The Desecration of the Hermes
-Chrissie

Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/bqn1/hwts104

This topic was inspired by the first time I heard this story, in Lyn Myrick’s Survey of the Ancient Near East and Greece at University of Wyoming.

            Just as in the modern day, people of the classical world used sacred images to bring good luck and ward off ill omens and mean intent. One of the most common of these in fifth century Athens were Hermes. A herme is a statue with the sculpted head of a god (often Hermes, but not always), set atop a plain squared-off stone block on which were carved a set of male genitals. They were found in the ground near the front door of a home or business and were often placed at crossroads, invoking Hermes as the patron god of travel.

            In 415 BCE, the Athenians were preparing for a military expedition against the city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily as part of the ongoing Peloponnesian Wars. It was under the command of Alcibiades, who had also been the main proponent of the expedition in the Assembly. On the morning it was scheduled to leave, the people of Athens awoke to find their statues had been vandalized: the faces were smashed and the phalluses broken off. This was unquestionably a bad omen for the Sicilian Expedition. There were also some who feared it was a harbinger of the overthrow of the Athenian government. Political enemies of Alcibiades blamed him for the desecration of these icons. He denied it, offering to stand trial immediately and, if found guilty, to be executed for the crime. His offer was ignored and he left with the fleet for Sicily the next day. In his absence, and that of his most powerful allies, a case was put together against him. He was not only accused of destroying the statues but also of other sacrilegious acts. The Assembly sent the ship Salamina to intercept the fleet and return Alcibiades to Athens for what was sure to be a show trial. He knew that his actual guilt or innocence was irrelevant and so escaped, seeking refuge first with Sparta and later with Persia.

Alcibiades was tried in absentia. A man named Diocleides testified that he had seen a large group of as many as three hundred men gathered near the Acropolis early in the evening the desecrations were carried out. He first tried to use this information to his personal advantage, confronting several members of the Assembly and demanding a bribe to keep quiet about their involvement. No bribes were paid, because his testimony revealed that Diocleides had lied about the whole thing. He was executed for his lies. Despite such examples of questionable evidence, Alcibiades was found guilty of the Desecration in particular and other sacrilegious acts; he was sentenced to death. This sentence seemed to be proved the correct one by Alcibiades’ defection, but his refusal to return to Athens shouldn’t be taken as an admission of guilt. The verdict had been decided before the trial had begun, and he knew it. The sentence was never carried out, however, as political machinations saw Alcibiades return to Athens as part of an agreement with the Persians.

It is not known to this day who conducted the Desecration or why. It is unlikely that Alcibiades was involved, particularly considering his willingness to be immediately tried. It is possible it was done by people who sought to discredit or stop the Sicilian Expedition, whether these were Athenians or allies of the Syracusans (both potentials have been suggested and researched). The most likely explanation, to me, is completely apolitical: an ill-timed prank conducted by young people well in their cups. That was Professor Myrick’s explanation, with the added point that he is absolutely sure that somewhere in the area was the Athenian equivalent of a shoebox full of Hermes penises hidden under somebody’s bed.