ANTHEMION ~ GREEK DECORATIONS IN BACTRIA AND INDIA

Painted flame palmettes

The flame palmette ( in Greek ανθέμιον, anthemion ) is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. Anthemia are different from regular palmettes in that, traditionally, palmettes tended to have sharply splaying leaves. From the 4th century BCE however, the end of the leaves tend to turn in, forming what is called the anthemion design.

Greek stele anthemion, 4th c.B.C.E. ,Athens.

The first appearance of anthemia seems to occur with the stand-alone floral akroteria of the Parthenon (447-432 BCE), and slightly later at the Temple of Athena Nike. Anthemia were then introduced into friezes of floral motifs in replacement of the regular palmette. According to Boardman, although lotus friezes or palmette friezes were known in Mesopotamia centuries before, the unnatural combination of various botanical elements which have no relationship in the wild, such as the palmette, the lotus and sometimes rosette flowers, is a purely Greek innovation, which was then adopted on a very broad geographical scale.

Mosaic detail, ancient Pella 

In Asia Minor, some of the earliest designs of anthemia can be found in the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and are dated to 350 BCE. They are also extensively used at the 3rd century BCE Ionic Temple of Didyma.

Anthemion on frieze fragment, from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, 350 B.C.E.

The anthemion design was adopted in Hellenistic architecture and became very popular on a wide geographical scale, especially following the conquests of Alexander the Great. In the Greco-Bactrian city of Ai-Khanoum, founded circa 280 BCE, the antefixae display an anthemion design, as do floral mosaics.

Anthemia as architectural elements from Ai- Khanoum

Greek and Indian anthemia. Left: Anthemion at Didyma, Ionia, c.300 BCE. Middle: Pataliputra capital, India, 3rd c.BCE. Right: Ashoka's Diamond throne, Bodh Gaya, India, 250 BCE.

This is the design that was adopted by India in the 3rd century BCE for some of its sculptural friezes, such as on the abaci of the Pillars of Ashoka, or the central design of the Pataliputra capital, probably through the Seleucid Empire or Hellenistic cities such as Ai - Khanoum.

Kushan anthemion

The Pataliputra capital, with a central and a lateral anthemion design, 3rd century BCE.

Edited from : Wikipedia