THE THRACIAN ITHYPHALLIC ALTAR FROM POLIANTHOS AND THE SACRED MARRIAGE OF THE GODS

Summary. This article considers the light thrown on Thracian Orphic doctrine by a stone ithyphallic altar dated to the fourth century BC, found near Polianthos, northern Greece. Its iconography combines symbols reflecting the sacred marriage, and can be paralleled in petroglyphs and figured metalwork; while its cosmological basis is also reflected in aspects of royal Thracian burials.