Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 31/1. (2011)
Articles
160 M.-C. Nicolae polis.1 Moreover, the value of having a local hero whose cult serves as a unifying force may explain the colonial oecist cults (cults of the founder), which seems to be politically motivated from an early date (McCauley 1993, 66-67). The archaeological record of a hero cult derives from the deposits at the graves and grave precincts of the dead who were recipients of the cult, and also from a variety of representations of the dead, such as the 7th century BC heroon of a warrior buried with rich grave offerings in the grave complex at the west gate of Eretria in Euboea (Anthony-Brown 1991, 23). Other examples are the reliefs from Laconia showing the heroized dead seated majestically on thrones, with snakes coiling about, indicating the chthonic character of the monument. Other reliefs, this time dated to the 6th century BC, depict a male herds reclining on a banquet couch with aphiale or rython. On the upper register of the relief are the emblems of his life: weapons, and sometimes his horse. Below the couch is a table holding offerings of bread, fruit and eggs (Wilson 2005, 353). On another stele from Mycenae the horse and the chariot are represented, suggesting thus that the Mycenaeans regarded the horse as a precious and sacred animal (Komita ND). Along with banquet scene, the 6th century art of Greece depicted hunting and warfare scenes, activities which expressed cultural values, especially aristocratic values. It has been suggested that the tradition of Thracian Rider representations, depicting the Hero during a hunting moment, resides in Greek art (Kazarow 1938, 7). The animal most prized for hunting was the boar, whose slaying without the use of net was deemed by the Macedonians the token of manhood (Littlewood 2005, sv. Hunting, 372). It is noteworthy to mention that hunting a wild boar or a stag depicted on 6th century BC Greek vases is a collective event, and these types of representations practically disappeared from vase paining in the early 5th century BC (Vassilieva 2010, 43). Nevertheless, earlier scene of royal hunts and duels existed in Anatolia and Near East, where the king is depicted as hunting lions. These representations are related to the royal/aristocratic trial that led to the renewal and consolidation of the royal power. Thus, the king associated himself with the heroic past (Marazov 1996, 179). Noteworthy is that boar hunting is not usually performed on horseback in Attic vase painting, and one should note that boar hunting makes an appearance in Eastern Greek art (Barringer 2001, 185). Another point to be made is that from the 5th century BC onward, scene of a boar hunt on horseback are popular in the funerary art of Anatolia and Thrace, subject which will be incorporated in the iconography of the Thracian Rider (Delemen 2004, 192). The Balkanic area is familiar to a series of representations of equestrian personages which carry a message not entirely deciphered. The most ancient are the artefacts dated to the 5th-4th century BC coming from the southern Balkans (Dusancy, Brezovo), followed by the artefacts from north-western Bulgaria, dated to the 4th-2nd century BC, while the latest are dated to the 1st century BC-lst century AD, coming from the Intracarpathian area, from Surcea and Lupu or from central and southern Moldavia from Räcätäu and Moldovenesti (Sárbu-Florea 2000, 105-106). The representation of horses on the Thracian toreutics of the 5th-3rd century BC is attested by the discoveries from Agighiol (PI. 1/1), or the appliqués from Lukovit (PI. 1/2) and Letnita (PL 1/3-4), where the presence of another horses head might emphasize the character of the rider, being at the same time the vehicle of the personage. Moreover, during the 5th-3rd centuries BC, the horse, as a standalone element is rarely attested, being thus an element of the horse-rider couple (Nemeti 2000, 108). On the above mentioned artefacts, one might observe 1 For a detailed overview regarding the theories on the origin of hero cult, see: McCauley 1993, 25-60.
