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
incredibly impressive, of Gyges’ offerings in particular, Herodotus says, “of all the silver offerings at Delphi his are more in number than those of any other man.” And that’s just the silver, he also gave gold, namely the six golden mixing bowls. Croesus’ also gave vast amounts of wealth to the temple in Delphi, in hopes of gaining Apollo’s favor and prophecies. His offerings were quite awe-inspiring, the list is extensive but some of the most interesting and impressive offerings include three thousand of each of the animals fit for sacrificing to a God, and a golden lion weighing ten talents. It seems that, at least in Herodotus’ opinion, these offerings outshine the rest.
This highlights the vast differences in wealth amongst the social classes in Ancient Greece. The average Greek citizen couldn’t even come close to such offerings, even sacrificing one animal to prove impossible to manage, and yet Croesus was able to sacrifice several thousand. It implies that according to Greek religious ideals, that the wealthy were more capable of gaining the favor of the Gods, placing them higher on the social hierarchy.
Furthermore, Herodotus also states that Croesus “proclaimed to all the Lydians that every one of them should make sacrifice with that which each man had.” Showing that perhaps it wasn’t just the glory of the sacrifice made, but rather what the person had sacrificed themselves, in order to give it. In modern terms, it’s not impressive if Bill Gates gives twenty dollars to charity, conversely if a homeless man donates the same amount it a highly regarded act of charity and kindness. As to the homeless man twenty dollars is significant, it means a great deal more to him than it ever would to a billionaire. Therefore, Bill Gates, in order to reach the same level of piety, would need to offer something far more grandiose. Just as Croesus and Gyges did, demonstrating their expansive wealth.
The readings from Pausanias present a broader, more diverse image of the offerings at the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi. He lists offerings of a wider spectrum of Greek society, than just the kings in Herodotus. He’s mentions athletes, herders, and citizens of various cities. Many of these offerings he describes as being from the spoils of war, perhaps a sign of gratefulness for victory in battle, rather than for personal gain. Another unique circumstance behind an offering, as described by Pausanias, is “the other by the Amphictyons when they fined the Phocians for cultivating the territory of the god.” This is highly interesting, as the offering wasn’t necessarily made willingly, at least on the part of the Phocians. The offering resulted as a punishment for a perceived crime against Apollo. This is quite different than the offerings of Croesus and Gyges, as its aim was to appease the god and avoid being on the receiving end of his punishments. Being the God of sudden death and plague is likely to have gained him quite a few grand offerings.
These offerings also serve another interesting function on the behalf those giving them, they create a legacy. Such as the statue of Phaylus of Crotona, mentioned by Pausanias, who other wise seems to disregard him, as well as many other athletes in general. By leaving the statue of himself at the temple of Apollo at Delphi he created a legacy for himself, a physical reminder of his existence, and even a physical depiction of himself.
The practice of leaving offerings for the Gods, spurred on the creation of many works of art.
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
demonstrates. The readings from Pausanias and Herdotus describe some of the various offerings left at Delphi in honor of Apollo, and work to supplement our knowledge of the production of art as well as its socio-economic functions.