Gyges And Croesus Research Paper

The practice of leaving offerings for the Gods was common in Greek religion, offerings could be left at the temple of a certain God in order to gain their favor, or in gratitude for successes which could be attributed to that God. The size and grandeur of the offerings differed drastically among social classes, the poorer classes often offering only small terracotta figures of animals in place of an actual blood sacrifice. The physical objects left behind can be highly revealing of the society at the time, and when supplemented with literary sources, they become even more informative. In the readings from Herodotus he focuses on describing the offerings left to Apollo by two kings, Gyges and Croesus. Both offerings are described as being
The statue of the Lion, as described by Herodotus, was commissioned specifically to be given in honor of Apollo. It’s unlikely it would have been created otherwise. While the lion may have been damaged in a fire, many other pieces of art have managed to survive to the contemporary world. Such as the Dreros Apollo, a statue of the god Apollo which was found with two female figures, likely Leto and Artemis. This statue dedicated in honor of the god, is important to our understanding of the development and production of Greek statuary art as it is the only known example of a technique called sphyrelaton work.1 Another object left behind as a result of offerings to the Gods, is the Mantiklos figurine, also dedicated in honor of the god Apollo. This figurine shows key traits of Geometric art, however, it also reflects changes and developments in the style, as it’s more rounded out in the shoulders, chest, thighs, and buttocks.2 It also features an inscription stating “Mantiklos dedicated me to the Far-Darter of the silver bow, as part of his tithe, do thou, Phoebos, grant him gracious recompense.”3 As the texts pointed out, the offerings were given in exchange for the God’s favor, just as this inscription