An underworld cult monument in Antioch: The charonion
[ N/A ]
Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Brill Academic Publishers
Access Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
Abstract
The monumental rock carving known to 6th-century ad locals as the Charonion overlooks the ancient city of Antioch from the foot of Staurin Mountain, close to the cave-church of St Peter. A single written source in the 6th-century ad attributes the monument's construction to the reign of Antiochus iv (175-163 bc) as a remedy to a plague that was decimating the city. An analysis of the monument's iconography and associated outdoor enclosure reveal strong connections to Anatolian cult sites of the mother goddess Cybele as well as similarities to the iconography of Syrian Atargatis and Hellenic Demeter. The monumental bust likely depicts the mother goddess with Tyche on her shoulder rather than Charon, as assumed by 19th-century authors. The association of the site with Charon may have been original or only developed later, either way creating a unique local cult associating the boatman of the dead with the mother goddess whose power was over the cycle of life and death. © KONINKLIJKE BRILL NV, LEIDEN, 2017
Description
Keywords
Journal or Series
Culture and History of the Ancient Near East
WoS Q Value
Scopus Q Value
Q2
Volume
90
