< PreviousCQ10Cahn’s Quarterly 3/2019of peace, cannot resist such a temptation and sends a slave to Dikaiopolis to buy one of the eels. However, his request is roundly rejected: “No way, not even if he gave his shield to me. Let him shake his crests – he can only get salt fish; and if he makes a fuss, I’ll call my market wardens here!” (966-968).The contrast between the warrior’s wretched fare and the culinary delights made possible by peace culminates in a series of rapid ex-changes in which Dikaiopolis and Lamachos give packing instructions to their slaves, the former because he has been invited to a feast, the latter because he has received a summons to join a military expedition: “L: Bring me thyme-flavoured salt and onions. D: Fresh fish for me; I am fed up with onions. L: A fig leaf with some stale salt fish. D: For me a fig leaf filled with fat; I’ll cook it there. […] L: Bring me my round shield with the Gorgon on the front. D: Bring me a round flat-cake with cheese on top.” (1097-137). Even before Lamachos returns from battle nursing his wounds and Dikaiopolis staggers back from the feast supported by two attractive girls, the chorus has no doubt about who has cho-sen better. Disregarding traditional notions of courage and honour, the Acharnians follow Dikaiopolis in the triumphal exodos, singing: “‘Hail to the champion!’ – that’s you, and your wineskin!” (1233-34).While most of the foods mentioned in the ver-bal exchange between Lamachos and Dikai-opolis require no further elucidation, the fig leaf dish (thrion) was already thought to merit explanation by the scholiasts, some of whom even provided recipes in their commentaries on the comedies of Aristophanes. Fig leaves stuffed with a variety of fillings appear to have been quite widespread in ancient Greece, but the scholiast discussing Acharnians 1101 assumes that Dikaiopolis ate the traditional Athenian version.In Knights (424 B.C.) Aristophanes hurls vi-cious invective at Kleon. The powerful poli-tician is thinly disguised as the slave Paphla-gion who ruthlessly dupes his senile master, Demos (Greek: citizen of the Polis). The ac-tor may even have worn a caricature mask: “And don’t be scared – it won’t look just like him; because they are afraid, none of the mask-makers would make a close likeness. But he will still be recognized; the audience are no fools.” (230-3). In this comedy, the thrion Recipe from AntiquityFood for War and Peace “Spectators, don’t be angry with me if I pre-sume to speak to the Athenians about the city when composing comedy. Even comedy knows what’s just, and I will say some things that may be hard to take but are still just.” (Acharnians 498-502). This observation, made by Dikaiopolis in Acharnians, highlights a sig-nificant aspect of the plays written by Aristo-phanes (450/444-ca. 380 B.C.), the most im-portant dramatist of Attic Old Comedy. With hilariously absurd plots, witty dialogues that are abundantly spiced with obscene jokes, dance, song and music, Aristophanes provid-ed his audience with sidesplitting entertain-ment, whilst at the same time addressing some very serious social and political issues. Aris-tophanes wrote his first comedies during the early years of the Peloponnesian War, which broke out in 431 B.C. Punctuated by several short phases of peace, it dragged on until 404 B.C. when Athens surrendered, leaving Sparta supreme. A vehement opponent of the war and of the politician Kleon (d. 422 B.C.) whom he regarded as a corrupt warmonger, Aristo-phanes used his comedies, which were per-formed in front of a huge audience, to express his political views. To this end, he employed a rich pictorial language in which motifs of food and eating play a prominent role.To oppose the war was a dangerous under-taking, and legal action was initiated against Aristophanes by Kleon after the performance of Babylonians (426 B.C., lost), the charge be-ing that the play insulted and slandered the Polis. Hence, when Dikaiopolis speaks out courageously against the war with Sparta, be-ginning with the words quoted above, he does so with his head on the chopping block. The Acharnians are furious with him for having made a private Thirty Years’ Peace with the Spartans, but he succeeds in convincing them that the blame for the war should be shared by Spartans and Athenians alike and that the war is not serving their interests. Rather, he argues, Athenian war profiteers are obstructing the peace process to the detriment of ordinary peo-ple. The war supporter Lamachos has to admit defeat. Venting his frustration, he exclaims: “Oh democracy, this is intolerable!” (509-625).The first thing Dikaiopolis does, now that the laws of peace apply to him, is to set up a marketplace that is also open to the enemies of Athens: "These are the boundaries of my market. Here all the Spartans and their south-ern allies may do business, and the Megarians and Boeotians." (719-721). Shortly afterwards, a Megarian arrives and sells his two daugh-ters, who are disguised as piglets, for a bundle of garlic and a cup of salt, while a Boeotian exchanges poultry and eels for an Attic syco-phant. The famous Kopaic eels, a delicacy that had not been available since the outbreak of the war, are hailed with particular enthusi-asm. Even Lamachos, a hardboiled opponent Councillors’ Sardines. A BLACK-GLAZE CUP. Dm. 21.6 cm. Clay. Attic, 4th cent. B.C. CHF 2,600. Thrion. A CUP ON A LOW FOOT. Dm. 21 cm. Clay. Attic, 2nd half of 5th cent. B.C. CHF 4,500. Greek City Paste. A BLACK-GLAZED PLATE. Dm. 12.5 cm. Clay. Attic, 400-375 B.C. CHF 600. A BEGGAR. Bronze. H. 4.4. cm. Alexandrian, 2nd-1st cent. B.C. CHF 1,400. A MINIATURE BEAKED JUG. H. 2.7 cm. Bronze, lead. Macedonian, 7th cent. B.C. CHF 100By Yvonne YiuCQ11Cahn’s Quarterly 3/2019also makes an appearance, this time as the em-blem on Demos’s signet ring: “Tell me, what was your seal? - A fig leaf of cow fat (demou boeiou thrion), well cooked.” (953-4). This is a pun, as the word for fat (demos) is the same as the name of the signet owner. Moreover, the fact that this fig leaf is “well-cooked” gets a surprising twist at the end of the play: Paphla-gion’s opponent, a sausage-seller, boils down Demos who, thus rejuvenated, goes “back to the old way of life” and eagerly embraces a thirty-year peace (personified by two sexy girls). (1320-1408).Indeed, the motif of eating, usually linked to greed and excess, pervades the entire comedy. Thus, Paphlagion is beaten up by the knights who have remained true to traditional Athe-nian values because, they tell him, "you eat up public funds before it is your turn” (258). The fact that Kleon was permitted to dine in the Prytaneion after the victory of Sphak-teria (424 B.C.) is heavily criticized: “I de-nounce this man; he runs into the City Hall with empty stomach and comes out full up. – And he takes things he’s not allowed – bread, meat, and fish – a privilege not even granted Perikles.” (280-3). A similar degree of moral decay can be witnessed in the behaviour of the other generals: “No general from those times would ever beg someone like Kleon’s father for state-sponsored meals; but now, if they don’t get free meals and seats of honour, the generals say that they won’t fight.” (571-6). Not surprisingly, the way to the Council-lors’ favour goes through their stomachs. The sausage-seller wins them over by barging into their meeting and yelling: “‘Know that since war broke out, I’ve never seen sardines sold cheaper.’ […] The Councillors stood up and made a great fuss over the sardines. […] They shouted for the Prytanes to dismiss them, then jumped the railings everywhere. I ran ahead of them, got to the marketplace, and bought up all the chives and coriander; then I gave them all away for free to please the Councillors, who need seasoning for their sardines. […] I’ve won the Council to my side with just an obol’s worth of coriander.” (642-82).The comedy culminates in a competition as to who can offer Demos the most delicious dishes. Paphlagion and the sausage-seller bring him barley cakes, pea soup, fish, boiled meat, offal, wine, flat-cakes and a hare and then ask him to decide “which man serves you and your di-gestion best”. A look inside the hampers points Demos in the right direction. The sausage-sell-er’s hamper “is empty; I gave everything to you”, while Paphlagion’s is “full of good stuff. Look at this large flat-cake that he put aside to keep – and he cut me a tiny slice!” Found guilty of embezzlement, Paphlagion is dismissed and sent to “sell sausages all by himself, beside the city gates, mixing up dog and donkey mince like he did politics.” (1151-1225, 1398-9).Even though Knights won the first prize at the Lenaia festival, it did not sway public opinion enough to oust Kleon from power. However, two years later, in 422 B.C., he fell in the Bat-tle of Amphipolis, as did the Spartan general Brasidas. The death of these two proponents of an aggressive war policy paved the way for the Peace of Nicias, which was conclud-ed only a few days after the performance of Peace (421 B.C.). In this comedy, the war-wea-ry protagonist Trygaios, like Dikaiopolis in Acharnians, searches for a way to make peace on his own. He flies up to heaven on a giant dung beetle to negotiate with the gods, but finds that they have left their house to Po-lemos (Greek: war, conflict), who sets about preparing a paste from the Greek cities in a huge mortar: “P: (puts leeks in the mortar) Oh Prasians, thrice wretched, five times wretched and a thousands times, this is the day you die! T: Well, folks, no worries for us yet. That is a Spartan problem. P: (adds garlic) Oh Megara, Megara, you will be completely ground and pounded to a paste. T: Good god! How great Dikaiopolis’ demou thrion (Scholion on Acharnians 1101)“Ordinary thrion: an Athenian dish into which go pig and kid lard, flour, milk and the yolk of an egg to bind it. Wrapped in fig leaves, it makes a most delicious food ac-cording to Didymos.” Knead together 50 g lard, 200 g flour, 50 ml milk and 1 egg yolk. Form small lumps, roll up in fig leaves and simmer in honey water for 20 minutes. The fig leaves are fairly tender and give the dish a fragrance not provided by vine leaves.Councillors’ Sardines(After Knights 677-8)Grill the sardines over hot coals (ca. 5 minutes on each side). Serve with plenty of chopped chives and coriander leaves. and bitter is the grief he’s given the Megarians. P: (adds cheese) Oh Sicily, there is no hope for you. T: What a fine place will now be grated up! P: (takes honey) Now let me pour in this: honey from Athens. T: Hey, you! I beg you use another honey! Don’t use Athenian; it will cost far too much!” (242-54). Polemos’s Greek City Paste(After Peace 242-54)Put 150 g sautéed leek, 1-2 cloves of garlic, 40 g grated cheese and 1 tsp honey in a mortar and grind to a paste. Imprint PublisherJean-David Cahn Malzgasse 23 CH-4052 Basel www.cahn.chISSN 2624-6368EditorsJean-David Cahn Yvonne YiuDesign and LayoutMichael JoosPrinterRösch Printservice GmbH AuthorsJean-David CahnMartin FlasharUlrike HaaseGerburg LudwigRolf Andreas Stucky Yvonne YiuPhotos Niklaus BürginUlrike HaaseTranslationsBronwen SaundersYvonne Yiu But when Polemos wants to pound the ingre-dients, he notices that he is missing a pestle. He sends his slave first to Athens and then to Sparta, but, alluding to the death of Kleon and Brasidas, the slave reports that both the Athe-nians and the Spartans “have lost their pes-tle”. (259-88). Annoyed, Polemos goes indoors to make another pestle, whilst Trygaios, as-sisted by the farmers, rapidly sets to work and succeeds in freeing the goddess Peace. Amidst great rejoicing, Peace is welcomed with a sacrifice and in his prayer to her Trygaios conjures up a vision of a reconciled Greece, symbolized by a bustling market where – as in Acharnians – goods from regions that had previously waged war with each other are of-fered for sale: “Blend all us Greeks together once again, starting afresh with the essence of friendship. May our marketplace be filled with good things – from Megara, garlic, early cucumbers, apples, pomegranates. And may we see men coming from Boeotia with geese, ducks, pigeons, wrens, great baskets of Kopa-ic eels.” (996-1005).CQ12Cahn’s Quarterly 3/2019HighlightHistorical turns always see a regrouping of the arts. They are generally triggered by social fac-tors, often compounded by technological in-novations and with them a new sense of space and time. In the Renaissance, for example, the invention of book printing, the building of sailing ships for the Indian and Transatlantic trade routes, Humanism (especially on the Up-per Rhine), and the Reformation all ushered in great strides in the arts, including the develop-ment of nudes both male and female modelled on those of Antiquity, portraiture and central perspective. The late 8th century B.C. when the Geometric Period was nearing its end likewise unleashed new energies. The introduction of the Phoenician alphabet was followed by the Greek drive to colonize and found city states in both east and west, the emergence of the Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the first mythological images, the invention of hollow bronze casting and ultimately the de-velopment of monumental sculpture. the neck. Barely perceptible, they cannot pos-sibly have had any technical function. Perhaps they were a kind of signature – or a playful abbreviation. The decoration of the vase is very varied and from top to bottom comprises a row of tan-gential circles just under the lip separated by a black line from a much broader main frieze. This contains figural motifs and in its turn is “framed” by a line at both top and bottom, while below it are three thick stripes of vary-ing width and finally a frieze of lotus blossoms and palmettes. Inside the central zone are eight male figures striding from right to left and actively engaging with what appear to be wild goats. The hunters are armed with spear-like thrusting weapons. Only one is turned to the right to face the largest of the beasts, the one with the mightiest horns. This could be the “main scene” since otherwise it is impossible to say where the action begins and ends. There does not appear to be any (for us) recognizable narrative – a myth, for instance. Stylistically, too, the piece is an intriguing blend. The male figures with their triangular torsos, exces-sively narrow waists and slim underpinning seem as if frozen in the Geometric style, as do the actual ornaments: the sun symbol with semi-circular disc, the stars, spoked wheels, rhombuses, spirals, wavy and zigzagging lines and swastikas. But such a picture field teeming with motifs is already reminiscent of the hor-ror vacui of the Corinthian style. The frieze of lotus flowers and palmettes above the foot is probably the “most recent” element. It was not yet established in ca. 700 B.C. and occurs only sporadically in proto-Corinthian painting and not at all in Greece itself. As to the place of origin: the vase shape, dark clay with volcanic inclusions and pale yel-low slip as painting ground all recall a find group from Megara Hyblaia on Sicily, which was founded in 729 B.C. The best known ex-amples from that group are the “ovoid stam-noi” in the Louvre (Inv. CA 3837) and Basel (Antikenmuseum, Inv. 1432), both of which have unambiguously mythological themes as well as figures that are already early Archaic in appearance, indicating that they must have been made later, by the sons of those who es-tablished the vases in the colony. At least in-directly, the question this impressive vase ul-timately leaves us with is whether we are not once again standing on the threshold of just such a culturally momentous historical turn? LATE GEOMETRIC PITHOS. H. 47.5 cm. Clay. Western Greece, ca. 700–670 B.C. Price on requestIt is to this context of acculturation that the Cahn Gallery’s magnificent vase belongs. It begins with the form. Such capacious vessels were used to store and transport a wide range of wares, including wine and oil. They occur in all periods throughout the ancient world and while the forms vary, they are all very similar in the end. The most neutral term for them is the pithos. This vessel type often had no handles, although it might have eyelets or grips to help moor it in place. The stamnos might also be a candidate, since it was gen-erally more bulbous in shape, although it al-ways had two handles. This should not be read as terminological uncertainty on the part of archaeologists. After all, not everything that grew out of local or regional traditions and that was handed down and varied through the generations can be neatly classified, especially not in times of great change. The Cahn vase is ovoid in shape and has three small round nubs evenly spaced in three different places around Cultural Transfer at the Dawn of a New Era By Martin FlasharNext >