Herodotus on the death of Atys: an Anatolian heroic archetype

Abstract

Herodotus’ story of the death of Atys, son of Croesus (1.34–45), has long been seen as an example of his willingness to embroider if not invent stories to give his narrative dramatic effect. Images on a distinctive class of funerary monuments from Anatolia demonstrate that the elements of the story of Atys derive from a tradition of commemorating noble rulers. Herodotus’ account is thus recognizable not as free invention, but as a reworking of a traditional memory of Atys, whose life was celebrated and death mourned according to what may be termed an Anatolian heroic archetype.