Professor Katja SpornGerman Archaeological Institute at Athens

Professor Sporn is the Director of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens and a professor at the University of Munich. Her fields of expertise range from Crete in the Classical and Hellenistic periods through to Greek funerary art and religion. She has directed archaeological field work at Kolonna, Aegina, and at the important sanctuary of Apollo at Kalapodi, thought by many to be ancient Abai, in Phokis. Her tour will take her to Sydney, Armidale, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, Brisbane, Newcastle and Melbourne.

SYDNEY PUBLIC LECTURENatural Features in Greek Cult Places and Ritual. The Case of Athens

CCANESA Boardroom Level 4 Madsen BuildingUniversity of Sydney

THIS IS A FREE EVENT

Monday 1 August, 6:00pmBookings: T: 9351 4759E: arts.aaia@sydney.edu.au

Refreshments will be served

2016 AAIA VISITING PROFESSOR

Greek sanctuaries have long been associated with monumental architecture, especially temples, altars and auxiliary buildings. However, it is important to note that natural features were sometimes predecessors of these architectural elements. At times, even into the Hellenistic period and later, natural features actually delineated sacred areas, as has recently been shown in various cities in Asia Minor. This lecture will examine various types of natural elements associated with ritual localities in Athens: caves, rock-cut features, trees and groves, as well as bodies of water. It will, moreover, examine the role they played in the cultic practices conducted at these sites.

Professor Katja SpornGerman Archaeological Institute at Athens

Professor Sporn is the Director of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens and a professor at the University of Munich. Her fields of expertise range from Crete in the Classical and Hellenistic periods through to Greek funerary art and religion. She has directed archaeological field work at Kolonna, Aegina, and at the important sanctuary of Apollo at Kalapodi, thought by many to be ancient Abai, in Phokis. Her tour will take her to Sydney, Armidale, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, Brisbane, Newcastle and Melbourne.

SYDNEY PUBLIC LECTUREAncient Phokis. Settlements, Fortifications, and Sanctuaries

CCANESA Boardroom Level 4 Madsen BuildingUniversity of Sydney

THIS IS A FREE EVENT

Wednesday 10 August, 6:00pmBookings: T: 9351 4759E: arts.aaia@sydney.edu.au

Refreshments will be served

2016 AAIA VISITING PROFESSOR

Ancient Phokis lies in the pivotal region of central Greece and extends from Delphi in the west to Kalapodi in the east, neighbouring Boiotia, Western and Eastern Locris and the Doric Tetrapolis. It is dominated by mount Parnassos (highest peak 2457 m) and includes the fertile Kephissos plain in the north-east. Today the region is barely known, although it is full of remains especially of fortification walls, to a lesser extent of sanctuaries (mainly Delphi and Kalapodi), and of settlements. The lecture will offer an introduction into the topography and history of this neglected area of ancient Greece.