Tropaia
Entstehung, Funktion und Bedeutung des griechischen Tropaions
1st Edition
Published in December 2008
Book
Hardback
241 pages
978-3-89646-985-4 (ISBN)
Description
Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Bedeutungsebenen von Tropaia in Hinblick auf das Ritual ihrer Errichtung sowie ihrer Verwendung in Bilddarstellungen und als monumentale Siegesdenkmäler. Auf Schlachtfeldern standen kurzlebige Tropaia aus Beutewaffen des besiegten Feindes als Wendemarken und Siegeszeichen sowie als Votive im Rahmen des Dank- und Siegesopfers. Obwohl mit den ehemals an Pfosten aufgehängten Waffenweihungen von Olympia seit der Mitte des 6. Jhs. v.Chr. Tropaia greifbar sind, fanden sie in Text- und Bildquellen erst seit Mitte des 5. Jhs. Niederschlag. Tropaia sind gewöhnlich von anthropomorphem Aufbau, so daß ein Menschen- oder Götterbild darin gesehen werden konnte. Die Aufnahme von Tropaia ins attische Bildrepertoire ist als bildliche Umsetzung der kollektiven Sieghaftigkeit Athens zu deuten, in literarischen und epigraphischen Kontexten ist häufiger die militärische oder sogar die zivile Tüchtigkeit von Einzelpersonen gemeint. Eine ethnische Identifikation der Besiegten anhand der Waffengestalt ist selten möglich, weil der Sieger im Vordergrund der sehr vielfältigen Darstellungen stand.
The study deals with the different layers of significance of tropaia with regard to the ritual of their construction and their use in pictures and as monumental memorials of victory. On battlefields, there were short-lived tropaia made of booty weapons of defeated enemies as turning points and signs of victory as well as votive offerings forming part of thank and victory sacrifices. Although weapon offerings from Olympia, which were originally hung from posts, date back to the mid 6th century B.C., evidence from textual and pictorial sources only began in the mid 5th century B.C. Usually, tropaia possessed an anthropomorphic appearance, so that a representation of a human or a god could be seen in them. The inclusion of tropaia into the Attic picture repertory may be interpreted as a figural expression of the collective success in warfare of Athens, while literary and epigraphical contexts rather mean the military or even civil competence of individuals. The ethnical identification of the defeated by means of weapon shape is rarely possible, because the victors formed the centre of attention of the very diverse representations.
The study deals with the different layers of significance of tropaia with regard to the ritual of their construction and their use in pictures and as monumental memorials of victory. On battlefields, there were short-lived tropaia made of booty weapons of defeated enemies as turning points and signs of victory as well as votive offerings forming part of thank and victory sacrifices. Although weapon offerings from Olympia, which were originally hung from posts, date back to the mid 6th century B.C., evidence from textual and pictorial sources only began in the mid 5th century B.C. Usually, tropaia possessed an anthropomorphic appearance, so that a representation of a human or a god could be seen in them. The inclusion of tropaia into the Attic picture repertory may be interpreted as a figural expression of the collective success in warfare of Athens, while literary and epigraphical contexts rather mean the military or even civil competence of individuals. The ethnical identification of the defeated by means of weapon shape is rarely possible, because the victors formed the centre of attention of the very diverse representations.