Herakles was the most important hero in Greece and was worshipped both as a god and as a hero. After his tragic death, he was introduced to Mt. Olympus and was made immortal. The story of his death is the following: After his wife Deianeira found out about Iole, she decided to take Nessos advice because she was afraid of losing him. She gave him a cloak that had the blood of the Nessos on the inside and when Herakles put it on, it seared into his flesh and when he tried to take it off, his skin came off as well. Unable to bear the pain anymore, he went to Mt. Oeta and built (or had built) a funeral pyre in order to burn himself alive. “But no one would light the fire until a passer-by, Philoktetes (or his father Poias) agreed to do it” . Finally, a cloud appears and Herakles is taken to Mt. Olympus and this is his apotheosis.
During the archaic period, there are two main ways in which Herakle’s apotheosis is represented in Greek art: he is introduced to either Zeus or Poseidon on foot or he is taken to Mt. Olympus on a chariot procession that is accompanied by Athena. One of the many representations of this subject is on a black figure hydria (image 01), ca. 560-550 BC, owned now by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. In the center of the picture, we can see Herakles bearded and with his attributes (lion skin, bow and club) walking on the side of a chariot that is driven by Iolaos and moving from right to left. Behind Iolaos, there is Artemis and Aphrodite with wreaths and in front of the chariot we can see Demeter and Hermes. All the names are inscribed so it is even easier to recognize them.
On a black figure cup by the Phrynos painter (image 02), ca. 560 BC, Athena is in the center of the picture moving towards an enthroned Zeus while dragging Herakles by the arm. Herakles is bearded and has his bow and arrow, his club and, is wearing his lion skin. Athena is wearing a garment with snakes and Zeus has a scepter to demonstrate his power. There are many representations similar to this one and each one alludes to a different amount of coercion by Athena.
On another black figure hydria (image 03), ca. 530, Herakles, bearded and with his club resting on his shoulder, rides in Athena’s chariot. Dionysos, with a drinking horn and the ivy crown on his head, stands behind them and Hermes with his kerykeion, his hat and his winged boots stands next to the horses. The two warriors that stand on either side of Hermes are not identified and are most probably generic figures. The chariot moves from left to right and also, the woman that is in front of Herakles is also not identified.
On yet another black figure hydria (image 04), ca. 530, Herakles is bearded, with his club, a spear and his lion skin rides the chariot alone and Athena wearing her helmet and her garment with the snakes stands beside the horses. Also, the chariot moves from left to right again.
As we can see, in the early representation Herakles is introduced to Mt. Olympus on foot and Zeus (or Poseidon; image 05) is present. As time goes by, the representation of this scene shifts and we now have a chariot procession taking place. It should be mentioned that when Athena rides with Heracles on a chariot the apotheosis is intended because the other instance when these two ride together is during the gigantomachy and in those scenes there should not be any unarmed gods or women attending. The representation of Herakles’ apotheosis that is at the MFA falls within the period of the chariot procession and, in my opinion, it is debatable whether it is a typical or an atypical representation. One can argue that it is a typical representation of Herakles’ apotheosis because there is a chariot procession and three goddesses and a god is present. Herakles is always identified because of his attributes. In all of the selected images Herakles is bearded and has his club and wears the lion skin. In that sense, the hydria at the MFA is a typical representation of Herakles. However, the details of the scene are significantly different from the rest of the representations of this period.
First of all, Athena is always present in the chariot procession during the archaic period but in this case Demeter, Artemis and Aphrodite are present and Athena is missing. Moreover, in one of the selected images Herakles and Athena are alone but on the other two images of the chariot procession supplementary figures are also present. Also, there seems to be no general pattern about where Herakles stands. On some representations Herakles rides with Athena on the chariot, on others he rides on the chariot alone and on yet others Herakles walks.
What is interesting about this representation is the fact that Iolaos is driving the chariot. In the early representations during this period Iolaos is either identified or suspected to be the charioteer and this is really peculiar. However, it cannot be the moment of departure for a labor, where Iolaos would be the appropriate charioteer, because there are too many gods present and this suggests that the scene represents the Olympian occasion of the apotheosis. Yet another point worth mentioning is the fact that the chariot is moving from right to left. With the exception of one other representation, the chariot always moves from left to right because this is the typical attic representation of the chariot scenes.
As is the case with many myths, alternative versions may exist or some of the details of the myth can be disputed. In the story of the apotheosis of Herakles, in the archaic scenes the funeral pyre is never present and it can be argued that there is a version excluding the funeral pyre. During the Classical period, the representation of this subject shifts again and this time, this moment is represented in a number of different ways. First we have Herakles on the pyre (image 06) and we also see Herakles and Philoktetes together (image 07). Moreover, the funeral pyre is present and/or Herakles is driven away towards Mt. Olympus by either Nike (image 08), or Athena (image 09) or other gods. In addition, during this period Herakles as represented as younger (and sometimes as a youth) and in the majority of the representations he does not have a beard. Finally, in the post-Classical period, the fact of apotheosis is more important than the act.
In conclusion, this hydria in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has general characteristics that are typical for the way that this subject was represented during this period. However, there are some details that are either missing or altered and this could be due to the fact that artists are including in their works their own beliefs and opinion. In addition, if the source about the presence of the pyre was during the Archaic period, it would have taken some time for the artists to adapt their representations to the additional sources. Finally, artists adapt their works in order to reflect the current events of their period and as a result, the fact that Herakles rides with Athens on a chariot may be an allusion to the deception of the Athenians by the tyrant Peisistratos.
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