#Samian

[verdantlyviolet]

May have fallen off the calendar wagon lately but was aware the Kanathia has been approaching. Today I went for a river walk and found a willow tree. Guess what date it is?

Turned a few willow vines into a wreath.

[sleepiestduuuude]

sorry but im the number one griam fan

second image has a shit ton of doodles from my fic im writing :3

[rayalahon]

Grian sighs and shakes his head. And for good measure, hits Sam lightly upside the head with his palm.

"Ow," Sam says.

"You deserve that."

.

.

.

(Pairing: Grian/Sam, Grian & Sam)

[nonenglishsongs]

Samian - Ishkodè (Algonquin)

[thegrapeandthefig]

My Heraia festival is modelled after the Samian Tonaia. Which means that on the first night, a wooden statue(tte) [ξόανον] of Hera is tied to a tree (traditionally, a sacred chaste tree).

I don't have a chaste tree, but I have this small olive tree that does the trick. My small Hera statuette has the perfect expression for the occasion too lol

[deathlessathanasia]

"During the fifth century, when Polykleitus made Hera's cult-statue for her Argive sanctuary, it seems that the cuckoo was considered to be the bird-attribute of this goddess. But six centuries later, Hadrian thought it appropriate to dedicate a gold peacock in the same shrine; for by this time the peacock had become Hera's most prominent associate among the birds. Athenaeus records that peacocks were sacred to Hera, and that they were kept in her sanctuary of Samos; and although he was writing himself only in 200 AD, he was quoting Antiphanes and Menodotus who probably lived in the fourth and third centuries BC, respectively. At all events, during the second century BC, Samian coins began to be minted on which both Hera and her peacock are represented. Both Ovid and the commentator on Euripides explained the appearance of the peacock's tail-feathers by relating the story that when Argus was killed, Hera removed his hundred eyes and placed them in the tail of her bird. This legend shows how the Samian bird had been absorbed into the mythology of Argos, Hera's other principal domain; and explains why Hadrian dedicated his jewelled peacock; but it happened late in the history of the sanctuary. …

In fact, the peacock is rarely represented in Greek art, and the first certainly dated instances of Hera with this bird are Samian coins of the second century BC. It may be argued, however, that the association was established much earlier, during the Archaic period; on the evidence of the scene portrayed on an ivory comb made in about 700 BC. This object happens to have been dedicated to Artemis Orthia in Sparta; … The scene is the Judgment of Paris, and shows the three rival goddesses each with a typical attribute. Aphrodite holds a dove, Athena wears a helmet, and the third goddess, Hera,is accompanied by a bird "which must be supposed to be the peacock" But there is in fact little reason, apart from its long neck, to identify this bird as a peacock. The supposition appears to be based on external evidence of a later date; and I believe it possible that the artist is simply depicting a water-bird, an appropriate enough attribute for Hera, as for many an unspecified Archaic potnia theron. … …

According to the literary evidence cited above, the peacock cannot certainly be associated with Hera any earlier than the fourth century, and then only in Samos. I believe it possible that the Samians may have regarded the peacocks of the Heraion simply as material property of the sanctuary, and not at first, as sacred birds in a religious sense. The aetion for Hera's patronage of the peacock was probably (as the literary evidence suggests) of late invention. The only peacock-representations to be identified with certainty at any of the sanctuaries examined here are the terracotta and marble fragments from the Argive Heraion, which have not been dated, but may well have belonged (like Hadrian's jewelled bird) to the Roman period. In this period, the painted terracotta peacock's tail may have been part of an akroterion or antefix decorating the temple. Waldstein rejected his own original definition of the Geometric bronze bird from this sanctuary as a peacock, and although the bird on an Archaic engraved stone from Perachora could be a peacock (with crest and fan-shaped tail), it is rather small to identify with certainty.

I have suggested that Hera, as one of the Olympian successors to an older potnia theron, may originally have had the attribute of an unspecified water-bird; and that this bird (as I believe it appears on the comb from Artemis Orthia) became a peacock only after the Samian peacocks acquired their reputation. In view of the fact that while peacocks are known to have been dedicated at the Argive Heraion, no remains of their images have come to light at the Samian sanctuary; and since it is King Arguswho figures in the aetion for the peacock's tail, it is even possible that Hera's special association with the peacock, though inspired by the Samian birds, was an Argive invention. The scarcity of peacock-representations in her sanctuaries is therefore not really inconsistent with literary evidence as it has survived. On the other hand, nearly 200 representations of birds of various other kinds (including water-birds) have been reported in the Heraia considered in this study."

- Representations of Animals in Sanctuaries of Artemis and of Other Olympian Deities by Elinor Bevan

[clairity-org]

Filippino Lippi, Five Sibyls in Niches: The Samian, Cumean, Hellespontic, Phrygian and Tiburtine, ca. 1472, Oil on poplar panel, 11/21/23 #legionofhonor by Sharon Mollerus

[ninichen4474]

[blueiscoool]

Student Finds Six Roman Pots During Community Dig

A third-year archaeology student at the University of Leicester, Davidson Copeland, has unearthed six complete Roman pots. This find occurred during Copeland’s first excavation, part of a community dig at Chester House Estate near Irchester, Northamptonshire. Chester House Estate is known for containing one of Britain’s best-preserved Roman small towns.

The excavation, conducted in June 2023, revealed the pots at the bottom of a deep pit in the suburbs of the ancient Roman town of Irchester. The careful placement of these items suggests they were intentionally positioned, possibly for practical uses such as money boxes or religious offerings, as indicated by holes in some of the pots.

The collection includes beakers, a small flagon, two jars, and a second-century CE Samian ware bowl, identified by archaeological ceramic specialist Dr. Adam Sutton from Aurelius Archaeology. The Samian ware bowl, a type of red-gloss Roman pottery mass-produced from the 1st century BC to the 3rd century CE, bears a stamp marking its maker as Dexter, who was active in central France around CE 130.

Professor Sarah Scott, a lead archaeologist at the site and professor of archaeology at the University of Leicester, said: “It was an incredible experience for our student Davidson, and we are very proud of his efforts,” she said. “The successful excavation was the result of exceptional teamwork and expert guidance. This fascinating discovery has generated huge interest and excitement amongst team members and visitors alike.”

The Chester House Estate, owned by North Northamptonshire Council, is an important archaeological site. The ongoing excavations aim to reveal more about the lives of the inhabitants of this ancient Roman town by uncovering houses, workshops, and cemeteries. The collaboration between the University of Leicester and the North Northamptonshire Council through the Irchester Field School offers opportunities for people of all ages to engage in archaeological investigations.

Professor Scott added: “It is fantastic for our students and Chester House Estate volunteers to have the opportunity to work together at this nationally significant site. The pots provide a tangible link to the past but have also sparked new friendships and a sense of community in the present.”

his year’s excavation has already commenced and will continue until July 12, 2024. Visitors are encouraged to visit the site during the ongoing investigations to witness the excavations in progress and interact with the archaeology team.

The pots will be displayed at Chester House Estate’s Roman Festival, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, allowing the public to view these historical artifacts firsthand.

by Dario Radley.

[thesilicontribesman]

In the late second century CE, a substantial fire destroyed the forum at Wroxeter Roman City. The rubble from the collapsed building buried a unique snapshot of a Roman market day, including sizeable numbers of samian ware and mortaria.

Over one hundred whetstones were found nearby in a neat pile, as if they had been buried boxed.

Whetstone Stack, Shrewsbury Museum, England.

[sarafangirlart]

So we don’t know much about Imbrasos other than:

1. He is a guy that exists

2. Hera was born by his River (which implies that Rhea trusted or at least knew him)

3. His wife’s name is Chesias, and she’s hot af.

4. His daughter Ocyrhoe was kidnapped by Apollo and her fate is unknown (Tho I’d like to imagine she escaped).

This means I get tons of creative freedom designing and writing him. Also this Samian coin makes him look like he has a dad bod lol

[whencyclopedia]

Polycrates

Polycrates (r. c. 535-522 BCE) was the tyrant of Samos who established Samian naval supremacy in the eastern Aegean and strove for control of the Aegean Sea and mainland towns of Ionia in the 6th century BCE. Polycrates had a successful career until the Persian Oroetus (r. c. 530-520 BCE) lured him to the mainland and had him crucified.

Ancient Samos

Greek tyrants originally arose in the 7th century BCE from conflict between aristocratic families seeking total authority over the communities. They employed appealing propagandistic policies to gain the favor and regard of the general public. This tactic may also be seen in modern times when dictators use populistic appeals to the lower classes to conceal other heinous crimes. The Greek tyrants were numerous, some of the most worth noting were Cypselus of Corinth (c. 657-627 BCE) and Peisistratus of Athens (c. 600-527 BCE).

The strategic location of Samos was crucial for the rapid generation of wealth by the local elites. The favorable geographical position of the Samos and its surrounding islands endorsed the Samian control of the merchant ships passing by, capturing the majority of the cargo transported from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Aegean Sea and the Hellespont. Thus, since the 8th century BCE, the dawn of Archaic Greece, Samians had created a plundering mentality to survive. That lifestyle of plunder was fused with a strong affinity with the goddess Hera, whose stone temple must have been erected after 800 BCE. With its impressive length of 30,5 meters (100 ft), this temple was one of the earliest and biggest temples found in the archaeological records, reflecting Hera's central role in the local community. The construction of a new Hera temple is almost the only other event that can be traced back to the reigns of the pre-Polycratean rulers.

The scene for the tyrant Polycrates' reign is set by the invasion of Cyrus II (c. 600-530 BCE), the king and founder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. According to Herodotus, when Cyrus looked towards the west, he must have had a significant numerical advantage against Croesus (r. c. 585-546 BCE), the king of Lydia, despite the fact that Croesus had signed a treaty of hospitality and alliance with Sparta. After Cyrus' presence in Lydia was established, it appears that the Greeks dispatched no troops to Sardis, the capital. Cyrus struck in the midst of winter, catching the Lydian army off guard, and planned a fight at the Battle of Thymbra near Sardis in 547 BCE. Croesus was obliged to seek refuge in the citadel, but the city fell within 14 days. When Cyrus entered Sardis, Croesus surrendered and became Cyrus' vassal. As a result, the aspirant Achaemenid king controlled Lydia, a neighboring area of Samos. The western expansion of the Persian ruler forced the Samian elite to change their economic policy and redirect their plundering assaults toward the west.

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[artemis-potnia-theron]

Artemis + Elaphobolia

(photo credit: eet!verleden)

Another popular festival, that of Elaphobolia, takes place on the sixth day of Elaphebolion (March/April) and may have been named after the elaphos cakes in the story of the Samian rescue of 300 boys told by Herodotus (Histories 3.48).

The Corinthians had captured 300 sons of noble Corcyraeans and were offering them as eunuchs in the city of Alyattes. When the men escorting the boys stopped in the city of Samos, the Samians were horrified to discover the purpose of their journey. In an attempt to save the boys from their fate, the Samians told the boys to hide in the sanctuary of the temple of Artemis.

When the Corinthians heard where the boys were hiding, they knew they could not enter the sanctuary to retrieve them, so they blocked all food and supplies going to the sacred temple, intending to starve them out. In response, the Samians invented a festival, which they continued to perform well into Herodotus’ lifetime:

Each evening, as night closed in, during the whole time that the boys continued there, choirs of youths and virgins were placed about the temple, carrying in their hands cakes made of sesame and honey [elaphos] in order that the Corcyraean boys might snatch the cakes and so get enough to live upon. (Herodotus, Histories 3.48)

This nightly dancing around the temple with cakes in hand went on for so long that the Corinthians were forced to give up their ownership of the boys and leave Samos. Once the boys were free of their fate, the Samians returned them to their home of Corcyra, but this festival of salvation and ingenuity continued in honor of the goddess for generations thereafter.

Many other states besides Samos celebrated the festival of Elaphobolia, but in many cases different stories of origin were told and other events were also included in the feasts and celebrations.

For example, in the town of Hyampolis, in Phocis, citizens similarly celebrate Artemis on the sixth day of Elaphebolion, but the festival’s origin story is based on the victory of the townspeople over the Thessalians, who had been ravaging the surrounding countryside. In this case, elaphos cakes made of dough, honey, and sesame seeds in the shape of deer are offered to Artemis Elaphebolos during the festivities.

Whatever the source of the festival may be, Artemis is central to the celebrations in the month of Elaphebolion and honoured repeatedly as the saviour of young men, as well as the protector of townspeople who offer her piety and sweet sustenance.

- She Who Hunts: Artemis: The Goddess Who Changed the World by Carla Ionescu

[artemlegere-art]

The Samic Sibyl

Artist: Abraham Janssens (Flemish, 1575–1632)

The Samian Sibyl was the priestess presiding over the Apollonian oracle near Hera's temple on the Isle of Samos, a Greek colony. The word Sibyl comes (via Latin) from the ancient Greek word sibylla, meaning prophetess.