Myth, Art, War and Greek Sanctuaries

Gillian Shepherd

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Gillian Shepherd

MDS1 ANG

Sanctuary of Zeus Olympios, Olympia

Image source page: http://www.sunrise-greece.com/pics/olympia1-big.jpg

To have a sanctuary you need: •  An altar (for the sacrifices and related ritual activities) •  A marked-off sacred space (temenos)

But you do not need: •  a temple (although this may be used for the cult statue and valuables) •  or any of the other buildings often found in sanctuaries, e.g. stoas, theatres etc (although these may contribute to the festivals and grandeur of a particular sanctuary)

Main types of sanctuaries

•  State sanctuaries (including urban and suburban eg the Sanctuary of Athena on the Acropolis in Athens)

•  Extra-urban sanctuaries (eg the Argive Heraion)

•  Interstate sanctuaries (also known as pan-Hellenic or interurban e.g Olympia and Delphi)

Image Source Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acropolis-Athens34.jpg

The Acropolis, Athens

Argive Heraion (ie Sanctuary of Hera) and the Argive Plain

Photo © Gillian Shepherd

Image Source Page: http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/esullivan/Period%202/brent/map_of_ancient_greece.htm

NB: Amphictyony

Basic ground plan of a Greek temple NB Altar and temenos

Image Source Page: http://proteus.brown.edu/greekpast/4895

Image Source Page: http://www.utexas.edu/courses/introtogreece/lect11/img22architordrs.html

The Orders

Image Source Page: http://shelton.berkeley.edu/175c/syllabus.html

Olympia (plan; NB Altis, Mt Kronos, Alpheios)

Image Source Page: http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/ARTH209/geom_sculpt.html

Reconstruction of a bronze tripod cauldron, Olympia Original fragments of the later 8th cent. BC Cf Iliad 23.264 (funeral games of Patroklos)

Stadium, Olympia (looking east; NB 1 stade = approx. 185 m)

Photo © Gillian Shepherd

The Olympic Games •  Traditional founding date of 776 BC •  Held every 4 years, part of great festival of Zeus •  Different events: footraces, hoplitodromoi (hoplite races), chariot and horse racing,

jumping, boxing, wrestling, the pankration, and the pentathlon (wrestling, long jump, running, discus, javelin)

•  Only Greek males could attend and compete (but cf. Kyniska) •  Participants had to pay for own training (ie tended to come from wealthier class) •  Only first prizes •  No team games •  Rules and fines against cheating •  Actual prize an olive wreath, but…

–  Feasts to celebrate –  Rewards in hometown, e.g. free meals, good seats at events, positions of influence, cash

•  Highly prestigious for victor and his polis

Olympia (reconstruction)

Image source page: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Model_of_ancient_Olympia.jpg

Temple of Hera, Olympia (c. 590 BC)

“The order of the temple is Doric, and columns stand all around it. In the opisthodomos (= back porch) one of the columns is of oak…”

Pausanias 5.16.1 (2nd cent. AD)

Photo © Gillian Shepherd

Temple of Zeus, Olympia (470-50) Architect Libon

Spoils of war: victory of Elis over Pisa Spartans dedicated gold tripod for gable after victory over Athens at Tanagra, 457

Photo © Gillian Shepherd

Image Source Page: http://www.cvaonline.org/sculpture/ashmolean/site/templezeussite.htm

Image Source Page: http://www.utexas.edu/courses/introgreece/lecture_16.html

Image Source Page: http://traveltourimmigration.blogspot.com/2011/10/statue-of-zeus-at-olympia.html

Temple of Zeus, Olympia NB Pheidias

East pediment, Temple of Zeus, Olympia (NB Sterope, Oinomaus, Zeus, Pelops, Hippodameia)

Image Source Page: http://www.fransite.net/Klassiek/Grieks/kunst/East%20pediment%20from%20the%20Temple%20of%20Zeus,%20Olympia,%20Greece,%20ca_%20470-456%20BCE_jpg_orig.html

Image Source Page: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/638qr1Q9LXB2rSuJvS3oX_LAGU8caTjpLtggXFcaKak

Image Source Page: http://archives.evergreen.edu/webpages/curricular/2006-2007/greeceanditaly/node/87/print/index.html

Temple of Zeus, West Pediment, Centauromachy (Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs) Theseus, Pethithoos (grandson of Zeus and king of Lapiths)

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Image Source Page: http://www.ancient.eu.com/image/423/

Image Source Page: http://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/Sculpture/ashmolean/context/OlympiaMetopesA069.htm

Temple of Zeus, Olympia Metopes Labours of Herakles

Temple of Zeus, Olympia Metope no. 3: Stymphalian birds

Image Source Page: http://www.trentu.ca/faculty/rfitzsimons/AHCL2200Y/LE%2011-03.htm

Temple of Zeus, Olympia Metope no. 10 Athena, Herakles and Atlas (golden apples of the Hesperides)

Image Source Page: http://www.buffaloah.com/a/virtual/greece/olympia/mus/source/41.html

Image Source Page: http://www.ancient.eu.com/image/439/

Temple of Zeus, Olympia Metope 12 Cleaning the Augean stables

Temple of Zeus, Olympia Metope 12 Herakles and the Bull

Image Source Page: http://www.lessing-photo.com/search.asp?a=1&kc=202020205AC0&kw=OLYMPIA%2C+TEMPLE+ZEUS+(GR)&p=1&ipp=

Image Source Page: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_image.aspx?image=ps254092.jpg&retpage=23155

Reconstruction of the Sanctuary of Zeus, Olympia

Photo © Gillian Shepherd

Treasury terrace, Olympia

Pausanias (6. 19) names the donors (problem: 10 names but 12 sets of foundations); the names may related to the remains in the following order (west to east): •  Sikyon (Greece) •  Syracuse (Sicily) •  Epidamnos (Albania) •  Byzantium (= Istanbul) •  Sybaris (Sicily) •  Cyrene? (North Africa) •  Cyrene? •  Altar? •  Selinus (Sicily) •  Metapontum (Italy) •  Megara (Greece) •  Gela (Sicily)

“There are some other things worth recording which are kept [in the Sikyonian Treasury]: Pelop’s gold-handled dagger and Amaltheia’s horn…a box-wood statue of Apollo with a gilded head…”