Myth, Magic and Reason

The Bassae Frieze — an interactive study by Cem Kocu

The Bassae Frieze is a continuous band of twenty-three marble slabs from the Temple of Apollo Epikourios at Bassae, now in the British Museum. Reorder the panels, compare scholars' reconstructions of the three myth-cycles, and read an interpretation of the slabs.

The twenty-three panels

BM 520 — Centauromachy. A centaur of Thessaly, Eurytion attemps to carry of Hippodamia, bride at the wedding of Pirithous. Pirithous attempts valiantly to protect against two centaurs, the only slab where a Lapith is outnumbered.
BM 521 — Centauromachy. A Greek (presumed Heracles by his lion skin) distracts a centaur, allowing a Lapith to escape.
BM 522 — Centauromachy. A woman is abducted by a centaur, who unknowingly is about to be a recipient of an arrow from Apollo on a following slab. She is the only woman unprotected directly by a Lapith.
BM 523 — Centauromachy. Artemis and brother Apollo enter the scene. We know this is Artemis as she is known for hunting stags, who are seen here pulling the chariot. Apollo is seen aiming his bow at the centaur on 522.
BM 524 — Centauromachy. We can tell this is a sanctuary of Artemis by the hanging skin of a lion or similar cat. The classic archetypal Greek hero Theseus is identified here (524.1) by the size of the hole where he would have held a club. He protects two women as they shield themselves against the statue of Artemis.
BM 525 — Centauromachy. Scenes of chaos erupt with the Lapith's achieving little progress. As our Lapith hero retreats, he uses a stone in the absence of his weapon (525.3) against a centaur with a branch.
BM 526 — Centauromachy. Two Lapith's in opposite states. One retreats (526.3) from a Centaur as it rears its legs. The other Lapith subdues his opponent by aggressively manhandling it (526.2). A typical slab where there are no clear victors. .
BM 527 — Centauromachy. Perhaps the most violently illustrated, as the body of a dead centaur rests, another is stabbed by the sword of a Lapith (527.1) as the centaur bucks at the Lapith holding the rear (527.4). The first Lapith has his neck bitten in retaliation.
BM 528 — Centauromachy. As two Lapiths attempt to bring down a Centaur (528.3), another approaches from the left (528.1) and takes a Lapith (528.2) by total surprise, swinging the course of the battle. It has been suggested the brooch of 528.4 is actually that of Theseus. (Et in Arcadia, Casanova & Egea, P70).
BM 529 — Centauromachy. Those with capes throughout this Centauromachy appear to be more victorious than their capeless cousins, who seem to be those taken by surprise by the Centaurs attack. By now, there appears to be order retained as the Lapiths maintain better control of the conflict.
BM 530 — Centauromachy. Caineus shown (530.4), defiant in defeat, as he is buried by two centaurs under rocks and logs. If they cannot kill what is immortal, then they will attempt to bury it. Caineus is assisted by another Lapith (530.2) who attempts to pull one of the centaurs off him as a Lapith woman champions them in the background (530.1).
BM 531 — Heraklean Amazonomachy. An Amazon carries off a wounded comrade, but is also aware of the spear aimed at her from Telamon (BM533.2). 3D planes make this difficult to interpret without layout plans, given he's facing in the opposite direction. Notice the breast of the fallen (BM533.1) indicating the removal of the left breast. .
BM 532 — Trojan Amazonomachy. An Amazon protects a fellow warrior with a Greek shield (BM532.1 and BM532.2) as she fires an arrow. Meanwhile, to the left, a Greek soldier is wrestling an Amazon to the floor by her hair (BM532.3 and BM532.4)
BM 533 — Heraklean Amazonomachy. Our first casualty, BM533.1. Her garments are different to the chitons worn by the other Amazons, leading us to assume she’s one of the three queen Melanippe, as she is the one here fighting Telamon (BM 533.2), who aims his spear at the Amazon on BM 531.2.
BM 534 — Heraklean Amazonomachy. Another Greek (BM534.3) pulls an Amazon (BM534.2) off her horse by her hair. As the Greek is facing the right, we can assume that he is the victor in this scene.
BM 535 — Heraklean Amazonomachy. The tides are finally turned and the Greek’s are proving victorious as an Amazon is prized off an altar, possibly Artemis\’.
BM 536 — Heraklean Amazonomachy. Both Greek’s and Amazons in an equal state of conflict. Interesting to note that the Amazons frequently have their hair pulled, perhaps to further identify them as women.
BM 537 — Trojan Amazonomachy. The death of Penthesilea at the hands of Achilles after the attack on the Greeks by Amazons.
BM 538 — Trojan Amazonomachy. Neither Greeks nor Amazons appear to be in a favourable position, with both sides in equal stages of combat.
BM 539 — Trojan Amazonomachy. This final block, BM 539, shows a truce, with Amazons carrying Greeks and vice versa and an Amazon carrying off a Greek shield, perhaps as even a trophy.
BM 540 — Heraklean Amazonomachy. First in a trilogy of slabs that centre around Heracles. This slab begins the trilogy. Note the near identical poses of the three slabs, with the elbow protectively covering the face, or in preparation for a strike. As the Greeks take away their injured, another Greek turns aggressively to an Amazon.
BM 541 — Heraklean Amazonomachy. Heracles, BM 541.2, is recognised by the skin of the Nemion Lion he slayed on his first labour. Also, we witness Hippolyte BM 541.3 as she displays contested girdle wrapped around her waist.
BM 542 — Heraklean Amazonomachy. The final in the trilogy, and almost in stark opposite contrast to BM 540, the Amazons take away their wounded whilst knocking a Greek off his feet in defence.