Although at first glance one might think that the figure represented on the 30-centimeter-diameter marble sphere preserved in the Acropolis Museum in Athens is the Statue of Liberty, in reality, the idea it represents is much older. The geometric symbols carved on the sides of the image and above it add a bit more mystery to the matter.
The sphere was found in 1866 by Professor Athanasios Rhousopoulos, buried in the vicinity of the remains of the Theater of Dionysus in Athens, at the foot of the Acropolis. It shows the relief image of a deity, which researchers mostly identify with the god Helios, crowned with rays and enthroned under a canopy. He holds a whip in one hand (no, it’s not Indiana Jones either) and in the other, a scepter that ends in three torches.
At his feet are two dogs (or a lion and a dragon according to interpretations), one of which also has a crown of rays. On one side appears another torch, a seated lion, and a snake with a human head that could represent constellations. On the other side, a circle contains the aforementioned symbols: a row of five small overlapping circles (inscribed with the words: ΑΙΘΑΕΡ, ΑΝΑΒΠΑ, ΑΝΝΙΑΕΥ, ΕΔΕΒΩΠ̣Ι, ΑΠΙΟΒΙ) and other inscriptions.
Above the heads of the lion and the snake is another circle that contains a triangle. Several Greek letters are arranged in groups or form unintelligible words.
Experts believe it could have been created sometime between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. And although the symbols have not been deciphered, their comparison with those existing in some ancient Greek papyri of a magical nature has led to the conclusion that it is an object connected with solar worship.
From the location where it was found, the Theater of Dionysus, it is inferred that it may have been placed there to ensure success in the theatrical competitions of the time. It would thus be a type of magical object. This was the opinion of the Belgian Hellenist and Pythagoras expert, Armand L. Delatte, who examined the object in 1913 and concluded that it represented the god Helios.
But others believe it must have been a type of talisman to ensure victory in gladiatorial combat. And for the period in which the sphere is dated, the Romans had already adapted the Theater of Dionysus as a place for such spectacles.
Following this interpretation, the indecipherable symbols that appear on the sphere would be mere representations of tactics and strategies to be followed by the gladiators. However, it seems too large and heavy an object to be used as a talisman. And typically, these bear the name of their owners, which does not seem to be the case here.
The iconography proposed by Delatte has also been questioned. Some believe that the figure represented on the sphere is none other than Hecate, usually associated with the three torches, gates, and lions.
Others claim it is Dionysus himself, given his connection with snakes, and the three torches would actually be his thyrsus (a fennel staff wrapped with vine or ivy). Those who discard this latter option lean toward Apollo.
Delatte asserted that the key to understanding everything was the two dogs. One has a halo or crown, and the other does not. This would make them the constellations Canis Minor and Canis Major, and the entire sphere would be a representation of the Sun at its peak during the dog days (the hottest time of the year).
In any case, it remains a mystery who abandoned or buried the sphere and the reasons for doing so near the theater, whether it was related to it or was abandoned there precisely because the Acropolis is sacred ground.
This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on September 2, 2024: La intrigante Esfera Mágica que apareció al pie de la Acrópolis de Atenas
SOURCES
Bates, W. N. (1920). Archaeological Discussions. American Journal of Archaeology, 24(2), 173–215. doi.org/10.2307/497843
Acropolis Museum, Astral divinities: images, beliefs, cult
Armand L.Delatte , Études sur la magie grecque : I. Sphère magique du Musée d’Athènes
Nick Farrell, The magic ball of Helios-Apollo
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