Ancient Artefact of the Day: Bronze Mouse – complete with snack for nibbling; Roman, ca. 1st Century AD. Traditionally associated with the cult of the god Apollo Smintheus, but read on! #AAOTD #Mouse
Image: Getty Collection (96. AC. 268). Link - getty.edu/art/collection…
While an unassuming little piece, it falls into a category of artefact long associated with the cult of Apollo Smintheus, the deity who at the beginning of the ‘Iliad’ visits a plague upon the Greeks for their desecration of his temple and the mistreatment of his priest, Chryses.
These figurines are common throughout the Hellenistic and Roman worlds, with the British Museum alone holding 15 examples, including this dapper little chap sporting a Papposilenos mask.
Image: British Museum (1876,0510.2). Link – britishmuseum.org/collection/obj…
To say nothing of everyone’s favourite little ‘trumpet-tootling’ rodent, again in bronze: ca. 1st-2nd Century AD. Though it should now be becoming clear that there is quite the range of representations across these figures.
Image: @DrJEBall - British Museum (1824,0498.59)
However, the association with Apollo is very circumstantial at best, largely deriving from the observation that the epithet “Smintheus” seems to be related to “sminthos,” which meant “mouse” in Mysian and Cretan Greek dialects.
Recent work on these figurines has convincingly argued that most were in fact designed as adornments to lamps, especially convincing given the evidence for solder and that most are not free-standing.
Image: Getty Collection (83. AQ.377.516). Link - getty.edu/art/collection…
Mice seem to have enjoyed something of a reputation for damaging lamps and their wicks in the ancient Mediterranean.
For example, the pseudo-Homeric 'Batrachomyomachia' (Battle of Frogs and Mice), has Athena saying to Zeus:
"I would never aid the mice in their distress; they have done me much harm, damaging...my lamps on account of the oil" (177-180).
Depictions of nibbling mice also featured on other artefacts, such as this plinth from the Augusta Raurica Hoard, ca. 2nd-3rd Century AD which originally also supported a statuette of Somnus.
Image: Augusta Raurica (RAR_000000201). Link - kimweb.ch/sammlungen#165…
Thus the range of artefacts and depictions would seem to further distance these mice from being purely associated with the cult of a single deity.
For more on all things bronze rodent related, see this great article:
Philip Kiernan. “The Bronze Mice of Apollo Smintheus.” American Journal of Archaeology 118, no. 4 (2014): 601–26.
doi.org/10.3764/aja.11…
#AAOTD #Mouse
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