Lekythos Featuring Ancient Greek Gods from Eleusinian Mysteries Becomes September 2020 ‘Exhibit of the Month’ of Bulgaria’s National Museum of Archaeology

September 5, 2020 · by Ivan Dikov · in Ancient Greece, Antiquity, Museums & Institutes

The Eleusinian Mysteries scene of 4th century BC Ancient Greek lekythos from Bulgaria’s Sozopol, which has become the September 2020 exhibit of the month of Bulgaria’s National Museum of Archaeology, features several ancient deities or heroes: Hermes, Demetra, Persephone, Iacchus, Triptolemus, and Dionysus. Photo: National Institute and Museum of Archaeology

A 4^th century BC Ancient Greek lekythos – a vessel for storing oil – featuring a scene of the gods from the Eleusinian Mysteries, which has been found in the Black Sea city of Sozopol, has been declared “Exhibit of the Month” for September 2020 by Bulgaria’s National Institute and Museum of Archaeology.

The lekythos is an Ancient Greek vessel for storing oil, most often olive oil, which has a narrow body and a narrowed neck, with a single handle attached to the neck.

The lekythos declared September 2020’s exhibit of the month in Bulgaria’s largest archaeological museum is decorated with depictions of gods from the Eleusinian Mysteries named after the town of Eleusis in West Attica, northwest of Athens.

The Eleusinian Mysteries were annual initiations at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis in Ancient Greece dedicated to the cult for Demeter and Persephone.

The Eleusinian Mysteries presented the myth of Persephone’s kidnapping from her mother Demeter by underworld god Hades.

“[This] exquisite [lekythos] vessel with rich painted decoration is among the most characteristic samples of Ancient Greek vase decoration from the Classical Age of Ancient Greece, which are part of the collection [of the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology],” the Sofia-based Museum says.

The 4^th century BC Ancient Greek lekythos was discovered back in 1949 during excavations of the necropolis of the Ancient Greek Black Sea colony of Apollonia Pontica, today’s Sozopol in Southeast Bulgaria.

The lekythos vessels was found on the beach in an area known as “Kalfata” as a burial gift together with two fragrance vessels made of alabaster.

“The lekythoi are a vessel shape typical of the traditions and customs of the Ancient Greeks. They are designed to hold oils and fragrances,” the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia says.

It adds that the funnel-like mouth of the ancient vessel makes it easier to pour inside valuable oils, while its tall and narrow neck is supposed to prevent the spillage from the corpulent vessel body.

“In the case of [our] vase, we are talking about an unusually large vessel – a lekythos type which is typical of the 4^th century BC. The largest number of vessels of this type have so far been found in the necropolis of Apollonia Pontica,” Bulgaria’s National Museum of Archaeology says.

“The decorators of these luxury vases used various colors (however, they are very rarely preserved) as well fine reliefs with gold coating for some parts,” it adds.

According to their customs, the Ancient Greeks would place lekythoi in the graves of their loved ones.

“That is why, these vessels are often decorated with scenes associated with the veneration of the dead, or with gods which are symbols of the underworld,” the Museum says.

It explains that the Eleusinian Mysteries scene painted on the Apollonia Pontica lekythos chosen as September 2020 “exhibit of the month” was borrowed from six images of Ancient Greek gods of fertility and the connection with the underworld who were worshipped in the famous shrine of Demeter in Eleusis.

The shrine itself was the center of the “mystery cult associated with revival and striving for post-mortal bliss,” adds the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia, as it describes the depictions of the Ancient Greek gods on the 4^th century BC vase-type vessel.

“In the left end of the scene stands Hermes, the herald of the gods, and the herder of the souls of the dead. To his right, is agriculture and fertility goddess Demetra sitting on a rock, and holding her favorite daughter Persephone in her lap,” the Museum says.

“Persephone became mistress of the underworld after god Hades abducted her from her mother, and made her his wife,” it adds.

The Museum notes that the Ancient Greek mythology story about the changing of seasons is connected with Demetra’s grief for her kidnapped daughter, and Persephone’s subsequent annual return from the world of the dead as per the will of Zeus, the most powerful deity.

“In the middle of the scene [painted on the 4^th century BC lekythos] there is a young man, probably the god of Eleusinian Mysteries Iacchus, standing with torches in his hands,” explains further the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia.

“On the right stands Triptolemus with a wreath of wheat stalks, the Eleusinian prince to whom Demeter bestowed a chariot drawn by winged dragons and wheat seeds tasking him with spreading among humans the knowledge of cultivating the land,” the Museum elaborates.

“After him {Triptolemus], the scene [depicted on the 4^th century Ancient Greek lekythos] ends with the reviving Dionysus, the god of wine, cycles, and nature,” the Museum adds.

“It is possible that the Apollonian (i.e. resident of the Ancient Greek city of Apollonia Pontica, today’s Sozpol) who was buried with such a special and rare vessel (the lekythos) may have visited during his lifetime the shrine in Eleusis, and this may have influenced his faith,” says Bulgaria’s largest archaeological museum.

“We could even imagine that this man was initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries, and may have achieved the so desired bliss after death,” concludes the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia.

Learn more about the ancient history of Ancient Greek colony Apollonia Pontica, today’s Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Sozopol, in the Background Infonotes below!

Also check out these other articles on Ancient Greek mythology, which appears to have overlapped a great deal with Ancient Thracian mythology, and Apollonia Pontica stories:

6 Amazing Artifacts with Ancient Greek Mythology Scenes Discovered in Bulgaria

Archaeologists Find 6th Century BC Home, Red-Figure Pottery Krater Depicting Oedipus and the Sphinx from Apollonia Pontica in Bulgaria’s Sozopol

Unseen Kantharos with Sacrifice of Golden Fleece Ram Features as Centerpiece in Jason and the Argonauts Exhibition in Bulgaria’s Sofia

Rogozen Treasure Phiale with Auge and Heracles (Hercules) Shows Thracian Aristocracy Valued Art of Classical Greece, Bulgarian Archaeologist Says

Slab with Marching Ancient Greek Warriors Discovered at Apollo Temples on Ancient Black Sea Island in Bulgaria’s Sozopol

Archaeologists Find Ceramic Sarcophagus in Necropolis of Ancient Greek Polis Apollonia Pontica in Bulgaria’s Sozopol

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Ivan Dikov, the founder of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com, is the author of the book Ugly Bargain: How the European Union and Bulgaria’s Post-Communist Oligarchy Fit Together, among other books.

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Background Infonotes:

The history of the resort town Sozopol (Apollonia Pontica, Sozopolis) on Bulgaria’s Southern Black Sea coast started during the Early Bronze Age, in the 5^th millennium BC, as testified by the discoveries of artifacts found in underwater archaeological research, such as dwellings, tools, pottery, and anchors. In the 2^nd-1^st millennium BC, the area was settled by the Ancient Thracian tribe Scyrmiades who were experienced miners trading with the entire Hellenic world.

An Ancient Greek colony was founded there in 620 BC by Greek colonists from Miletus on Anatolia’s Aegean coast. The colony was first called Anthea but was later renamed to Apollonia in favor of Ancient Greek god Apollo, a patron of the setters who founded the town. It became known as Apollonia Pontica (i.e. of the Black Sea). Since the Late Antiquity, the Black Sea town has also been called Sozopolis.

The Greek colony of Apollonia Pontica emerged as a major commercial and shipping center, especially after the 5^th century AD when it became allied with the Odrysian Kingdom, the most powerful state of the Ancient Thracians. As of the end of the 6^th century BC, Apollonia Pontica started minting its own coins, with the anchor appearing on them as the symbol of the polis.

Apollonia became engaged in a legendary rivalry with another Ancient Greek colony, Mesembria, today’s Bulgarian resort town of Nessebar, which was founded north of the Bay of Burgas in the 6^th century BC by settlers from Megara, a Greek polis located in West Attica. According to some historical accounts, in order to counter Mesembria’s growth, Apollonia Pontica founded its own colony, Anchialos, today’s Pomorie (though other historical sources do not support this sequence of events), which is located right to the south of Mesembria.

Apollonia managed to preserve its independence during the military campaigns of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon under Philip II (r. 359-336 BC), and his son Alexander the Great (r. 336-323 BC). Apollonia, today’s Sozopol, is known to have had a large temple of Greek god Apollo (possibly located on the Sts. Quiricus and Julietta Island, also known as the St. Cyricus Island), with a 12-meter statue of Apollo created by Calamis, a 5^th century BC sculptor from Ancient Athens.

In 72 BC, Apollonia Pontica was conquered by Roman general Lucullus who took the Apollo statue to Rome and placed it on the Capitoline Hill. After the adoption of Christianity as the official religion in the Roman Empire, the statue was destroyed.

In the Late Antiquity, Apollonia, also called Sozopolis lost some of its regional center positions to Anchialos, and the nearby Roman colony Deultum (Colonia Flavia Pacis Deultensium). After the division of the Roman Empire into a Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire (today known as Byzantium) in 395 AD, Apollonia / Sozopolis became part of the latter. Its Late Antiquity fortress walls were built during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Anasthasius (r. 491-518 AD), and the city became a major fortress on the Via Pontica road along the Black Sea coast protecting the European hinterland of Constantinople.

In 812 AD, Sozopol was first conquered for Bulgaria by Khan (or Kanas) Krum, ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680-1018 AD) in 803-814 AD. In the following centuries of medieval wars between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire, Sozopol changed hands numerous times. The last time it was conquered by the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD) was during the reign of Bulgarian Tsar Todor (Teodor) Svetoslav Terter (r. 1300-1322 AD).

However, in 1366 AD, during the reign of Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Alexander (r. 1331-1371 AD), Sozopol was conquered by Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy from 1343 to 1383 AD, who sold it to Byzantium. During the period of the invasion of the Ottoman Turks at the end of the 14^th century and the beginning of the 15^th century AD, Sozopol was one of the last free cities in Southeast Europe. It was conquered by the Ottomans in the spring of 1453 AD, two months before the conquest of Constantinople despite the help of naval forces from Venice and Genoa.

In the Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Sozopol was a major center of (Early) Christianity with a number of large monasteries such as the St. John the Baptist Monastery on St. Ivan Island off the Sozopol coast where in 2010 Bulgarian archaeologist Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov made a major discovery by finding relics of St. John the Baptist; the St. Apostles Monastery; the St. Nikolay (St. Nikolaos or St. Nicholas) the Wonderworker Monastery; the Sts. Quriaqos and Julietta Monastery on the St. Cyricus (St. Kirik) Island, the Holy Mother of God Monastery, the St. Anastasia Monastery.

During the Ottoman period Sozopol was often raided by Cossack pirates. In 1629, all Christian monasteries and churches in the city were burned down by the Ottoman Turks leading it to lose its regional role. In the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829, Sozopol was conquered by the navy of the Russian Empire, and was turned into a temporary military base.

After Bulgaria’s National Liberation from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, Sozopol remained a major fishing center. As a result of intergovernmental agreements for exchange of population in the 1920s between the Tsardom of Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Greece, most of the ethnic Greeks still remaining in Sozopol moved to Greece, and were replaced by ethnic Bulgarians from the Bulgarian-populated regions of Northern Greece.

The modern era archaeological excavations of Sozopol were started in 1904 by French archaeologists who later took their finds to The Louvre Museum in Paris, including ancient vases from the beginning of the 2^nd millennium BC, the golden laurel wreath of an Ancient Thracian ruler, and a woman’s statue from the 3^rd century BC. Important archaeological excavations of Sozopol were carried out between 1946 and 1949 by Bulgarian archaeologist Ivan Venedikov.

The most recent excavations of Sozopol’s Old Town started in 2010. In 2011-2012, Bulgarian archaeologists Tsonya Drazheva and Dimitar Nedev discovered a one-apse church, a basilica, and an Early Christian necropolis. Since 2012, the excavations of Sozopol have been carried out together with French archaeologists.

In 2010, during excavations of the ancient monastery on the St. Ivan (St. John) Island in the Black Sea, off the coast of Sozopol, Bulgarian archaeologist Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov discovered a reliquary containing relics of St. John the Baptist. In 1974, the Bulgarian government set up the Old Sozopol Archaeological and Architectural Preserve.

A 2012 National Geographic documentary featuring the discovery of the St. John the Baptist relics in Bulgaria’s Sozopol can be seen here (in English and here in Bulgarian).

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