Ageladas
Encyclopedia
Ageladas or Hagelaidas, was a celebrated Argive
sculptor, who flourished in the latter part of the 6th and the early part of the 5th century BC.
Ageladas' fame is enhanced by his having been the instructor of the three great masters, Phidias
, Myron
, and Polykleitos
. The determination of the period when Ageladas flourished has given rise to a great deal of discussion, owing to the apparently contradictory statements in the writers who mention the name. Pausanias
tells us that Ageladas cast a statue of Cleosthenes (who gained a victory in the chariot-race in the 66th Olympiad
) with the chariot, horses, and charioteer which was set up at Olympia
. There were also at Olympia statues by him of Timasitheus of Delphi
and Anochus of Tarentum
. Timasitheus was put to death by the Athenians for his participation in the attempt of Isagoras
in Olympiad lxviii. 2 (507 BC); and Anochus (as we learn from Eusebius
) was a victor in the games of the 65th Olympiad. So far everything is clear and if we suppose Ageladas to have been born about 540 BC, he may very well have been the instructor of Phidias. On the other hand Pliny says that Ageladas, with Polykleitos, Phradmon
, and Myron, flourished in the 87th Olympiad. This agrees with the statement of the scholiast on Aristophanes, that at Melite
there was a statue of Heracles
, the work of Ageladas the Argive, which was set up during the great pestilence (Olympiad lxxxvii. 3. 4).
To these authorities must be added a passage of Pausanias, where he speaks of a statue of Zeus
made by Ageladas for the Messenia
ns of Naupactus
. This must have been after the year 455 BC
, when the Messenians were allowed by the Athenians
to settle at Naupactus. In order to reconcile these conflicting statements, some suppose that Pliny
's date is wrong and that the statue of Heracles had been made by Ageladas long before it was set up at Melite. Others think that Pliny's date is correct, but that Ageladas did not make the statues of the Olympic victors mentioned by Pausanias until many years after their victories; which in the case of three persons, the dates of whose victories are so nearly the same, would be a very extraordinary coincidence.
The most probable solution of the difficulty is that of Friedrich Thiersch, who thinks that there were two artists of this name; one an Argive, the instructor of Phidias, born about 540 BC, the other a native of Sicyon
, who flourished at the date assigned by Pliny and was confounded by the scholiast on Aristophanes with his more illustrious namesake of Argos. Thiersch supports this hypothesis by an able criticism on a passage of Pausanias. Other scholars assume that there were two artists of the name of Ageladas, but both were Argives. Ageladas the Argive executed one of a group of three Muse
s, representing respectively the presiding geniuses of the diatonic, chromatic and enharmonic
styles of Greek music
. Canachus
and Aristocles of Sicyon
made the other two.
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
sculptor, who flourished in the latter part of the 6th and the early part of the 5th century BC.
Ageladas' fame is enhanced by his having been the instructor of the three great masters, Phidias
Phidias
Phidias or the great Pheidias , was a Greek sculptor, painter and architect, who lived in the 5th century BC, and is commonly regarded as one of the greatest of all sculptors of Classical Greece: Phidias' Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World...
, Myron
Myron
Myron of Eleutherae working circa 480-440 BC, was an Athenian sculptor from the mid-5th century BC. He was born in Eleutherae on the borders of Boeotia and Attica. According to Pliny's Natural History, Ageladas of Argos was his teacher....
, and Polykleitos
Polykleitos
Polykleitos ; called the Elder, was a Greek sculptor in bronze of the fifth and the early 4th century BCE...
. The determination of the period when Ageladas flourished has given rise to a great deal of discussion, owing to the apparently contradictory statements in the writers who mention the name. Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
tells us that Ageladas cast a statue of Cleosthenes (who gained a victory in the chariot-race in the 66th Olympiad
Olympiad
An Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch....
) with the chariot, horses, and charioteer which was set up at Olympia
Olympia, Greece
Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
. There were also at Olympia statues by him of Timasitheus of Delphi
Timasitheus of Delphi
Timasitheus was an athlete of Delphi, who was victorious several times in the pankration at the Olympic and Pythian Games, and was also distinguished as a brave soldier.-Background:...
and Anochus of Tarentum
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
. Timasitheus was put to death by the Athenians for his participation in the attempt of Isagoras
Isagoras
Isagoras , son of Tisander, was an Athenian aristocrat in the late 6th century BC.He had remained in Athens during the tyranny of Hippias, but after Hippias was overthrown, he became involved in a struggle for power with Cleisthenes, a fellow aristocrat. In 508 BC he was elected archon eponymous,...
in Olympiad lxviii. 2 (507 BC); and Anochus (as we learn from Eusebius
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea also called Eusebius Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical canon...
) was a victor in the games of the 65th Olympiad. So far everything is clear and if we suppose Ageladas to have been born about 540 BC, he may very well have been the instructor of Phidias. On the other hand Pliny says that Ageladas, with Polykleitos, Phradmon
Phradmon
Phradmon was a little-known sculptor from Argos, whom Pliny places as the contemporary of Polykleitos, Myron, Pythagoras, Scopas, and Perelius, at Olympiad 90 in 420 BC, in giving an anecdotal description of a competition for a Wounded Amazon for the temple of Artemis at Ephesus: in Pliny's...
, and Myron, flourished in the 87th Olympiad. This agrees with the statement of the scholiast on Aristophanes, that at Melite
Melite
Melite was one of the naiads, daughter of the river god Aegaeus, and one of the many loves of Zeus and his son Hercules. Given the choice, she chose Hercules over Zeus who went off in search of other pursuits...
there was a statue of Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
, the work of Ageladas the Argive, which was set up during the great pestilence (Olympiad lxxxvii. 3. 4).
To these authorities must be added a passage of Pausanias, where he speaks of a statue of Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
made by Ageladas for the Messenia
Messenia
Messenia is a regional unit in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided by the Kallikratis plan, implemented 1 January 2011...
ns of Naupactus
Naupactus
Naupactus or Nafpaktos , is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nafpaktia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
. This must have been after the year 455 BC
455 BC
Year 455 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vaticanus and Cicurinus...
, when the Messenians were allowed by the Athenians
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
to settle at Naupactus. In order to reconcile these conflicting statements, some suppose that Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
's date is wrong and that the statue of Heracles had been made by Ageladas long before it was set up at Melite. Others think that Pliny's date is correct, but that Ageladas did not make the statues of the Olympic victors mentioned by Pausanias until many years after their victories; which in the case of three persons, the dates of whose victories are so nearly the same, would be a very extraordinary coincidence.
The most probable solution of the difficulty is that of Friedrich Thiersch, who thinks that there were two artists of this name; one an Argive, the instructor of Phidias, born about 540 BC, the other a native of Sicyon
Sicyon
Sikyon was an ancient Greek city situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day prefecture of Corinthia...
, who flourished at the date assigned by Pliny and was confounded by the scholiast on Aristophanes with his more illustrious namesake of Argos. Thiersch supports this hypothesis by an able criticism on a passage of Pausanias. Other scholars assume that there were two artists of the name of Ageladas, but both were Argives. Ageladas the Argive executed one of a group of three Muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
s, representing respectively the presiding geniuses of the diatonic, chromatic and enharmonic
Enharmonic
In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note , interval , or key signature which is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature, but "spelled", or named, differently...
styles of Greek music
Music of Ancient Greece
The music of ancient Greece was almost universally present in society, from marriages and funerals to religious ceremonies, theatre, folk music and the ballad-like reciting of epic poetry. It thus played an integral role in the lives of ancient Greeks...
. Canachus
Canachus
Canachus was a sculptor of Sicyon in Corinthia, of the latter part of the 6th century BCE. He was especially noted as the author of two great statues of Apollo, one in bronze made for the temple at Miletus, and one in cedar wood made for Thebes. The coins of Miletus furnish us with copies of the...
and Aristocles of Sicyon
Aristocles (sculptors)
Aristocles is a name attributed to two sculptors in Ancient Greece, as well as a nominal hereditary school of sculpture, started by the elder Aristocles, known to us primarily through different passages in Pausanias....
made the other two.