By Eric Wilson
This unorthodox marble sculptural
group depicts the blinding of the Cyclops Polyphemus. For those who don’t know,
this scene takes place in book 9 of the
Odyssey. When Odysseus and his
men find a cave full of supplies on the island of the one-eyed giants, they
enter and set up camp, only to discover that it is the home of a giant named
Polyphemus, who rolls a rock in the entrance of the cave to trap them. After witnessing several of his men being
eaten, Odysseus comes up with the plan that they will blind the creature and
escape when he lets out his flock. Odysseus makes Polyphemus drunk. When the
Cyclops asks Odysseus his name, Odysseus replies "No One." As is shown in the sculpture, Odysseus and
his men use a hardened wooden stake to poke out the monster's eye, and as the
creature cries out for help, the other Cyclopes ignore him when he says
that “no one” has hurt him.
The collection of marble sculptures
that make up this unusual piece were found in 1957 in the grotto of Tiberius at
Sperlonga, on the coast of Latium, South of Rome. It is believed to have been constructed
for the emperor Tiberius during his reign from about 14 to 37 A.D, along with
several other s
culptures depicting the adventures of Odysseus. It is a subject
of debate as to whether this piece was an original Hellenistic era sculpture,
or a Roman adaptation. It was found in several scattered fragments that were
later recreated at the Sperlonga Museum. Fortunately, a considerable amount of
the original piece was found intact. The grotto was probably once used as a
summer dining room in an early Imperial era Roman villa, belonging to the
emperor. The cave was used as a creative and fascinating mode of displaying the
art. The grotto itself served as a representation of the cave that Odysseus and
his men were trapped in and thus is a perfect recreation of this famous scene. This
is one of just many excellent pieces that visually immortalize the deeds of
Odysseus, and one that for many scholars of Greek and Roman literature is
easily recognizable.
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