Ivory sealstone with inscribed representation of a man and a woman from Hyria

A sealstone dating back to the late 8th / early 7th century BC from the Sanctuary at Hyria on Naxos features on its small signet surface a scene of gender violence. On the right side of the representation, a bearded man is depicted in a dynamic pose, raising his left arm as he attacks a woman. The female figure on the right seems to be in a submissive-begging position, bringing her right hand to her forehead. The presence of the sword held in the man’s right hand, which is drawn back, further accentuates the sense of threat and violence.

The identity of the figures remains a mystery. The scene could be mythological, vividly depicting one of the known women of ancient Greek mythology who were physically or even mentally punished by their enraged partners. The identification of the female figure as Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, derives from the presence of an inscription around the edges of the signet surface ΠΡΟΝ- – E (Ἀπροδ[..]) that possibly suggests the name Aphrodite. If the depicted pair is Aphrodite and her lover, the god of war Ares who holds his offensive weapon, then the representation could be described as an “erotic game” with elements of violence.

Irrespective of the interpretation of the iconographic theme, it is certain that it offers a characteristic picture of the social relations between the two genders in the insular societies of the Cyclades during historical times. The sealstone constitutes an exquisite example of minor arts of the Archipelago and gives rise to questions on the position and status of women in a patriarchal insular community.