SANCTUARIES AND

THE SACRED IN THE

ANCIENT GREEK WORLD

JOHN PEDLEYUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESSCambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo

Cambridge University Press40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011–4211, USA

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© John Pedley 2006

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First published 2006

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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication DataPedley, John Griffiths.Sanctuaries and the sacred in the ancient Greek world / John Pedley.

p. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN-13 978-0-521-80935-1 hardbackISBN-10 0-521-80935-5 hardbackISBN-13 978-0-521-00635-4 paperbackISBN-10 0-521-00635-X paperback1. Sacred space – Greece. 2. Temples – Greece. 3. Rites and ceremonies – Greece.4. Greece – Religion. I. Title.BL795.S47P43 2005292.3´5 – dc22 2005047093

ISBN-13 978-0-521-80935-1 hardbackISBN-10 0-521-80935-5 hardback

ISBN-13 978-0-521-00635-4 paperbackISBN-10 0-521-00635-X paperback

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vii

List of Illustrations page xiPreface xvAcknowledgments xvii

I Introduction 11 Themes 22 Sanctuary Histories 143 Cultural Differences 15

II Setting the Stage 171 The Greek Gods 172 Time and Place 223 The Evidence 254 Social Organization: Family and Polis 27

III Growth and Variety 291 Sacred Space 292 Development 293 Hero Cults 344 Smaller Sanctuaries 35

IV The Siting of Sanctuaries 391 Sanctuaries in Nature 392 Interurban Sanctuaries 403 Urban Sanctuaries 424 Suburban Sanctuaries 425 Extraurban Sanctuaries 466 Rural Sanctuaries 51

CONTENTS

7 Current Debates: Sanctuary Placement and the Formation of the Polis 52

V Architecture for the Gods: Sacred Building 571 Temenos Walls 572 Propyla: Gateways 583 Altars 604 Temples 625 The Parthenon 686 Other Buildings 74

VI Activities and Experiences, I: Rites and Rituals 781 Festivals 782 Sacrifice 803 Dance 824 Dining and Drinking 845 The Thesmophoria 876 Getting in Touch 887 Initiation 928 Asylum, Purification, Healing 97

VII Activities and Experiences, II: Offerings 1001 Cult Statues 1002 Personal Offerings: Eighth and Seventh Centuries 1013 Personal Offerings: Sixth Century 1064 Personal Offerings: Fifth and Fourth Centuries 1105 Temple Inventories 1146 State Offerings 1157 Verbal Offerings: Prayers, Hymns, Songs 116

VIII Sanctuary Histories: Olympia 1191 Location and Character 1192 The Early Years 1203 Building, Decorating, Dedicating, and Competing 1224 The Olympic Games 131

IX Sanctuary Histories: Delphi 1351 Location and Character 1352 The Early Years 1363 Enlarging and Enhancing the Sanctuary 1384 The Oracle 1515 The Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia 151

Contentsviii ���

X Sanctuary Histories: Samos 1541 Location and Character 1542 The Early Years 1563 From Makeshift to Majestic 1574 New Perspectives 164

XI Sanctuary Histories: Poseidonia 1671 Location and Character 1672 The Early Years 1683 Building and Dedicating: The Urban Sanctuary of Hera 1704 Sanctuaries in the Countryside 1755 The Suburban Sanctuary at Santa Venera 184

XII Sanctuary Histories: The Acropolis at Athens 1861 Location and Character 1862 The Eighth- and Seventh-Century Acropolis 1873 The Archaic Sanctuary 1884 The Classical Acropolis 1905 The Panathenaia 202

XIII Greece, Rome, and Byzantium 2051 Romans in Greece 2052 The Spread of Christianity 2073 Olympia and Delphi 2104 Athens 2145 Samos and Poseidonia 220

XIV The Aftermath 2251 Christians and Turks 2252 Travelers and Architects 2303 Archaeologists and Tourists 234

Glossary 241Bibliography 247Index 255

Contents ix���

xi

1. Map of the Greek world 22. Map of Greece and the Aegean 33. Map of southern Italy and Sicily 44. Map of Attica 55. Aerial view of the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia 66. Scene of sacrifice on an Attic krater (Naples 127929) 77. Aerial view of the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi 98. Water carriers, North Frieze of the Parthenon 139. Bronze statuette of Zeus (Berlin Museum) 18

10. Silver coin of Poseidonia 1911. Bronze statue of Athena (Peiraieus Museum) 2012. Terra-cotta figurine of Hera Kourotrophos (Paestum

Museum) 2113. Terra-cotta figurine of Hera Hippia (Paestum Museum) 2114. Terra-cotta figurine of Hera Hoplosmia (or Athena

Promachos) (Paestum Museum) 2115. Plan of the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidauros 3316. View of the Acropolis, Athens, from the southwest 3617. Plan of the Acropolis slopes, Athens 3618. View of the Agora, Athens, from the southeast 3719. Plan of the Agora, Athens 3720. Bronze helmet (British Museum GR 1928.6-10.1) 4121. Map of Poseidonia and territory 4322. Plan of Athens 4423. Plan of Cyrene 4524. Perirrhanterion from Isthmia (drawing) 4925. Plan of the Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone, Eleusis 59

ILLUSTRATIONS

26. Plan of the Sanctuary of Artemis, Brauron 6027. Plan of settlement and Sanctuary of Poseidon at Sounion 6128. Great Altar of Pergamon (Berlin) 6329. Plan of a typical Greek temple 6430. Columns, capitals, and bases of the Temple of Athena,

Smyrna (drawing of reconstruction) 6531. Interior, fourth Temple of Dionysos, Yria (drawing of

reconstruction) 6732. Greek architectural orders: column capitals (drawing) 6733. The Parthenon, Athens, from the northwest 6834. Plan of the Parthenon 6935. The Parthenon, Athens, West Frieze in situ 7036. The Parthenon Frieze (diagram) 7137. The Parthenon, Athens, East Frieze: peplos incident 7138. The Parthenon, Athens, North Frieze: riders 7239. The Parthenon, Athens, East Frieze: female figures 7340. The Parthenon, Athens, East Frieze: seated deities 7341. Procession to an altar (Athens NM 16464) 8142. Statue base with pyrrhic dancers (Acropolis Museum,

Athens, 1338) 8343. Plan of the Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore, Corinth 8644. Typical cooking pots (Corinth Museum) 8745. Terra-cotta offering trays (Corinth Museum) 8746. Terra-cotta figurine of a young woman (Corinth

Museum) 8747. Iamos, from the east pediment, Temple of Zeus, Olympia 9148. Allotment machine (reconstruction drawing) 9349. Votive pots showing girls dancing (Brauron Museum) 9750. Bronze statuettes from Dreros (Heraklion Museum

2445–7) 10251. Bronze warrior from Olympia (Olympia Museum) 10352. Bronze charioteer from Olympia (Olympia Museum) 10353. Bronze statuette said to be from Thebes (Boston Museum

of Fine Arts 03.997) 10354. Kore dedicated by Nikandre, from Delos (Athens NM 1) 10555. Kouros (Metropolitan Museum of Art New York 32.11.1) 10956. Anavysos kouros (Athens NM 3851) 10957. Angelitos’ Athena (Acropolis Museum, Athens, 140) 11158. Aphrodite and Hermes on a terra-cotta relief plaque

from Locri (Taranto Museum) 11259. Hades and Persephone on a terra-cotta relief plaque

from Locri (Reggio Museum 21016; drawing) 113

Illustrationsxii ���

60. Praxiteles’ Aphrodite of Knidos (Roman version) 11761. Bronze statuette of a horse (Metropolitan Museum of

Art, New York, 21.88.24) 12162. Bronze tripod cauldron (Olympia Museum,

reconstruction) 12263. Olympia, so-called Temple of Hera, view from the east 12364. Plan of the Sanctuary of Zeus, Olympia 12465. Temple of Zeus, Olympia, east pediment (drawing) 12566. Temple of Zeus, Olympia, west pediment (drawing) 12567. Temple of Zeus, Olympia, Herakles metope 12668. Temple of Zeus, Olympia, cross section and Zeus statue

(drawing) 12769. Nike of Paionios (Olympia Museum 46-48) 13070. Hermes and Dionysos (Olympia Museum) 13171. Plan of the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi 13772. Aerial view of the Sanctuary of Apollo, Delphi 14173. Treasury of the Siphnians, Delphi (drawing) 14274. Treasury of the Siphnians, east frieze, Delphi 14375. Treasury of the Athenians, Delphi, view from the east 14476. Stoa of the Athenians, Delphi (drawing) 14577. Twin kouroi (Delphi Museum nos. 1524, 467) 14778. Sphinx of the Naxians (Delphi Museum) 14879. Bronze charioteer (Delphi Museum) 14980. Delphi, Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, view from the east 15281. Delphi, Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, restored tholos 15382. North Syrian bronze horse trapping (Samos Museum) 15583. Plan of the Sanctuary of Hera, Samos, 7th c. BC 15884. Plan of the Sanctuary of Hera, Samos, 6th c. BC 15985. Samos, the Sanctuary of Hera, 6th c. BC altar (drawings) 16186. Kouros dedicated by Isches (Samos Museum) 16387. Kore, so-called Hera of Samos (Louvre) 16388. Family statuary group by Geneleos (Samos Museum) 16489. Wood objects (model boats?) (Samos Museum) 16590. Map of Poseidonia and environs 16991. Poseidonia, Temple of Hera I, from the southwest 17192. Poseidonia, Temple of Hera I, plan 17193. Poseidonia, Temple of Hera II, from the southwest 17394. Inscribed silver disk (Paestum Museum) 17495. Terra-cotta figurine of Hera (Paestum Museum) 17596. Plan of the Sanctuary of Hera at Foce del Sele 17797. Metope from Foce del Sele: Herakles (Paestum Museum) 17898. Metope from Foce del Sele: Ajax (Paestum Museum) 178

Illustrations xiii���

99. Metope from Foce del Sele: young women (Paestum Museum) 179

100. Plan of the Sanctuary of Demeter at Albanella 183101. “Bluebeard” pediment (Acropolis Museum, Athens) 188102. Kore (Acropolis Museum, Athens, 682) 189103. “Mourning Athena” relief (Acropolis Museum, Athens,

695) 192104. Blond Boy (Acropolis Museum, Athens, 689) 193105. Kritios Boy (Acropolis Museum, Athens, 698) 194106. Plan of the Acropolis, Athens 195107. Propylaia, Athenian Acropolis, view from the southwest 197108. Plan of the Propylaia 197109. Temple of Athena Nike, Athenian Acropolis, view from

the east 198110. Erechtheion, Athenian Acropolis, South Porch 199111. Plan of the Erechtheion, Athenian Acropolis 199112. Panathenaic amphora (British Museum) 203113. Plan of the Sanctuary of Asklepios, Acropolis, South

Slope 208114. Plan of the Erechtheion converted to a church 209115. Tanagra figurine 214116. Defeated enemies of Athens, Pergamon, and the gods

(Naples Museum) 215117. Attalid monument at northeast corner of the Parthenon

(drawing) 216118. Caryatids from the Forum of Augustus 217119. Sabina inscription, Sanctuary of Venus, Paestum

(Paestum Museum) 222120. Terra-cotta swaddled infant (Paestum Museum) 223121. Plan of the Christian Parthenon 226122. Propylaia converted to a Frankish palace, reconstruction

(drawing) 227123. The Turkish Parthenon 228124. Venetian bombardment of the Turkish Parthenon 229125. Parthenon, south metope 1 231126. View of Poseidonia (18th c. engraving) 233

Illustrationsxiv ���

1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Why investigate Greek sanctuaries? A cursory answer might be that theseplaces were central to the practice of Greek religion, that they consti-tuted the main physical manifestation of the belief system of the ancientGreeks, and that the study of belief systems is integral to the study of cul-tures. A more focused answer might say that the defining act of Greekreligious life was sacrifice and that sacrifices often took place in sanc-tuaries. These holy places accordingly provided the spatial context forthe most sacred acts. Studying sanctuaries therefore clarifies our under-standing of how Greek religion was practiced.

Sanctuaries are found all over the Greek world (Figs. 1–4), both on themainland of Greece and in distant Greek settlements, which range fromthe coast of the Black Sea in the north to Egypt and Libya in the south,and from Asia Minor in the east to Sicily and Italy in the west. They arelocated both inside and outside a city’s walls, deep in the countryside, onmountaintops, on riverbanks and promontories, near springs of waterand other phenomena of nature. They were numerous, of many differ-ent shapes and sizes, with many purposes that, albeit primarily and pro-foundly religious in nature, successfully served other social, economic,and political ends too; they are replete with problems. This book seeksto explain the nature and development of these sanctuaries. Its aim isto outline the characteristics these sacred places have in common, toshow how and why they differ from one another, and how and why theychange over time.

1. Themes

The first part of the book addresses major themes:

(a) location of sanctuaries, (b) defining features (structures, spaces, and offerings),(c) structures and rituals,(d) experiences of the individual, (e) sanctuary functions, and (f) transformations.

Sanctuaries and the Sacred in the Ancient Greek World2 ���

1. Map of the Greek world. Drawing after Paul Butteridge in Pedley (2002), fig. 0.2.

(a) Location

Place marks the origins of sanctity. Where sanctuaries were situated inthe landscape, or in town, and the significance of their siting are two ofthe important questions we face. Phenomena of nature – caves, hilltops,unusual rock formations – excited interest in the supernatural and be-came centers of religious devotion. Some remained small and remote,while others grew, with the addition of buildings, into more monumen-tal places of worship. The counterparts of such shrines in nature werethose that were man-made from the start, some located at prominentpoints within city walls, others outside the urban nucleus. Each city-state, or polis (pl.: poleis) was provided with both urban sanctuaries and

Introduction 3���

2. Map of Greece and the Aegean. Drawing after David Bosse and Mary Pedley in Pedley(1990), fig. 7.

Sanctuaries and the Sacred in the Ancient Greek World4 ���

3. Map of southern Italy and Sicily. Drawing after David Bosse and Mary Pedley in Ped-ley (1990), fig. 1.

sanctuaries outside the city’s walls but within the city’s territory. Othersanctuaries, such as the great Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia (Fig. 5),developed in places not controlled by a major polis; these became Pan-hellenic (for all Greeks) or interpolis sanctuaries where rival individualsand states could meet and compete.

Introduction 5���

4. Map of Attica. Drawing after M. Djordjevitch in Camp (2001), fig. 248.