A Symbolic Reading of Mythological Scenes on a Fragmentary Bronze Shield Band from Olympia

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Lecturer, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, Egypt

Abstract

The research deals with a fragment of a bronze shield band from Olympia, signed by its maker, the artist Aristodamos of Argos. This shield band fragment is now preserved in the J. Paul Getty Museum, number 84.AC.11, and it is dated to about 580 BC. The shield band fragment consists of two mythological scenes: the first depicts Helen and Menelaus with the goddess Athena, and the other shows Deianeira, the wife of Heracles, and the Centaur Nessos. The artist's choice of these mythological scenes of the bronze shield band might add significant value to the artifact. The study explores the symbolism of these two mythical scenes, focusing on their deliberate selection for the shield band and the symbolic message that the scenes convey to the warrior-soldier, considering that such mythological images were primarily directed toward the one who bore the shield. Since the mythological depictions were visible only to the warrior himself, they may have held a personal or motivational function. In addition, the study investigates the intended purpose and nature of the shield band and to what extent such iconographic themes were common among the bronze shield bands discovered at Olympia. Despite its historical and artistic significance, this object has not received sufficient scholarly attention, and a comprehensive study remains lacking. The study represents unique insights into the object's artistic and cultural dimensions and is the first attempt to explore it in depth. In this study, the researcher will rely on descriptive, analytical, comparative, semiotic, and symbolic approaches. 

Keywords

References

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III- Websites: 
https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103VMA (accessed May 1, 2025).
https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/person/103JVD (accessed May 1, 2025).
https://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentaurosNessos.html (accessed May 1, 2025).

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