................................................. 99
10.2. Corresponding models in Mesopotamian tradition............................................................................................ 100
10.3. Homer, Hesiod and the liminal features in Hades.............................................................................................. 101
10.4. Gates of the otherworld assimilated to the gates of the sun............................................................................... 102
10.5. The Pylian gates................................................................................................................................................. 103
10.6. The White Rock and the Odyssey...................................................................................................................... 105
10.7. Pherecydes? gates............................................................................................................................................... 106
10.8. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................................... 106
11. Aea and the voyage of the Argonauts..................................................................................................................... 109
11.1. The return of the Argonauts................................................................................................................................ 110
11.2. Circe, Calypso and the Argonauts? return voyage.............................................................................................. 112
11.3. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................................... 114
ix
Contents
12. World of the Dead at the Antipodes ........................................................................................................................115
12.1. Hades at the antipodes conceived in terms of the diurnal solar movement ....................................................... 116
12.2. Later testimonies for an antipodal Hades conceived in terms of solar movement............................................. 117
12.3. Hades at the celestial ?antipodes?....................................................................................................................... 118
12.4. The antipodal world of the dead in non-Greek traditions ................................................................................. 118
12.5. Navigating to the Otherworld in Greek and non-Greek traditions..................................................................... 119
12.6. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................... 121
13. Beyond Odysseus: Gilgameš................................................................................................................................... 123
13.1. Gilgameš breaking a path for Odysseus............................................................................................................. 124
13.2. The twin mountain ............................................................................................................................................. 125
13.3. Scorpion-men ..................................................................................................................................................... 126
13.4. Gilgameš on the diurnal course of the sun......................................................................................................... 128
13.5. Gilgameš arrives at the mouth of the rivers....................................................................................................... 129
13.6. Dilmun................................................................................................................................................................ 130
13.7. ?The mouth of the rivers? outside the Mesopotamian tradition ......................................................................... 132
13.8. From Gilgameš to Odysseus.............................................................................................................................. 133
13.9. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................................... 135
14. Beyond Odysseus: Alexander.................................................................................................................................. 137
14.1. Hellenistic tradition............................................................................................................................................ 137
14.2. Land of Darkness............................................................................................................................................... 138
14.3. Mount Mûsās...................................................................................................................................................... 139
14.4. Mount Mûsās in later tradition........................................................................................................................... 140
14.5. Alexander in the far north in the Islamic tradition ............................................................................................. 141
14.6. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................................... 143
15. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................ 145
15.1. An outline of the main argument of the book .................................................................................................... 145
15.2. The ?practical? main points of the book ............................................................................................................. 148
15.3. A final word........................................................................................................................................................ 148
List of citations............................................................................................................................................................... 151
Appendix 1. Diurnal solar movement in Mesopotamian tradition............................................................................ 187
A1.1. Solar mountains and gates................................................................................................................................. 187
A1.2. Interacting conceptual domains: solar movement and eschatology.................................................................. 188
A1.3. The Mesopotamian sun-god?s ?house of Night?................................................................................................ 188
Appendix 2. Diurnal solar movement in Egyptian tradition ..................................................................................... 191
A2.1. Books of the Netherworld ................................................................................................................................. 191
A2.2. Gates and mountains......................................................................................................................................... 191
A2.3. The horizon-sign ............................................................................................................................................... 193
Index................................................................................................................................................................................ 195

The Land of the Solstices: Myth, geography and astronolmy in ancient Greece

by: Bilic, T.

• ISBN-13: 9781407358628 / 978-1-4073-5862-8
• ISBN-03: 1407358626 / 1-4073-5862-6
• Bar Publishing, Oxford, 2021