Chance finds

[elingregory]

Throwing this open to discussion :D

I was poking around a museum ethics list today and came on a website about looting. That was interesting enough but one of the looted items and its description really caught my eye. They had pieced two separate fragments from two separate collections and come up with an almost whole object. It is listed as a 4th century BC grave stele made somewhere in Attica and showing a family group of father, mother and youth. Once I had a good look at it I thought "Oh no it isn't". Have a look and see what you think [clicking should make it bigger in a new window if I did the html properly]:





I know what I think about it - I think what we're being shown is the start of an officially-sanctioned-by-family erastes eromenos relationship. The figure to our right that they say is a woman is clearly bare chested under a himation which makes it male. His hand is on the young man's shoulder implying possession of some kind but there also appears to be some folds of cloth. A proud father holding a discarded chiton? Possibly a trainer - the youth is carrying a scraper and oil bottle for after his exercise and with those muscles he's bound to be an athlete. He's also holding a leveret - a common gift to a lad by a hopeful suitor - and his dog is showing a good deal of interest in it. The soldier's right hand is empty - possibly having just given the hare to the youth - but his left is holding a spear and supporting the big circular shield of the hoplite infantryman. The central figure, a beautiful nude youth has his head modestly tilted but seems very confident that he is the centre of attention.

Most interesting of all, the soldier and the youth have names - Menon and Kleobolos. There would probably have been another name over the other figure but sadly that part of the slab is missing.

I'm sighing her. I think that's probably the most beautiful thing I've seen today.

Comments

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

I like the expression of the dog looking at the bunny. You are right, I do not think this is a family. Figure on the right is rather flat chested, and has man-hands.

The young man in the center is very sweet. As is often the casse, I have that prickle of recognition. I almost feel I could know him. And he is young. There is something not-grown-up, in his face, and in those diffident legs and feet.

This is really lovely.

[irish-horse.livejournal.com]

I agree that the figure on the right is male. Your interpretation seems quite sound. I'd like to add, though, that it could still be a family - just not a traditional one.

It's very reminiscent of a father giving away a bride.

[suemont.livejournal.com]

Yes, that can't be a woman on the right - hands too big, too much leg and wearing clumpy ...clogs? What about that figure's dress? The man on the left is a warrior, but if-it-is-a-man on the right can't be, not in those robes. Would he be a senator delivering his son to fight? I like the different colour stones - as if one has been weathered and lost its rosiness (the top bit). I'm still a little perplexed by the warrior's left hand (looks like something that would appear on photoshopped disasters). The dog's more interested in the warrior's knee than the hare, I think :-) There's a huge story behind this.

[jessie-lansdel.livejournal.com]

Well it's definitely a man on the right. Maybe the beautiful youth is being awarded something for his physical prowess during some ceremonial games. I believe they did compete in the nude.
It is beautiful though. I would love to know the story here.

[jessie-lansdel.livejournal.com]

This may be of interest;


http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2008/07/intellectual-consequences-of-collecting_25.html

[elin-gregory.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's a mirror site of the place I found it :)

[jessie-lansdel.livejournal.com]

Oh that's bloody typical. :)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I think you are entirely right, there are other images of the courtship of the eromenos but I've not seen anything as nice as this. Wiki (here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pederasty_in_ancient_Greece) mentions the gift of the hare or poultry, and often cats and deer. There's also a picture on a vase on that site which has the youth holding the same circular strigil thing that this chap is holding.

In this book:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8XXabZhMMhsC&pg=PA132&lpg=PA132&dq=erastes+eromenos+hare&source=bl&ots=KZjyV2Tubw&sig=iCDtsHPgSCyiuR_208WgWzOPFu8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yyBZT9LaHcnU8QObhr3hDg&sqi=2&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=erastes%20eromenos%20hare&f=false

it says: (of the Lagunillas red-figured cup) "The hare marks the youth as an eromenos,just as the sponge and oilflash marks him as an athlete."

Here's the full paper of Looting Matters, if you hadn't already seen it.

http://www.presentpasts.info/article/view/pp.14/23

[yakalskovich]

Which of them is dead, though? As you say it's a grave stele?

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Who ever they are, they're beautiful :)

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

Want! (See, I'm a looter at heart.) Definitely three blokes and I wouldn't be at all surprised if your interpretation is spot on.

[wulfila.livejournal.com]

I agree with your interpretation. In fact, the hare was what caught my eye first, and I thought "it would be weird if they were father and son and still exchanging that sort of gift" before I clicked on the "read more" link.
And apart from the fact that the headless person looks like a guy indeed, not like a woman, it would also be weird if there was no direct interaction between that person and the guy on the right if they were meant to be a couple (the grave steles of married Greek couples often have them holding hands like this (http://212.202.106.6/antike/img/detail/107_1.jpg) or like this (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Pergamonmuseum_Tomb_01.jpg) or like this (http://212.202.106.6/antike/img/detail/106_1.jpg)).