The Pillars of Hercules, also known as the Pillars of Heracles, are a geographical feature mentioned frequently in ancient Greek texts. They are most commonly associated with the entrance of the Mediterranean at the Strait of Gibraltar. However, there is evidence that the ancient Greeks also believed that there were certain Pillars of Hercules at the tip of southern Greece.
What are the Pillars of Hercules?
The ancient Greeks had various beliefs about the Pillars of Hercules. As the name suggests, they believed that Hercules was somehow connected to them. One tradition claims that there were two mountains on either side of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Another tradition claims that they were literal pillars that Hercules had set up. He allegedly did this while on his extensive journeys during his twelve labours. At one point, he is said to have travelled far to the west, where he stole the cattle of Geryon.
During this labour, Hercules set up the pillars in some manner, either as literal pillars or by splitting or bringing together two mountains. These Pillars of Hercules frequently appear in ancient Greek literature as representatives of the western limit of the Greeks’ realm of activity.
Other Pillars of Hercules
There is good evidence that the Pillars of Hercules at the Strait of Gibraltar were not the only ones that the ancient Greeks recognised. For example, consider the evidence from the fourth-century BCE ancient Greek scholar Isocrates. He wrote about Hercules setting up pillars near Troy, which is to the east of Greece.
Isocrates specifically said that these Pillars of Hercules had the purpose of marking “the bounds of the territory of the Hellenes.” This comes just after a description of Hercules conquering Troy.
Hence, we can see that the Pillars of Hercules not only mark the western limit of the Greeks’ realm of activity. Evidence from Isocrates indicates that it could also be applied to the East. Furthermore, it suggests that these pillars could also define the limits of Greek territory, not just their seafaring area.
Pillars of Heracles in all four cardinal directions
Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen
This evidence from Isocrates dovetails very well with other pieces of evidence. For example, the historian Tacitus wrote about the Pillars of Hercules in the far north. In this context, it denotes the limit of the Romans’ realm of activity.
From just these references alone, we can see that there is attested evidence for the Pillars of Hercules in the north, east, and west. It would not be surprising at all if the ancient Greeks also had a notion of the Pillars of Hercules in the south.
This would tie in very well with the concept of them representing limits in general. We see this usage as early as Pindar. Furthermore, the ancient Greeks had an idea of the four cardinal directions. Therefore, it would be entirely logical for them to conceive of the Pillars of Hercules as existing in all four of these directions.
The Pillars of Hercules in southern Greece
Therefore, logically, we would expect to find some Pillars of Hercules to the south of Greece. However, remember that these pillars represented not only the limits of the Greeks’ area of activity. As Isocrates wrote, some traditions used them to mark the boundaries of Greek territory.
In line with this, we know that the early Greeks imagined the land of Geryon to have been on the edge of western Greece. We see this, for example, in the writings of Hecataeus of Lesbos. With Hercules establishing the western Pillars named for him in that area, they would logically denote the limits of Greek territory, not their realm of activity.
When we combine these two largely forgotten beliefs, we can come to an important conclusion. We can see that the ancient Greeks must have believed that there were Pillars of Hercules in southern Greece.
Cape Taenarum as the Pillars’ location
The southernmost tip of Greece is Cape Taenarum, also known as Cape Tainaron or Cape Matapan. This is the western headland forming the Gulf of Laconia. Is there any evidence that the ancient Greeks placed the Pillars of Hercules here?
As it happens, the ancient Greek scholar Aristotle, from the fourth century BCE, provides such evidence. He wrote that the Pillars of Hercules were formerly called the Pillars of Briareus. This is very helpful. Logically, if they were formerly the Pillars of Briareus, they should be found in the same place as Briareus.
Briareus is an obscure figure from Greek mythology, not associated with many different locations. According to Hesiod’s seventh-century BCE work Theogony, Briareus guarded the entrance to Tartarus. This entrance was at “the ends of the huge earth”.
This latter expression fits well with the Pillars of Hercules marking limits.
So, where was the entrance to Tartarus, the place known as the end of the earth? The answer is that the Greeks placed the entrance to Tartarus at the end of Cape Taenarum. As the barren, southernmost limit of Greek territory, this was fittingly viewed as the end of the world.
Given the evidence and Aristotle’s clear statement, it is almost certain that the Greeks believed there were Pillars of Hercules in southern Greece at the end of Cape Taenarum. However, Greek tradition appears to have forgotten this belief fairly early.
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