When I started University I had not studied anything about Ancient Greece. On a few occasions I have become confused and bewildered by trying to identify gods in depictions. I tried to make a game in which the player would hover over a part of a picture which they believed identified the figure as that of Poseidon, and a tag would appear confirming why that feature identified the figure as Poseidon; unfortunately, due to Blogger's formatting that has not been possible so instead I have put an assortment of pictures of Poseidon with different features to identify him with descriptions of how these features identify him.
Just a general point, Poseidon is (usually) depicted as an elderly bearded man. This could be to identify him as one of the elder generation of gods, along with Zeus and Hades who are also depicted thus.
Sometimes in a depiction the name appears near the character, clearly identifying who it is. This is the easiest way of identifying a deity. The word POΣΕΙΔΟΝ can be read above one character so it identifies the figure below as being Poseidon. (Poseidon 165 LIMC)
The feature most commonly associated with Poseidon is the trident. It is greatly associated with Poseidon because one of its main purposes is for fishing and Poseidon's main role is as god of the sea. It may also reflect a warrior aspect of Poseidon as the trident has also been used as a weapon of war. (Louvre, Paris CA 542)
In this depiction Poseidon is riding a Hippocampus, a creature with the head of a horse and the tail of a fish. This is an appropriate creature for Poseidon to ride as he is the Greek god of the sea and horses. The Hippocampus combines features of two of his roles into one creature. Frequently, Poseidon is depicted on a horse but this can be misleading as numerous other deities are depicted with horses so the Hippocampus is a more certain identification. (British Museum, London B428)
In this depiction Poseidon is riding a bull. This links to Poseidon sending the bull to King Minos as a sacrifice or possibly to the role of the bull as the sacrificial animal to Poseidon.
Also of interest is the fact that he is holding a fish in his left hand. This is a key identification associated with Poseidon's role as god of the sea. (Poseidon 150 LIMC)
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This is a coin found at Katane (Catania) in Sicily. It is dated to the 2nd - 1st century BC. The reverse side shows a dolphin. This is another animal which is associated with Poseidon due to the shared relationship in the marine sphere. (Calciati III, 95, 4)
It seems that Poseidon's role as god of the sea is not Poseidon's only role and that he was a lot more versatile than I previously believed. Maybe the use of epithets was to identify a god's specific role for assistance in a specific sphere. A person who wanted aftershocks occurring after an earthquake to stop would not want to ask Poseidon Hippios, god of horses, for assistance. They would want to ask Poseidon Seischthon, Poseidon the earth-shaker for assistance. To me it sounds like a way to gain specific assistance from the god.
Where my argument becomes weakened is the example of Manteneia. Poseidon Hippios was the patron and guardian deity of Mantineia, an inland settlement in the Peloponesse, yet on the city's official coinage, rather than a horse being depicted were tridents and dolphins. If he was worshipped for his role as god of horses then why was he identified by his marine attributes? Bruit Zaidman and Schmitt Pantel suggest that it was his role as master of underground water and of horses that made him the appropriate patron 'in a city where drainage was a common problem and horse-raising was a major economic activity of the wealthy.' (Bruit Zaidman and Schmitt Pantel (1992) 212) Walter Burkert counters a suggestion that Poseidon's role as god of the sea was secondary to his role as god of horses:
'...even the birth of the horse is associated with water; there is the Horse Spring, Hippou Krene, which was struck by the hoof of the first horse; the horse is born where the deeps open up. Conversely, horses must be drowned: in the fresh-water spring which rises in the sea, the Whirlpool in Argos, horses are drowned for Poseidon.' (Burkert (1985) 138)
Burkert makes a convincing argument that Poseidon's primary role is as god of the sea as it appears that all his roles regarding horses require some involvement with the sea, but his role as god of the sea does not require the inclusion of horses. In Mantineia, Poseidon conveniently reflects the culture of the horses, but his primary role is to solve the issues caused by drainage failures.
Sources Used
Bruit Zaidman, L. and Schmitt Pantel, P., (1992) Religion in the Ancient Greek City. Translated by Paul Cartledge. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
Where my argument becomes weakened is the example of Manteneia. Poseidon Hippios was the patron and guardian deity of Mantineia, an inland settlement in the Peloponesse, yet on the city's official coinage, rather than a horse being depicted were tridents and dolphins. If he was worshipped for his role as god of horses then why was he identified by his marine attributes? Bruit Zaidman and Schmitt Pantel suggest that it was his role as master of underground water and of horses that made him the appropriate patron 'in a city where drainage was a common problem and horse-raising was a major economic activity of the wealthy.' (Bruit Zaidman and Schmitt Pantel (1992) 212) Walter Burkert counters a suggestion that Poseidon's role as god of the sea was secondary to his role as god of horses:
'...even the birth of the horse is associated with water; there is the Horse Spring, Hippou Krene, which was struck by the hoof of the first horse; the horse is born where the deeps open up. Conversely, horses must be drowned: in the fresh-water spring which rises in the sea, the Whirlpool in Argos, horses are drowned for Poseidon.' (Burkert (1985) 138)
Burkert makes a convincing argument that Poseidon's primary role is as god of the sea as it appears that all his roles regarding horses require some involvement with the sea, but his role as god of the sea does not require the inclusion of horses. In Mantineia, Poseidon conveniently reflects the culture of the horses, but his primary role is to solve the issues caused by drainage failures.
Sources Used
Bruit Zaidman, L. and Schmitt Pantel, P., (1992) Religion in the Ancient Greek City. Translated by Paul Cartledge. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
Burkert, W., (1985) Greek Religion. Translated by John Raffan. Basil Blackwell: Oxford.
Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (LIMC) / Rédaction : Hans Christoph Ackermann, Jean-Robert Gisler], Zürich: Zürich : Artemis, 1981]-
Images from Websites
Nguyen, M., 2006. Poseidon Penteskouphia Louvre CA452. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Poseidon_Penteskouphia_Louvre_CA452.jpg> [Accessed on 16/03/2013 ].
Theoi Greek Mythology, 2011. Ancient Greek Art: Poseidon Riding Hippocamp. [online] Available at: <http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/K2.4.html> [Accessed on 16/03/2013 ].
Herakles Numismatics, 2013. Sicily, Katane. Poseidon/Dolphin. [online] Available at: <http://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/herakles_numismatics/71/product/sicily_katane_poseidondolphin/144846/Default.aspx> [Accessed on 16/03/2013 ].
