Thread: This is a very strange object. Hydria. Kerameikos, Athens, Archaeological Museum in Athens. 660-580 BC. https://www.latsis-foundation.org/content/elib/book_2/kerameikos_en.pdf

Why is it strange? Well, the vessel's body is divided into three friezes. From the bottom up:

1. Lion and red deer
2. Leopard (panther is the melanistic color variant of the leopard ) and wild boar
3. Sirens

I think that the bottom frieze represents autumn. Both Eurasian lions and red deer mate during autumn (Aug-Oct), lion starting at the beginning of autumn and red deer at the end...

I also think that the middle frieze represents winter. Both Eurasian wild boar and leopard mate during winter (Nov-Feb), wild boar starting at the beginning of autumn and leopard at the end...

These animals have been used as calendar markers for these parts of the year throughout Eurasia. This thread and linked threads might be of interest to someone who wants to see some examples of what I am talking about https://twitter.com/serbiaireland/status/1366499786363465734

This one too https://twitter.com/serbiaireland/status/1363583015922851841

Anyway if the animals on the bottom frieze are calendar markers for autumn, and the animals on the middle frieze are calendar markers for winter, what are sirens doing on the top? Where logically we should find calendar markers for spring???

Well, if my logic is correct, and not completely bonkers, sirens should in some way be linked to spring...Are they? Well I couldn't find any mention of spring in relation to sirens...But I found this:

Sirens were formerly handmaidens of the goddess Persephone, and they were with her when she was abducted by Hades. There are two different stories about what happened to them then...

In one story, Demeter gave them the bodies of birds to assist in the search. They eventually gave up and settled on the flowery island of Anthemoessa...

In the other, Demeter cursed the Sirens for failing to intervene in the abduction of Persephone and turned them into birds with human heads...

You can read more about Sirens here https://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Seirenes.html. Anyway, whatever way the Sirens ended up the way they are, as birds with human heads, that happened after Persephone was abducted...When did that abduction happen?

Well, did you know that all the plants and animals featuring in the legend about the abduction of Persephone are linked to winter? Beginning of winter to be precise. You can read the full discussion here: http://oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.com/2020/04/abduction-of-persephone.html

So if Persephone was abducted at the beginning of winter, then the Sirens acquired their wings, either through curse or blessing, during the winter...As this is the time of the year Persephone spends in the underworld, and when the search for her takes place...

But considering that they are depicted standing and not flying, the top frieze could be depiction of the time when "...they eventually gave up and settled on the flowery island of Anthemoessa..."??? Which would be in spring...

Which means that they could be a symbol of the end of winter or spring...And which means that they do logically fit to the top frieze. And that my logic is not bonkers Well, not always...

Oh yeah, sorry, here is the strange bit Remember this thread from 2 days ago, in which I talked about the Ancient Greek soul bird? https://twitter.com/serbiaireland/status/1380291883986001922