Ichthyocentaur

In late Classical Greek art, an ichthyocentaur (Ancient Greek: ἰχθῠοκένταυρος, plural: ἰχθῠοκένταυροι, romanized: ikhthúokéntauros, ikhthúokéntauroi) was a centaurine sea being with the upper body of a human, the lower anterior half and forelegs of a horse, and the tailed posterior half of a fish.

The term ichthyocentaur is of late coinage, attributable to the Byzantine writer John Tzetzes in the 12th century, and thus they are also referred as sea-centaur.

The term or its equivalent in other European languages (German: Ichthyokentaur, plural: Ichthyokentauren; French: Ichthyocentaure, Ichtyocentaures) has been used in classical art commentary in the modern age, and vernacular terms such as "sea-centaur" (German: Seekentauren, Fischkentauren; French: centaures marins) have also been interchangeably applied.

[5][6] Henri van de Waal (1976) placed "ichthyocentaur", "centaurotriton", and "sea-centaur" in the same iconographic group or iconclass[7] synonymous treatment of these terms are also seen in archaeological papers.

[9] The earliest datable depiction of an ichthyocentaur is found in the relief sculptures of the Pergamon Altar (2nd century BC), although the inscription labels the figure as a "Triton".

[16][17][18] In the Zeugma mosaic, the elder-looking triton is labeled Aphros and the youthful-looking one is called Bythos, which is contrary to convention seen in other examples.

[20] In the marine procession mosaic found underneath a cathedral at Apamea, Syria (c. 362–363 CE), there is an Aphros in ichthyocentaur form.

Aphros is glossed as a king of Ancient Libya and the progenitor of the Aphroi (or Carthaginians) according to the entry in the Byzantine lexicon, the Suda.

Here Triton is described as follows "The dread monster uprose from the abyss; his billowing hair swept his shoulders; hoofs of cloven horn grown round with bristles sprang from where his fishy tail joined his man's body".