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Erichthonius (1), Athenian hero  

Adam Rappold

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
07 March 2016
Subjects:
  1. Greek Myth and Religion
Erichthonius is one of the original, legendary kings of the Athenians. In his myth, he was born directly from the soil of Attica, after Hephaestus attempted to rape Athena, but instead cast his seed upon the ground. Athena conceals the child in a basket and entrusts the child to the daughters of Cecrops with a command to never look inside. Some (or all) of the daughters disobey this command and, in response, Athena forces them to jump off of the Acropolis. This sequence of events suggests that his existence was heavily tied to aitiologies of the cults and cult buildings of the Cecropides on the Acropolis, as well as the Arrhephoria ritual, which seemingly recreates this narrative sequence. As a king, he was thought to have created the Panathenaea festival. In general, although his earth-born origin means that he is sometimes connected to the development of Athenian autochthony in the 5th century bce, he is not particularly prominent in myth or cult.

Article

Erechtheus  

Adam Rappold

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Greek Myth and Religion

Erechtheus was both one of the ten tribal (phyle) heroes of Athens and a mythical founding king of the city. Originally born from the very land of Attica (gēgenēs / γηγενής), his myths served as a symbol of the developing concepts of autochthony, with his birth demonstrating that the Athenians were the original inhabitants of Attica, and of nationalism, with the Athenians referring to themselves as the “sons of Erechtheus.” His most important myth, as exemplified in Euripides’ fragmentary Erechtheus, has him sacrificing one of his daughters to preserve Athens from the armies of Eumolpus. As a cult figure, in the classical era, he was associated with the Athenian worship of Athena and Poseidon, his name sometimes functioning as an epithet of Poseidon, and he had a major cult in the Erechtheum on the Acropolis. The scholarship on Erechtheus has primarily been concerned with whether or not he was originally combined with another earth-born Athenian king, Erichthonius, albeit with inconclusive results.

Article

Delphi  

Michael C. Scott

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
07 March 2016
Subjects:
  1. Ancient Geography
  2. Greek Material Culture
  3. Greek Myth and Religion
The sanctuary of Delphi developed from the end of the 9th century bce into, by the early 6th century bce, one of the most important sanctuaries in ancient Greece. Home to the Delphic oracle, as well as the Pythian Games, it was populated on a regular basis by large numbers of people from across the ancient Mediterranean world. As a result it also became a place of frequent dedication (in the form of objects, statues, and treasuries) by those keen to demonstrate their achievements and renown. It was overseen, from the 6th century bce, by an amphictyonic council and the polis of Delphi. The sanctuary complex, spread over the side of Mount Parnassus, provided distinct spaces for the worship of several deities, most notably Apollo and Athena, alongside (from the 4th century bce) a gymnasium and stadium (and a hippodrome for chariot racing in the valley below) for the Pythian Games as well as, from slightly later, a stone theatre for musical and theatrical competitions. The sanctuary’s oracle and games continued through until the 4th century ce, with the sanctuary only being abandoned completely in the early 7th century ce and re-excavated in the late 19th century.