The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-04

Oh various temples with the divinity
worshipped in the temples. They appear
TO have had in mind some question in
regard to the Aeginetan sculptures, as
appears in note on page 10. Professor
Furtwangler. himself, in his .Beschrei-
bung der Glyptohel KONG Ludwig L
zu Munehen. 1900 opp. SIS and $50, had al
ready declared that the presence Of Ath-
ena in both gables was no proof that the
temple was hers, He then thought it
temple of Herakles. But no serious
and strenuous objection &ad been mads
to the current name; doubts only had
been expressed. when all at once, with
with the recent excavations the certainty
came with blaze OF proof that the tenn
pie belonged to another divinity almost
purely local and much inferior to the
great goddess Athena.
First came three fragments Of inscrip-
tons. all Of which seemed to contain
parts OF the name Aphaea, and then came
a large block nearly six feet long and
2 foot high, with an inscription of three
lines saying: When Cleoetas was priest
the house was built 10 Aphaea. The al
tar and the ivory q. e., presumably. the
wooden cultus statue adorned with ivory,
were made in addition. and a wall built
around" This inscription is a archaic
Doric, and must be put well back into
the sixth century. It cannot refer to the
present temple. because three of the
four fragments in the debris used for
filling, at a considerable depth below
the surface of the platform east Of
the temple, and down near the bedrock.
The present temple then replaced at
some time an older one OF the same
divinity on the same spot. Pausanias
Gi., 80. 3 says that the Temple OF Aphaea
had inscribed in it song of Pindar.
The new name of the Temple, based
as It is not only upon the complete in
scription, bat on the fragments OF three
others. viii probably stand secure. one
Of the blocks is too large to have been
transported very far. The only rift in
the otherwise secure foundation Is that
the fact that Pausanlas, in mentioning
the temple of Aphaea, says: 1T is true
that on the way as you go up TO the
mountain of Zeus Panhellenios." II is
true that this mountain or Zeus Panhel-
lenios was once supposed to be the
height on which stands the temple under
discussion; but there Is little room for
doubt that it is the peak now known as
the 'opos. near the south point of the
island which dominates the whole is
land and affords a view not easily for
gotten. 1t is, in fact, perfectly clear
that Theophrastus means this mountais.
when. in discussing the signs Of the
storms. he says that clouds settling upon
Zeus IIellenios are a sign of rain. This
very peak is used today il the same way
as a weather gauge.
In the interest, however, of complete
of facts. I may say that Prof.
Furtwangler is a little unjust as to the
fitness of this place to be the loca-
ton of the Temple of Alpaca. In citing
the passage in the narrative Of Anton
ius Dictynna-from Crete. her touching
at Aegina, and her taking refuge in a
grove in which her temple was after
wards set up, he denies the possibility
Of this region near the Of the "opos' ever
having been a grove, calling it an ode.
Several fig trees flourish on and about
the terrace; and there is even now con-
siderable humas there, in spite of long
process Of denudation and washing down
Of the soil to a slightly lower level since
large cistern. or wen rather. near the
upper edge OF the terrace, which seems
fed by a perennial source at the bot
tom l have, at any rate, in two diff
rerent years-1S94 and l901-seen crowds
IF women washing there in September
before the fall rains. I set this down as
TO be taken in consideration
IN case there should be change of the !
and new possibilities at /
present not in the sight should present /
themselves.
The new discovery viii hardly contri- /
)ute anything toward fixing more exactly (
he date of the famous temple. Furt- !
yaueler, to be sure, suggests a very /
plausible and extremely interesting con- /
lection of the building of the temple with 1
IN episode in the battle of Salamis. Her /
,dous. after the giving the Athenian ac-
.ount of the beginning of the battle. /
dds: The Aeginetans tell another story, /
md say that the ship which had gone /
,ver to Aegina to fetch the Aeacidae /
brought on the battle. and that. further |
more. the phantom Of a woman appeared /
o them. and. when she had appeared, |
ihe reviled them, saying, 'NNretches. !
low long are you going to keep backing /
vater?" and urged them on. so that the |
whole Greek line heard her voice" Furt-
vangler accepts a suggestion Of Soloman |
2einach that this phantom was. accord
rg to the belief Of the Aeginetans, none
,ther than the goddess Aphaea, who
ooked down from the height on which
Ter temple stood, and. beholding her
sland devotees in the throes of a danger
nus crisis. inspired them TO the deeds Of
-alor which made their name resound
throughout Hellas. Herodotus, even with
us Athenian earnings. has 10 record
hat the Aeginetans outstripped the Ath-
mans in this battle. according 10 the
-eneraI judgment What an occasion this
Torded them TO devote their treasure
O the erection of fine temple 20 the
GODDESS who had left them on that day
an in Pindar to add lustre to the Offering
-Pindar. who. in his fourth Isthmian ode.
lso showed his prediction 10 praise the
Sland whose strong tower was nigh
aIor"
The most attractive weaving Of history
nd myth TO form a setting for the date
L the temple viii nor. however, remove
nurely doubt created in the minds
{ many 10y the solid presence of The
able groups themselves which make
UGH an impression Of antiquity. 1t is
imcuit To believe that long after the
roup Athena battling with the giants
q the sable OF the old Athenian temple
( the Athenian AcroToiis had been pro-
uced. with its tremendous life ana energy
culptors could have gone on making
uch stiff. expressionless figures az
lace 80 hard hy. The nowly discovered
culptures at Delphi seem rather To in
rease this difficulty. FurtwanEier. who
. q master IN the field OF sculpture. has