The sphinx

Sphinxes of the Orientalizing period adorned vases, ivory plaques, and metal bowls sat atop columns, and were surely represented in materials that are now lost, such as textiles, wall paintings, and woodcarvings. The image of the sphinx was favored by elites across the Iron Age Mediterranean because of its association with royalty in the Near East. This chapter argues that this link is reflected in Greek mythology and language too. Most famously, the sphinx is tied to the story of Oedipus and his accession to the throne of Thebes. The chapter integrates the interpretation of texts and material culture. It shows one mythological narrative surrounding the sphinx corroborates this function and the Phoenician roots of the Greek sphinx. In Greek tradition, there is a famous sphinx, the one confronted by the mythical king Oedipus when he arrived, a stranger, in his native Thebes

Ancient history · Art · Art history · Linguistics · Literature · Mythology · Narrative · Painting · Phoenician · Sphinx · Visual arts · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classics · History · Philosophy

• Celebrating Death at the Sanctuary of Orthia

  Open Access•Megan Daniels•The Annual of the British School…•2023

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