The magic sphere of Helios-Apollo

The New Acropolis Museum of Athens exhibits an intriguing marble sphere labeled as representing Helios-Apollo. It is (or was at the time of my visit) displayed near the splendid head of Alexander. 

With its perfect round shape and size (30 cm in diameter), I found the ball intriguing and wondered about the meaning of the black drawings, which were hard to discern. The label said we should look for the Titan sun god Helios among the magical symbols. Apollo was the Olympian sun god. 

A closer study of the sphere reveals that it is more or less divided into four scenes. The contours of a man with a halo refer to the sun god. He is seated on a throne beneath an arch flanked by two dogs, which are supposed to symbolize the Dog Stars: Sirius and Prokyon. 

The second scene shows a circle containing five intersecting circles, and the third scene displays a circle around a triangle, both with inscriptions. The fourth and last scene shows a lion. 

Otherwise, the sphere depicts a snake or a dragon, astral and geometrical symbols, numbers, and more inscriptions. The only comprehensible word is ΑΙΘΑΕΡ, ether – the first of nature’s elements: ether, earth, water, fire, and air. 

This magic sphere was discovered in 1866 among the remains of a temple dedicated to Dionysus. It stood near the Theater of Dionysus. It may be that the sphere was used by those participating in duels and other contests to reach victory through its magic power. Dionysus, in ancient Greece, was the god of wine, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and festivity. 

Athens’ Temple of Dionysus was built around the 6th century BC, and the adjacent Theatre was added in 530 BC. The link between the two monuments resides in the idea that Dionysus inspired men to honor him in relation to literature thanks to his association with wine. 

After the Romans took Athens in 86 BC, the Theater and the Sanctuary of Dionysus were used to perform gladiator fights. 

In the early 20th century, a theory circulated that the sphere was buried near the Theater as a talisman for good luck. 

The story remains unclear, though, because the sphere has been dated to the 2nd-3rd century AD, i.e., Roman times. This makes sense in the context of the gladiator contests, which were a Roman art of combat. I would then question the name of the god Dionysus, who became known as Bacchus. 

The very latest study leans towards turning the sphere into a spirit house. The spirit held inside the sphere could be called upon for assistance – I suppose not only in combat?