The Insects Depicted on the Wall Paintings of Thera: An Attempt at Identification
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In the first and third of these cases the insects can be identified as dragonflies, of the family Libellulidae, while those of the miniature frieze are butterflies with the addition of a prominent 'eye' spot possibly derived from the moth Saturnia pyri.
Identifiable insects can be detected on just three of the wall paintings so far discovered on Thera.
They appear on:
a. The published wall painting of the north wall of Room 3a (first floor) of Xeste 3.
b. The published miniature frieze of the south wall of Room 5 of the West House.
c. The recently discovered and reconstructed wall painting from Xeste 3 showing a reed thicket (Vlachopoulos this volume).
In the first case the insects appear as elements of a necklace worn by the 'Mistress of Animals' (Pl. 13). In their general shape, wing positioning and lack of distinctive antennae, they seem to fit best in the order Odonata, suborder Anisoptera, commonly known as dragonflies. Identification at a still lower taxonomic level would probably require the opinion of someone more expert than I am on Odonata, but, despite this, I feel that these insects are better placed in the family Libellulidae rather than in any other family of the Anisoptera, by virtue of the proportions of the wings to the abdomen and the relative thickness of the abdomen (Fig. 1) (cf. d'Aguilar, Dommanget and Préchac 1986; Chinery 1986). Further identification at generic and specific level seems to me impossible, as the extent of stylisation of the depicted insects has eliminated or distorted the characteristics necessary for such an attempt.
In the second case the insects are shown sitting on the bowsprits of two of the vessels which are part of a flotilla (Pl. 14; Doumas 1992, fig. 37). The shape of their antennae and of their abdomens, the roundness of their wings and their positioning over the insects' backs suggest that they belong to the order Lepidoptera, suborder Rhopalocera, commonly known as butterflies. Their extreme stylisation does not permit identification at any lower taxonomic level. It seems to me that the painter of this painting randomly synthesised butterfly characteristics that had been imprinted in his mind, in a way which best suited his taste. Thus, he combines the multi-angled wing of what could have been a Polygonia egea (Fig. 2a) with the prominent 'eye' spot of what could have been an Inachis io (Fig. 2b)(1) or, for that matter, a moth known as Saturnia pyri (Fig. 3). At the same time, he colours the wings in a way reminiscent of certain butterflies of the family Pieridae (Fig. 4), thus effecting a true amalgam (cf. Higgins and Riley 1980).
A point of interest is that in actuality certain butterflies with migratory habits may indeed be encountered far out at sea and they do quite often alight on passing ships. This means that the butterflies depicted on the bowsprits, apart from carrying a possible symbolic meaning, also exhibit a phenomenon that occurs in nature.
In the third and last case all the depicted insects are again dragonflies, some shown sitting with the posture of members of the family Libellulidae (Vlachopoulos this volume, figs. 7-8). I do not believe that their identification can be carried out at any lower taxonomic level.
(1). This is the only butterfly of the European fauna with prominent 'eye' spots on its upper side, but its range in Greece does not extend southward beyond central mainland Greece, and it is totally absent from the Cyclades, including Thera. I therefore feel that the 'eye' spot characteristic stands a better chance of having been derived from the moth Saturnia pyri, the 'eye' spots of which are found on both the upper side and the under side of the wings. This moth is a resident of Thera.
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| For figures please refer to book. | |
| Figures mentioned in this paper: | |
| Fig. 1: | Dragonflies of the family Libellulidae (d'Aguilar, Dommanget and Préchac 1986, pl. 19). |
| Fig. 2: | Butterflies, a) Polygonia egea, b) Inachis io (From Foster and Wohlfahrt 1952-, vol. 2, pl. 16). |
| Fig. 3: | Moth, Saturnia pyri (From Foster and Wohlfahrt 1952-, vol. 3, pl. 17). |
| Fig. 4: | Butterflies of the family Pieridae (Forster and Wohlfahrt 1952-, vol. 2, pl. 4). |
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| Source: | "The Wall Paintings of Thera: Proceedings of the First International Symposium" Volume II |
| Proceedings of the First International Symposium, Petros M. Nomikos Conference Centre, Thera, Hellas. 30 August - 4 September 1997 | |
| Pages: | pp. 580 - 584 |
| Written by: | John G. Coutsis |
4 Glykonos Street, Athens 10675, Greece | |
| Book information: | |
| ©The Thera Foundation - Petros M. Nomikos and The Thera Foundation | |
| ISBN: | 0960-86580-1-2 |
| Published by: | The Thera Foundation - Petros M. Nomikos and The Thera Foundation, 17-19 Akti Miaouli, GR 185 35 Piraeus, Greece. 2000 |
| Editor: | S. Sherratt |