A marble sphere with a diameter of 30 centimeters was found in 1866 by Professor Athanasios Rusopoulos among the ruins of the Theater of Dionysus in Athens, at the foot of the Acropolis.
An anthropomorphic figure of a deity in a ray crown, which is an attribute of the sun god Helios, is carved on it, standing between two columns of the covered portico. In one hand he holds a whip, in the other a scepter, which ends with three torches.
At the feet of the deity are two dogs (or a lion and a dragon according to various interpretations), one of which also wears a ray crown. On one side of the figure of the god, there is a torch, a seated lion and a snake with a human head, which most likely depicted the constellations.
Not all researchers agree with this interpretation. It has been suggested that the relief figure depicts the goddess of witchcraft, Hecate, who is commonly associated with torches and lions.
Another hypothesis suggests that the god Dionysus is depicted here, who is usually associated with snakes, and the scepter with torches is in fact his usual attribute - thyrsus.
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An interesting hypothesis seems to be that dogs are symbols of the constellations. The one that is depicted in the ray crown is the Great Dog, and the other, respectively, the Lesser Dog. Thus, the entire plot depicted on the sphere represents the image of the summer solstice.
In addition to images, geometric shapes are also visible here - circles and triangles, as well as Greek letters forming five words: ΑΙΘΑΕΡ, ΑΝΑΒΠΑ, ΑΝΝΙΑΕΥ, ΕΔΕΒΩΠ̣Ι, ΑΠΙΟΒΙ.
In 1913, the sphere was studied by the Belgian researcher Armand L. Delatt, who came to the conclusion that it was associated with magic. The symbols depicted, although they cannot be deciphered, bear a resemblance to the symbolism of magical papyri of the 2nd - 3rd centuries. From his point of view, the sphere was something of a talisman hidden in the ruins of the theater to ensure victory in theatrical or sports competitions held at that time.