ИСТИНА

The so-called “Cybele Shrine” (S 63.51, Manisa Archaeological Museum no. 4029) was found in 1963 during the excavations of the Sardis Synagogue. Dating to ca. 550-540 BC, it has been regarded as a highly innovative and unique piece of Lydian sculpture, uniting Greek, Anatolian and Near Eastern influences. The piece extends the established Anatolian iconography of the goddess in her temple to a three-dimensional building model with Ionic half-columns. The side and back walls are decorated with figurative relief panels in three horizontal zones. This rich ornamentation led scholars to emphasize the high level of Near Eastern or Mesopotamian influence on the “Cybele Shrine”, quoting mostly the Ishtar Gate at Babylon as a prototype. However, the nature and workings of this influence are not elaborated in detail. My aim in this paper is to provide formal and structural comparanda for the “Cybele Shrine”. I will expand on evidence that has been mentioned before in connection with this monument, and introduce new relevant materials. Direct familiarity of Lydians with Mesopotamian monumental architecture is very likely, but it seems important to shift the focus also to “lesser”, more transportable, and intermediary forms (coming from Assyrian, Neo-Hittite and Neo Babylonian backgrounds) that could have inspired the “Cybele Shrine”.