Drawing of an axe
((:securis))
| Description of Drawing (English) | axe |
|---|---|
| Findspot |
Smyrna, Basilica
(Agora.1)
|
| Drawing Category | Other |
| Writing Style | Graffito/incised |
| Bibliography | Bagnall, R. S. et al., Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (2016): 390. Chaniotis, A. 2014. “Graffiti and Social History of Aphrodisias.” AAIA Bulletin 10: 16–21. |
| Commentary | Graffito of a πέλεκυς (or labrys), located on the northern face of Pier A78, looking into the Basilica’s northern corridor. The graffito is made of a herringbone pattern of etched lines that defines both the ax’s haft and head. The outline is rendered with deeper and wider etched lines. The whole ax is covered in red color, probably applied after the incision. The haft is straight and slightly tapering toward the top. The head is rather straight at the top and concave at the bottom. The two rounded blades are symmetrical. The iconography of this graffito is very similar to that of graffito D10.1. The survival in Late Antiquity of the iconography of the labrys as a symbol of paganism referring to the Carian Zeus has been recently discussed by Angelos Chaniotis in relation to a graffito found at Aphrodisias; see Chaniotis 2014: 16–21, esp. fig. 16, p. 21. |
| Suggested Citation | AGP-SMYDP0782, The Ancient Graffiti Project, <https://ancientgraffiti.org/Graffiti/graffito/AGP-SMYDP0782> [accessed: 02 Apr 2025] |
| Contributions |
Editor: Roger S. Bagnall Principal Contributor: Roger S. Bagnall Last Revision: 2016-10-03 |
