ld scsfice ie Iie not a ory ling that VHWH isa God ‘who does not want children to be sarifed The sory reflects stage in whieh the posbily that cid sacrifice belongs to the YHWH cat is preset Tt uses @ wel known theme and practice {0 tell about experiences in which YHWH, this God of lie, of promis, of fare, changes sides, and shows the dark ace of death and destncion, apparent recanting his promises. In thi ory, Ierael reflects its station in which "VHWH of hosts is with os the God of Jacob is our rfge” (Ps 45:7) i nt valid any longer, In thi situation, the vexb 202 in. Uff the hey of the nse ative and mirrors the ambivalent station. ‘The reader knows What Abraham does not: sterficing his son ie a tet of God, [Abraham's aceptance and ee ‘Do no lay your hand onthe bo ‘fv. 12 confirm that even in eis hour Abram and fl to ‘ot fll ino hands other than the hands of the God ho gives Iie an frre. What Gen 22 says here is the same a what Honea said caries and in a diferent context: "How can | give you up. Ephraim? How ean T hand you oer, o Ire? My heat tecods with me, my compassion grows wart and tender. 1 will not exe cate my fierce anger, Ti ao tun round snd destroy Epes, for Tam Goel and no moral the Holy One in your mid. = (Hos 1130, SACRIFICING A CHILD IN ANCIENT GREECE; "THE CASE OF IPHIGENEIA, Jan N. Bremmer The story of Abraham and Hae isnot often mension in pagan literature In fact, i is hardly by chance that one of ur two eles. ners is fom the Emperor Juan forner Chrigian as his nick ‘mame “the Apostate’ all to! clearly shows. However, in his Cia (alts. 8 Masraceia) Julian uses the sory only in a due sion of sacrificial ire, but does aot focus oa ix element of human ‘Serice Brderly, he coud not have dew, since human sacrifice sucha stiking part of Greek mythology tha it would have made him an easy erget for Christian apaogits, Prom the many Greek example, which have often been investigated! T have chosen oe, In whic father alo hast serie cid: the ath of Iphigenia ‘The nny was famous well to Roman times, especially through aries" wagedios Iga i Au (4) and Ip Taw (1), Tut we wil iit ourselies to the caer versions ‘Our oldest extant venon ofthe myth comes from the Gig one ofthe poems of the socalled Epic Cycle which was composed by ee oy Di a ae ate ee tae epee oS Ee SER, eee ee core ee Eee See Ee eens wes anes coe K. Dowden, Death auf eae (Candee and New Yark, 1388) E, Reams, Tite eeereime ater ce en inc Setlomehtpanontacates ge: Reset ance a eat eet neice aan ee se Seats eee fae are reg a el foo Nan22 sme, sccortng t0 tation, Susino in Cyprus around 650 BC? Its « Felatvely late poem, which already presupposes the Had al cleaty leads up to it! In summary of Wie poem about the Trojan Wat by the pilosopher Prous at the end of Antiquity, whe he ll had the (an?) orginal text in ont of itn? we read the flowing pide ft td mete tt ln Aram ea detent a Sppis hae Fein faces sre igh gee By tea Seperate ere igicwieecitemren ieee SEE te aate sae Siena sonata termes A sighly more dete version we find jn the sythologicl hand bok of Apollon atthe beginning of the Chan erm, Une Procas, Apollodorss did no eon the orginal texts bat mate ue of excepts, summaries or commentaries that were continual co ‘aminated Unforanatel his origin ok wih the myth Iphigenia los, but in 1891 two epitomes were published from whic T |Gve the most dete version from the figment Saba 3 (Bat whe thy tad pt ose fom, Anoe and ave for the sc ‘ond time at As) the Det was wide Calas sad at dy ‘tl oral unless the asf Agen dus ere ae ‘ote ts a sae Yo Anemia At he sy the gues wa ay wa Agamerinan, Breas according some ng ha at Ie hadi when song er ht tt eoen Ate cl saved, een she ad wanted yb ecndg ther, Bene ‘Aves fad not ssid fo her the yan, an On wee otha st Seo recy K. Dawe, Ha See of Ten, JS 1165 7-6 twa ety rp New Fe, Th Oimiing Rosie (Cie MA an Land, 188) aera acs sr en Gr ts Ime Nose ee Se se 1 For the text see Mavi, fuoram Gear aprons (Goaingen, 1900) 32 ‘Ae een ea the Mytographer’ A Bsigraghial Sore’ 06 (007 NT Pe SCKIENG A cD I ANEIRRE ESC 2 ‘oracle, Agamemnon sem Ute ane Tabi 0 Chsemneses sd ‘ed for Iphgenl segng 3 promi of ht ve her to Aces {o wien revard fr i maary see So Cyestoeas tent be, Se Agar st bee beth ar and sa ugh he, when’ Aen cared er aff 0 the Taran apie er {0 be her pots, substating dee fr her ate al bt sme ‘Sy tae mae her nore As the text il aleady makes clear by mentioning some’ and ‘oth fe Apollodonus presente us bere witha composite pure frm va. is sources. He has cealy used the Gypn,i t some remove, but also Eurptes ga in Als, probably abo a¢ vome remove ot, possibly wa a calle of prow wnat the socalled pei ‘2, of Buripides? In my analysis I wll concentate on the versions oF these two summaries, but in order to ring out sires and AierencesT will ao daw a few comparons wih the sacrifice of Isaae (Gas 22) eis final redaction this sory would be only slighty younger, ii indeed dats from the Pesan prio, but is precise moment of origin i al debate Finally, before we proceed wih the actual analysis good to reale that de term “human steric” is fen ued in rater ose way. Ritual exceusons, scriices before bate, and scapegoats are Frequently lumped together as “human serce.” From still methodological point of view such coufson is hardly lpi, and Til ick to tow cases in which the striiialeement i lear in ‘the wadion, be i eral oF metaphorical Jr mrs seach ot “~ SR ea ‘et tr ii ie pee et aae ean eae Cs ESL kite Serdar etsPs sere 1. Bir the Kt {et us start withthe mame of the protagoais of the myth, In the Ti (1X.145) Agamemnon biel cls that at bore He as three slaughers: Chnsotbenis, Laodice and [Link]’s name is suffcenty cose to Iphianaia to wonder wheter Hosmer knew ot her sserifce, bu his text docs not suggest so." The Gia (E17 Davies = F'28 Bernabe) may have mentioned Four daughter but ames only Iphigencia and Iphianasa, andthe txt ofthe passage 's ceri problematic. oeuda-Hesiod's Cattgu (F 28, 15-7, which ‘dates fom about 380 BC,” mention only two daughter, Electra tnd Iphimede, although she later ie carly ideal with Gris Iphigenea, as she sulle exactly the same fie." Sophocles (Heche 157) mentions Chrysothemis, Electra and Iphinnassa,” andthe oer Euripides only Iphigencia and Electra (Bet 13, 17 374, 562) The ‘concusion seems dear Early traction did not posse tradition of 2 fixed: number of Agamennon's daughters neiber di it have a fixed name for the unhappy vietin at Aut, Thin vata fits general tendency of Grek mythology to vary names of fees, 25 for example, can be well observed inthe ce of Oedipus’ mother who is atesed in no les than four variant Akhough Lucretius (1.85) sl wes Iphianassa in famous passage,” and late antique Fexcon atributes her name t the post Homeric pots, the na eee eee poles Sicha Ee er ee ae rae nem ake Sera eared: Me Ha ites ee i by to ‘ont froin, is tarred by the dea that the Caan wes by Pancha ng ake re ie he Reece Porat io teresa 5 Jounn, Hui, 20 none 2 wrongly suggests that he fellows che Chi wins Bee egomarc tt Oe Make (Leadon, 1991) 45 (Oedipus? mother) es EL neat cer tan hore romance 4 eM ANCAEET ORR 2% (ecin s. inen the name Ipigacia becomes gency scr ae ides. nthe second entry AD, Pain (3.1) ven wrongly sees her name eo the Cate (F236. Having ke tthe ame ffeil tow ave onto she poo the tye The Cha wari ers wh the reper thatthe Crock amet forthe second nein A, an nor tant harbour onthe sate othe North" Thi an inowaion com pared with Homer, who only Snows one meng ia 108) “The Greek ave im Anis afler a expeon to Mia, where Ache enconered Tepes, webkown ee in Greck myth: Oy” Apparently, Be autor af he Qed known pa, ‘ic Re ao wed © ul up the suspense before the dv ‘Spetison ofthe Crocs gat Ty hy vetardng the final acon. Tn Ani, he autor of the Gyr ceed dramatic don by pening up the Greck Beet hough stom” The reaun fr the fold ap was spay of hybs by Agamemnon during 8 has ‘Apollodora” vein even sats the pece hunting ground, te the ‘tc deme of rion inthe mide of Ata deta probaly far tise by an Ate author, sce the area not immediatly ar Cent to Ain, Here the ling ht = eer, the aoa dea tothe Ares ss many woes sate" in El she yas even Wor Sippel ih he opie pain Puri 2210-1) The po da clone aocaton with deri steed by Sophocles in his Ee (366-9, where Elects declares that her ier dei acre rove ofthe goes, thus making his fence even more drama Fou of his, Agameraon bested dat at even the foes AS a is ine pe Rn i of Eecs me in ciao a doc op pt Sas lhe eh 1b MC VIS ih at Mh, 1) 0 en re Ne TB, 18-2, 115 Ver, dn UL; Os M1224 "PTC L186. Ane psn (L. Kak Yana dK Tso, sale suger ofan anita witin. The eecipent of his saceiice ws ally was the godess Artemis. The myth of Iphigenia ini olds availble enion could be inepreted atthe mythical election of this ral act® I isthe poignant prelide to the Trojan War, This was also an interpretation of Greeks themecves, since Plutarch (ide) elas tt, before starting his war against Peri, Agelaus, lke Agamemnon, deat it Aus hat Artemis ake im o sure his daughter His love fr is chill had made hin rect the request, but it had made his expedition unsucesil The myth, deny i he naratve reflection ofa ritual ac, but no, orginally, af iniation Tes evident dat ia is fanction the myth of Iphigencia i con pletely diferent fom that of the suri of Ist, whe sory is ‘ot intgrated ino a specie mythical ur legendary context, but cold ako have been placed diferenty inthe Abraham eyce, Morcoves i its aailable version itis presented as an aetolgieal sory whith explains the name of Jha Gs 22-18) Ok Testament sho ts regularly consider the story at @ kind of charter myth forthe holon of human saci, bu the text cannot be tid to clea thematize it as such. Its theme of obedience Yo God rather seins to have used the most dramatic moment in amas life and thes belongs to a period in which the uncendsonal fling Jaw was a point of iste, that i, in the immediate possi period Pec i Py 2-2. ome vera 196) 100M am, Mt sd eel ins Vy ae sh se Sete ee Hat“ Can gu Cat i ‘Egean (on st Son Yar, 18) 1S the mere laa ‘Sire Pi Soe lh vn Wor), Hea ee Rt Ee ade, Sa Te Th Dap Oa ry,6 4 one 4. Iii in Cat Iphigeneia not only appeared in myth, but was aso worshipped in ck From Wiamowite onward, whose sudy of 1808 vas the fist tnoreen dicusion of her myth and eat” the cule references have been included in discussions of Iphigenia. Yet no analysis has exam= ined them more closely and everyone hat taken these erences, tore of kat Bice salve andl used them a a basis for interpret fon, However, fora proper evaluation we should determine their ‘Shonclogy before addicing them ae valuable evidence ofthe meat Ing and stgifeance of the cult So, let us lok again atthe various ‘estimonies and tart with Achaian Aig, whete the scondhcenury teavller Pausanios saw temple of Artemis, Here a young gt ficited as priestess), and in dhe temple was avery old statue of Iphigenca, ar dhe locals aseted. Pausanias early has his dubs Sd comments: AF what they say i ue, de temple was deaty made fr Iphigencia from the very begining” (26.3). Artemis temple rst have been stated near the theatre, and Iphigencas salve ‘ay well have come from the temple on the acropolis, which was Sbandone in erly Hellenic times. Ye, nothing an be mid about the statue with any certain neither do we know anything aboot 2 aul" ‘ausanis (1.41.8) mentions chat Iphigenea aso was the subject fof an Arcadian myth. As no such myth was known from other ures, Wino, who ad low opinion of Pausanias, suggested That he had made a mistake and wanted to write “Arve ih tad of "Arcadian Wiamossit could not yet know, though dat Pausaias seems 0 be splendidly vidcated by the pablication of the Hevea eum papyrus of Phloem’ On Pity fray year ater. Thi text, Which has been owelooked by all ecent scholars of the Iphigendia a Sane i te ie Hon 18 aS Gog, Roo Heli de Arnis om Agia Fag ar i Re es ines ‘Reni ie Agu, Aone Supt 0 £98 9 0 215 amon me Ss Vir 07 camping tt eae, oy ae Sn Pune ey Punt py ely ade 55 srommame 4 cio oe AsoIoer REECE ” smyth, mensions that Stichors (F215 Dare) in his resi” fale Towing Hesiod, sys that Iphigenea, Agamemnon’s dghte, is se who & now eilled Helate. Bet near (Arcadia she is sid to be a ouig woman’ Pausiniss may wel refer 0 this pasage, which seems not to have reated ia a tl, afar at we kno, nthe Argolid in Hermione, Pasa sw a temple of Aner Iphigencia snd Poseidon (235.1), The connecion between the too divinities sold and epical of the Peloponnese” but in none of the ter eases does Artemis ever receve the epithet Iphigenia. I thee fone seems reasonable to conclude that her lca epithe in Hermione was a later addon. Unlike what some scholars ste,” Iphigenia not have a hs Argos alu she docs appear in Ave ‘myth, since Patan elites tat, aller Being lnappe by Theses, eden ane with child in Argos where she gave bith to Ipigenea” However, she did not keep the baby but handed ber over to CGytaemnesta, who was already married to Agamemnon (2.226 = Roi 814 ¥ 6). Ths version thus presupposes Agamemnon a king fof Argos, aot Mycense, ati epic tradon. The omins pst gue ofthis version mst be ca 454 BC when Argor destroyed Myce and sarted to appropriate is mathologcal trains This spp Prinion moreover sugges tha the Arve had claimed the strife TERS et et i tu ge 2 Rep ps Kt, ee rede ae see ae Sa eaten ATT eee ‘BP le my See yr Sehr ae soca ae ‘ere Sige ‘oni ‘end ct ep Mi et pe en teh Ola tr howing me be toni exe | a mw Dk eae eae RE ies ees ees ‘in Se Vi, 204; Rea Hew fi, Hel peace ina es ers al ae me a ‘ky be found cue Spray be raion pac af erg =n ae RS ar man Rea creeco EN mason of Iphigenia for their home wow, instead of Ais. This x conimedt by Apolodorus, since he mentions that Telephor came to Argos where the Greeks had assembled for thei expedition aginst Teoy ‘contrary to mainstream tadion which loted that encounter in Auli (2. 820-1: § 1). ‘As Philodemus notes in his pasage on Iphigenia some have seen human's tombs. of Iphigenei) fn the city of Megas, and his information is confirmed by Psanias who mentions » Anon ‘The ease is insroctv, since the Megarians did ot ony tell that Iphigenia tal ed in Megara bu they ako aimed that Agunemnon Nat founded a sancuary for Arent in thr city when he ted uo cali Calehas forthe Greek expedition agaist Tio. Event, ke Argos eily Megara had te wo eliminate Aas as the port of pare ture forthe Greks again Troy and had appropriated he Iphigenia smyth for that purpose. The mos famous example of Iphigenia’ cule fusction occured in Artemis’ sancmary in Brauton" port atthe east cost of Ata, where Athenian gi, called el, “bears, performed an ination ritual at che Brauronia, a quadremil esival of Avie’ Het ten ple eas built by Pistratus and stated neat a brook in an atea vith a lurking vegetation, which the Greek liked 0 sles for ‘nity colts In recent decades the pubeation of Blak-tigured ‘bai, small goblets dating from the late sith and fith cent ries wit details of the ceremonies, has considerably increased out owed ofthe rial sie of the etal" For example, we now know thatthe glk ran races under the wpervson of nan ane woman wearing bear-masks. Although we therefore ae able yi pens 9 fn r= th Pe wi ita et tt tg Mg try evened a dion 4 eto Aieeay Span aeons Se mee WES eee AE 2 ee Tid a ae sober REET bt ston: sera RTS aera TERS SAORIMNG 4 COLD ANCIENT OREECE 30 analyse the myth and stad complex of Brauron in greater detail ‘han was posible for previous generations of echlars* we wil ous as much as posible the myth which is of tore importance fur sbjot There were two aeological myths asociael with the ritual: one without Iphigencia and one which relied ter sere in Brauton. ‘The fr myth it closely comparable to that of Ae Munich at Piraeus, where a smile stl mst have been acted xt a the ae Towing schematic suvey of the myth demonstrates Minichia Brauron 1. Abeniane led shebear 2 Anemis ane angry a, Dephian orale tld Sb, Anes or Dap demands Athenians to sactice virgin that Athenian ls 40, Goat subited dred play the bar” gid 4. Inston of beara” The exact meaning of the myth is sill wiclear and the bear hax bee intespete in varius ways. What cannot be in disput, though is the antiquity of chis tration. Thief coum by the Cat tht the priests of Are was call arin Gyrene i the rh coms "uy BC." The form is clearly variation of arty, as nouns ie ntaa, “ear cub, and names lke Akaleon, ‘BearLion’, demons sate!” Moreover, the Areadiane related tht the nymph Kal broke her vow of viginiy by leg herself be seul! by Zevs Te Ti bet aly of the sa snow C. Smita, Sac il! ara atedieeg etewrcrge man (ie) 25°44, Ramin, ‘Aman and te Athena Aska 18)0 mane When bathing with her nymphs, Artemis found out that she was pregnant and ia anger turned her into a bea In this shape she fave birth to Areas, he national ancestor ofthe Areas” Bebind thew thre race versions we ca ace an arte tradition ofthe prietew of Artemis ax bear, just lke the maiden noviers Clea, Iphigeneia has no place in strain, Te therefore follows that the alternative Brauronian myx which related Agamemnon’ arfie of Iphigencia in Brauron he replace rent ‘by a bear not a deer, snd the insttaion of a “mystery the bear-sial, was a lea! fabrication Evidently, Brawon had !pproprinted the epic verion of the beginning of the Greek expe- on and with the glory of the Trojan Wa just a8 thd apron priate the myth of the satu of Artes that Orestes and Iphigenia bd brought back from he Taurians, Tp an intresting gimpie of| this game of local mythological ‘oneypmanahp', Pausanas reports the, Surely Brauroaan, version that Iphigeneia had left er state at Brauron, subsequent arived in Athens, ‘and later in Argos® Yet, once appropriated, 2 myth can generate ih own ital, as appears om Bude pipeee fe Taw where the gaddes Athena tncdes the drama withthe words: ‘And you Iphigencia, in the holy meadows of rauron, must serve this godess (Artes) stem ple warden Hic. When you di, you ll ie buried here, and they wl dedicate fr your delight the rly woven garments which women who die ined leave Behind in thet hows’ (1462-7, 1. D. Kovacs, Loeb). Apparendy, women had started model Iphigeneia on Aramis and to associate the former with etilebinh st well As Iphigeneia means ‘She who has been bom with power fr ‘She who’ at been born by meant of power the proces wat pethapsreinfreed by the element tye in her name. Nicander (atu Anconinus Liberals 27.3) even cree Iphigenia with the ep Min sR" oe ong Mp Ge Ox) 22h aa AC V1 (1990 a Rel Poe, Me Joe" le (los arto 124K. Waldner, ie cor ig VI Bp ed Bao Hei seamen Str fe a Sel ne at 2a thet Orslochia, ‘Se who delves children’, bu his epithe isa rel atively late evenion" Euripides passage may alto give anther ia ‘ation about Brewron's eu vealis. Thave quoted Kovac tion in fall bu the Grek faucet, Yo old the ky’, way ites 4 pricten Gee also 17 131 and 1133), who can offen Be see on ‘ates wearing the ky of the temple ™ Given the adolescent satus ‘of Iphigenia, does this perp mean that the Brauronian press of Artemis was (orginally?) an adolescent? What can we concude from our discusion? Previous iovetgn: Sis have al seeped the cule references at face val, pethapa led asray by the very late nodce of Heychins (Iga) that Iphigenea is identical t Artemis. However, we have sen tht thee cul are relasvely late wherever se had the chance eo cone the fas. Regarding Aig, the ony case where we could nord, Pausanias himself evidently had his doubss about the claim of he locals and, on the bass ofthe other parle, we cane fly cere ‘ain that his doubt were fly jase I shold now be clear that the desire claim the glory of the Trojan Wa for their own come ‘nity lea number of Grek cits to appropriate che asembly at Ale om the pant Hellenic myth, and Iphigenia wa in away he eon of thi ase ‘et, the appropriation was not jst an astray choice, a we ea see from those cults about wich we have more information, In Agra and Brauron, her maidenbood perfec ued a maiden ni tatorysitual in hanogr of Artemis, just an her maidesood ist have made i easy to iterate er ict the colt of Parte. The spproprstions aso well ie the fur et guration of «het alongside a odes." Apparently, dhe ois behind these mytho- logical “thf clearly had thought about the appropriateness of the’ parcular cals into which Tphigendia became integrated. The 2 Fy Iie a ir ee cay C, Cae, Con on sz la Cte yO Es 1 a Wa, F toe i a ty, 2 Sg, 229 AG Au, rts tom as Goat o emt (ene a peel ky Ft est a ne ee, SCAU Det i hea ME ne SS ki, tod a Re 29 abe2 48, one pproprstions may therefore have started to take place at 2 rele fen early stage of Iphigenia myth nally, according to Levens, "the impute to sacrifice the ft. tom son'remained potent long afer the Tera practice Israel) had become odious and fallen into dessete™="T do not see any roo for this watement, butt ta tat Israel ha long pact FRiman serice and tat Greece was umaualyGcinsted by these tal, albeit only on the level of myth. In his expect modem i= ‘ation has made, perhaps, some progress Ade [Aer the completion of my contribution two more stuies came to Iny attention which deserve some node, Fie, Tabould perhaps have Imentoned that Preudo-Hesiod (23.724 MW.) does not have [Aremis produce a deer atthe altar when Iphimede i about «be tncriiced but n End of phantom, a ila ‘The roti is dseed by Clarke, who persuasively argues that i certainly is as old a the Tad (V.449-59), where Apollo wisks Aeneas ot ofthe bated to sey.” Mormover it wan ite a productive mot in the Archaic ‘Age consideing is ccurence in Homer, dhe Hesiod corps and Staichons(F 192-3 Davies, ‘Seond, Manganaro has recently published an, edited, rather fragmentary incrpion frm Mongantina dating tothe third or c= ond century BC that looks ike x sre. For ou subj ee most Intereing tla sem to lista number of animals that ave wo be raed in the sanctuary, Amongst them we clearly find deer (al lu, quis and doves" A the insertion almost certainty mensions sacrice (tui) H seems to confinn the presence of dcr amongst ‘hose aimal that could be presented to the gods, Mangunaeo also draws atenton to an nsripson fom Kyme, probably ato sve, Landi 158 “e “ee i er eae tt a Fn ga fe og Herc 109 1 we 78 ro eet 0 SS teh ssorincise A en HANI OME s ‘hat forbids huang deer—der, presumably, fom its own sane aay (L Kime 35.7. "These incripions aie the problem as vo what extent deer were considered to be wild or domesticated animals Or could they be titer one of dese categories depending on the station? We need tot anwer the question here, but iis precy this kind of ep fh evidence that lp to shoe that sacri proces in he SGreck world were probably les homogeneous than ot Berar text sometimes stm to suggest