Tra mito e rito: aspetti della cultura figurativa imerese nel tardo V secolo a.C.

Abstract

This study revisiting finds with figural decoration from early excavations of the residential area of the town of Himera has sparked a new approach to reconstructing the figural repertoire, mythographic heritage and spectrum of ritual and sacred practices wihch must have characterised this colonial city before its destruction at the end of the 5th century B.C. The author has studied, in particular, various clay arulae and the figural decoration on vases painted by the Himera Painter, which were used in the ritual life of the domestic quarters of the town and whose subject matter appears to be derived exclusively from the sagas of Thessaly and Boeotia. The main theme of the illustrated myths is the role of the mother and the importance of legitimate succession. These carefully chosen mythical scenes, based on local mythographic, cultural and religious traditions, must have offered models for behaviour. Thanks to figural associations and an unbroken dialectical relationship between myth and ritual, they contributed to the development of a social identity for the community and its members, and a strong network of social bonds, built on well-structured family relationships. The enormous richness and vitality of local artistic craftwork is also evident in the find material analysed here.