The Gorgoneion in Greek Architecture
type: CreativeWork
description: This is a regional study of the continuous use of the gorgoneion in Greek architecture from the Archaic through the Classical and Hellenistic periods. These later phases have been largely ignored as previous research on the gorgoneion has tended to concentrate on examples from the early periods. The study is divided into two parts: a comprehensive catalogue (Part II) which compiles all of the architectural gorgoneia known through publications and personal observation; and the main text (Part I) which is a synthesis of the evidence derived from the catalogue. The discussion in Part I is divided into four chapters dealing with the history, distribution and influences affecting the use of the gorgoneion in (1) the Greek Mainland; (2) Crete and the Cyclades; (3) East Greece; (4) Magna Graecia. A fifth chapter examines the occurrence of the gorgoneion in the architecture of non-Greek areas (Phrygia, Iycia and Cyprus in the East, and Etruria, Central and Southern Italy in the West) from the 6th century B.C. to the Roman period in order to understand the Greek use of the motif in its proper context. Conclusions summarize the evidence, suggest some patterns of transmission, and speculate on the origin and significance of the gorgoneion as an apotropaic device in greek architecture vis-a-vis the depictions of the entire gorgon. A supporting appendix, at the end of Part I, attempts to document most of the known uses of the entire figure of Medusa as an architectural motif in Greek and non-Greek contexts. Although primitive gorgoneia decorating buildings occur on the Greek Mainland as early as the beginning of the 7th century B.C., no consistent or lasting tradition for the use of the motif is established in this region, except in Aetolia in NW Greece, where gorgoneia from an early period decorate first antefixes and metopes of temples of Apollo. Elsewhere on the Mainland, use of the motif is largely derived from outside sources: gorgoneion antefixes from Central Italic sites …
abstract: This is a regional study of the continuous use of the gorgoneion in Greek architecture from the Archaic through the Classical and Hellenistic periods. These later phases have been largely ignored as previous research on the gorgoneion has tended to concentrate on examples from the early periods. The study is divided into two parts: a comprehensive catalogue (Part II) which compiles all of the architectural gorgoneia known through publications and personal observation; and the main text (Part I) which is a synthesis of the evidence derived from the catalogue. The discussion in Part I is divided into four chapters dealing with the history, distribution and influences affecting the use of the gorgoneion in (1) the Greek Mainland; (2) Crete and the Cyclades; (3) East Greece; (4) Magna Graecia. A fifth chapter examines the occurrence of the gorgoneion in the architecture of non-Greek areas (Phrygia, Iycia and Cyprus in the East, and Etruria, Central and Southern Italy in the West) from the 6th century B.C. to the Roman period in order to understand the Greek use of the motif in its proper context. Conclusions summarize the evidence, suggest some patterns of transmission, and speculate on the origin and significance of the gorgoneion as an apotropaic device in greek architecture vis-a-vis the depictions of the entire gorgon. A supporting appendix, at the end of Part I, attempts to document most of the known uses of the entire figure of Medusa as an architectural motif in Greek and non-Greek contexts. Although primitive gorgoneia decorating buildings occur on the Greek Mainland as early as the beginning of the 7th century B.C., no consistent or lasting tradition for the use of the motif is established in this region, except in Aetolia in NW Greece, where gorgoneia from an early period decorate first antefixes and metopes of temples of Apollo. Elsewhere on the Mainland, use of the motif is largely derived from outside sources: gorgoneion antefixes from Central Italic sites …
author: Belson, Janer Danforth
keywords: Classical Archaeology and Art History
date published: 1981-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:23:46Z
provider: Bryn Mawr University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Bryn Mawr University