Il tema iconografico dello hieròs gàmos. Espressioni figurative e rituali di transizione a Metaponto in età arcaica

The theme of the hieròs gàmos – the marriage of Zeus and Era – was of particular importance to the Greeks, for its link with the wedding rituals, of which the divine couple was patron. Iconographic testimonies of this mythical theme are documented in several centers of Greek world, often in association with sanctuaries. In Metaponto it is attested in a series of archaic pinakes, of which we can define the original contexts. Moving from the analysis of the characteristics of these sites and from the possible relationships with material culture related to them – e.g. pinakes – this paper aims to address the problem of the possible connections between the semantic functions of the iconographic theme of hieròs gàmos and the religious prerogatives of the places where it was exposed.