Editing Selene (section)

== Iconography ==
[[File:Selene and Endymion, fresco from Pompeii, Casa dell'Ara Massima.jpg|thumb|left|Selene and [[Endymion (mythology)|Endymion]], antique fresco in [[Pompeii]]]]

In antiquity, artistic representations of Selene/Luna included sculptural reliefs, vase paintings, coins, and gems.<ref>Roman and Roman, [https://books.google.com/books?id=tOgWfjNIxoMC&pg=PT446 p. 434]; Gury, pp. 706&ndash;715. For an example of a coin see [[British Museum]], [https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_R-7248 R.7248]; for an example of a gem see the British Museum [https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?museum_number=1923,0401.199 1923,0401.199].</ref> In [[red-figure pottery]] before the early 5th century BC, she is depicted only as a bust, or in profile against a lunar disk.<ref>Cohen, [https://books.google.com/books?id=SCA2AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA157 p. 157]; Savignoni, [https://books.google.com/books?id=q0EaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA270 p. 270 with nn. 4, 5].</ref> In later art, like other celestial divinities such as Helios, Eos, and [[Nyx]] (Night), Selene rides across the heavens. She is usually portrayed either driving a chariot (see above) or riding sideways on horseback<ref>Hard, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA46 p. 46]; Savignoni, [https://books.google.com/books?id=q0EaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA271 p. 271]; Walters, [https://archive.org/details/historyofancient02walt/page/79 p. 79].</ref> (sometimes riding an ox, a mule or a ram).<ref>Hard, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA46 p. 46]; ''[[Oxford Classical Dictionary]]'', s.v. Selene; Murray 1903, [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.69739/page/n80 p. 47]. Hansen, [https://books.google.com/books?id=1Z-LIKN0Ap0C&pg=PA221 p. 221] shows two illustrations one captioned "Selene riding a mule", the other "Selene riding a ram". Note however that both ''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|LIMC]]'' [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-745f9274ebc89-c 13265 (Selene, Luna 35)] (image [https://www.iconiclimc.ch/limc/imageview.php?image=efefd04538da448cae2eacf8bf4d3a3d&total=1&term=%22Luna+35%22 13603X001.jpg]) and Beazley Archive [http://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/record/F7D43FBE-EB66-43E2-BAAC-35D5FF34B8FA 211530] describe the vase (Florence, Museo Archeologico Etrusco 3996) from which Hansen's first illustration is drawn, as depicting Selene riding on a horse. Cf. [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+5.11.8 5.11.8].</ref>

Selene was often paired with her brother Helios. Selene (probably) and Helios adorned the east pediment of the [[Parthenon]], where the two, each driving a four-horsed chariot, framed a scene depicting the birth of [[Athena]], with Helios and his chariot rising from the ocean on the left, and Selene and her chariot descending into the sea on the right.<ref>Hurwit 2017, pp. 527&ndash;532; Shear, pp. 112&ndash;114; Palagia 2005, [https://books.google.com/books?id=gA81kINAI9cC&pg=236 pp. 236–237]; Palagia 1998, [https://books.google.com/books?id=GFNuxcVKLIkC&pg=PA22 pp. 22&ndash;23]; Murray 1892, [https://archive.org/details/handbookofgreeka00murruoft/page/271 pp. 271&ndash;272].  The goddess paired with Helios here is most often identified as Selene (e.g. Shear, Palagia, and Murray, with no mention of any alternative), however Hurwit 2017, which concludes that the goddess is "probably" Selene, also notes that there is a "strong argument" for the goddess instead being Nyx (Night), while  Robertson 1981, [https://books.google.com/books?id=BoUsvD1_VNQC&pg=PA96 p. 96] also includes Eos as a possibility. "Selene's" torso, from the Parthenon pediment is in Athens at the [[Acropolis Museum]], [https://theacropolismuseum.gr/en/parthenon-east-pediment-selene inventory number 881], while the head of one of her pediment horses is in London at the [[British Museum]], [https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1816-0610-98 museum number 1816,0610.98].</ref> Selene and Helios also appear on the North [[Metope (architecture)|Metope]]s of the Parthenon, with Selene this time entering the sea on horseback.<ref>Hurwit 1999, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0pQ4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA170 p. 170]; ''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|LIMC]]'' [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-74113a1bb3b81-d 7734 (Selene, Luna 38)], image [https://www.iconiclimc.ch/limc/imageview.php?image=5101582982f046bdb340a15449313d6e&total=9&term=%22Luna+38%22 7919X001.jpg].</ref> From Pausanias, we learn that Selene and Helios also framed the birth of [[Aphrodite]] on the base of the [[Statue of Zeus at Olympia]].<ref>Robertson 1981, [https://books.google.com/books?id=BoUsvD1_VNQC&pg=PA96 p. 96], [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+5.11.8 5.11.8].</ref> There are indications of a similar framing by Selene and Helios of the birth of [[Pandora]] on the base of the [[Athena Parthenos]].<ref>Osborne, [https://books.google.com/books?id=fnJvha8jzzQC&pg=PA87 p. 87]. For another example of Helios and Selene framing a scene, in this case the [[Judgement of Paris]], see Robertson 1992, [https://books.google.com/books?id=BmmW1h7Qk7MC&pg=PA255 p. 255].</ref> Pausanias also reports seeing stone images of Helios, and Selene, in the market-place at [[Elaea (Epirus)|Elea]], with rays projecting from the head of Helios, and horns from the head of Selene.<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perseus-eng1:6.24.6 6.24.6].</ref> Selene also appears on horseback as part of the [[Gigantomachy]] frieze of the [[Pergamon Altar]].<ref>Thomas, [https://books.google.com/books?id=pD_z8thJyukC&pg=PA17 p. 17]; Mitchell, [https://books.google.com/books?id=72EJAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA92 p. 92]; Museum of Classical Archaeology Databases [https://museum.classics.cam.ac.uk/collections/casts/great-altar-zeus-pergamon-selene 385a].</ref>

Selene is commonly depicted with a crescent moon, often accompanied by stars; sometimes, instead of a crescent, a lunar disc is used.<ref>Savignoni, [https://books.google.com/books?id=q0EaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA270 pp. 270–271]; e.g. crescent moon and stars: Florence, Museo Archeologico Etrusco 3996 (''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|LIMC]]'' [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-745f9274ebc89-c 13265 (Selene, Luna 35)], image [https://www.iconiclimc.ch/limc/imageview.php?image=efefd04538da448cae2eacf8bf4d3a3d&total=1&term=%22Luna+35%22 13603X001.jpg]), lunar disk: Berlin, Antikensammlung F 2293 (''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|LIMC]]'' [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-74476cdb1abcc-3  11564 (Selene, Luna 47)], image [https://www.iconiclimc.ch/limc/imageview.php?image=ec5c193a36ad4901b93316d668406b4f&total=6&term=%22Luna+47%22 11842X101.jpg]).</ref> Often a crescent moon rests on her brow, or the cusps of a crescent moon protrude, horn-like, from her head, or from behind her head or shoulders.<ref>[[British Museum]] [https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?museum_number=1923,0401.199 1923,0401.199]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-745ed7cd0964a-a 13213 (Selene, Luna 21)]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-745e62aefddaa-9 13181 (Selene, Luna 4)]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-74a570795e03c-5 18206 (Mithras 113)]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-745ec1d7673ac-8 13207 (Selene, Luna 15)]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-745f8ecbfb6c4-2 13264 (Selene, Luna 34)]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-7403b77c6ef4c-7  6780 (Selene, Luna 2)]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-745e74fbafa83-d 13186 (Selene, Luna 7)]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-745e7c4d9060d-7 13188 (Selene, Luna 9)]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-73cf08b08e293-0 3076 (Selene, Luna 10)]; [[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|''LIMC'']] [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-745ed07b28ac0-f 13211 (Selene, Luna 19)]. For the close association between the crescent moon and horns see Cashford 2003b.</ref> Selene's head is sometimes surrounded by a [[Halo (religious iconography)|nimbus]], and from the Hellenistic period onwards, she is sometimes pictured with a torch.<ref>Parisinou, [https://books.google.com/books?id=PX1q70E9ABIC&pg=PA34 p. 34].</ref>

In later second and third century AD Roman [[funerary art]], the love of Selene for Endymion and his eternal sleep was a popular subject for artists.<ref>Fowler 2013, [https://books.google.com/books?id=scd8AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA134 p. 134]; Sorabella, p. 70; Morford, [https://archive.org/details/classicalmytholo0000morf_8ed/page/65/mode/2up?view=theater p. 65].</ref> As frequently depicted on Roman sarcophagi, Selene, holding a billowing veil forming a crescent over her head, descends from her chariot to join her lover, who slumbers at her feet.<ref>Examples, among many others, include sarcophagi in the [[Capitoline Museum]] in Rome (c. 135 AD), two in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York (c. 160 AD and c. 220 AD), and one in [[Palazzo Doria Pamphilj]] Rome (c. 310 AD), for images see Sorabella, figs. 1–7, 12.</ref>