The Setting and Display of Cult Images in the Archaic and Classical Periods in Greece.

271 Pages·2004·5.5 MB·English

by  Sherri Dawson

ARCHAIC AND CLASSICAL CULT STATUES IN GREECE

THE SETTING AND DISPLAY
OF
CULT IMAGES
IN THE ARCHAIC AND CLASSICAL PERIODS
IN GREECE
By
SHERR! DAWSON, B.A.
A Thesis
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies
In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements
For the Degree
Master of Arts
McMaster Uni versity
© Copyright by Sherri Dawson, June 2002
MASTER OF ARTS (2002) McMaster University
(Classical Studies) Hamilton, Ontario
TITLE: The Setting and Display of Cult Images in the Archaic and Classical
Peri ods in Greece.
AUTHOR: Sherri Dawson, B. A. (Uni versity of Alberta)
SUPERVISOR: Dr. Gretchen Umholtz
NUMBER OF PAGES: xii, 257.
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ABSTRACT
The focus of this thesis is on ancient archaic and classical Greek cult statues and
how their placement reflects both the role of the statues themselves and the continuity in
worship. Greek sanctuaries generally exhibited a strong continuity of cult in terms of
building successive temples directly on top of the remains of their predecessors. The
sanctuary of Hera on Samos and the sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma are two such
sanctuaries in Asia Minor that exhibit this type of continuity even though their early
temples were replaced by large superstructures. The temple of Athena Nike in Athens is
another example of continuity, since the larger Classical temple was built on the same
site as the archaic one. The Athenian Parthenon, the temple of Zeus at Olympia, the
Classical Heraion at Argos and the Classical temple of Dionysos on the south slope in
Athens, however, were not built on the same site as the archaic temples. The relation to
the archaic site varies in each instance, but old statues or old sites continue to playa role.
The erection of these temples seems to correspond with a recent political victory in each
city; I believe that these achievements provided the impetus for the building of these
large temples and statues. This seems quite evident considering that each temple
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contained quite vivid victory imagery: the architectural sculpture was usually symbolic
of various conquests made by the Greeks, and the colossal statue housed in the cella often
depicted the same themes. Were they built primarily to showcase their newly acquired
power and prosperity? They certainly would have provided the sanctuary with a new and
very impressive physical focus, monumental in both scale and expense. But did they also
serve as a new spiritual focus? I do not think that they became the new focus of the cult,
although they were likely involved in it to some degree. I believe that the focus remained
on the ancient cult site and on the ancient cultic traditions. I think that the new adjacent
temple was primarily built as a type of victory monument, as an ostentatious display of
wealth and power that was meant to both impress the visitor and to thank the deity for
helping the city achieve their success. This study will examine the traditional religious
conservatism evident in the archaic period and see how it relates to the new needs of the
fifth century polis. The study of the location of the cult statues seems to reveal evolving
priorities in Greek religious life from the sixth to fifth centuries Be.
IV
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to extend my most heartfelt thanks to my
supervisor, Dr. Gretchen Umholtz, for the countless ways she has helped me during the
course of writing this thesis. I have really appreciated her guidance, insight, patience,
and understanding as well as her encouragement and enthusiasm. I would also like to
thank the other members of my committee: Dr. Michele George and Dr. Peter Kingston
for their insights, observations, and helpful suggestions. And last, but certainly not least,
I would like to thank my friends and my family, especially my parents, for the many
ways they have supported and encouraged me. A special note of thanks to my
grandfather for his generosity which enabled me to study at the American School of
Classical Studies in Athens and to see most of the sites examined in this thesis firsthand.
This thesis is dedicated to my mother in appreciation of her patience, her moral
support, and the many hours she has spent listening to my ideas, tutoring me in French,
and proofreading my work in its final stage.
S.D.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Illustrations .................................................................................. vii
I: Introduction ........................................................................................ 1
II: Continuity in Asia Minor. ..................................................................... 14
The Sanctuary of Hera on Samos ....................................................... 14
The Sanctuary of Apollo in Didyma ..................................................... 27
III: Continuity on the Mainland ................................................................. .43
The Sanctuary of Athena Nike on the Akropolis in Athens ..........................4 3
IV: Continuity and Adjacent Temple on the Akropolis in Athens ........................... 64
The Temple of Athena Polias ............................................................ 66
The Parthenon .............................................................................. 85
V: Adjacent Temples in the Peloponnesos and in Athens .... , ............................... 109
The Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia .............. " ..................................... 109
The Sanctuary of Hera at Argos ........................................................ 131
The Sanctuary of Dionysos Eleuthereus in Athens .................................. 153
VI: Conclusions ................................................................................... 175
Appendices .......................................................................................... 187
I: IG 13 474.1-92 .......................................................................... 187
II: Argive Heraion: Marble Head of Hera ............................................. 189
Illustrations ......................................................................................... 192
Bibliography ....................................................................................... 245
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
1.1 Wooden votive statuette, perhaps depicting the cult image of Hera from Samos,
ca. 650-625 Be. Height: 28.7 em. Stewart, 1990, v. 2, fig. 14.
1.2 Cult statues from Dreros, Crete: Apollo, Artemis, and Leto. Stewart, 1990, v. 2,
fig. 17.
1.3 Dreros, Temple of Apollo: plan, elevation, sections. The cult statues shown in
fig. 1.2 are depicted standing on a platform north of the central column.
Coldstrearn, 1977, fig. 102.
1.4 Reconstruction of the interior of the temple of Apollo at Dreros (Crete) in the
seventh century Be. The cult statues shown in fig. 1.2 are depicted standing on
a platform north of the central column. Stewart, 1990, v. 2, fig. 16.
1.5 Reconstruction of the Heraion at Sarnos with cult statue placed north of the
central colonnade. Stewart, 1990, v. 2, fig, 15.
2.1 Eighth century temple of Hera at Samos with central colonnade. Buschor and
Schleif, 1934, p. 160, fig. 13.
2.2 Eighth century temple of Hera at Samos with central colonnade and added
peristyle. Coldstream, 1977, fig. 105 (a).
2.3 Phased plan of the sanctuary of Hera at Samos including buildings and
monuments ranging in date from the eighth century BC until Early Christian
times (sixth century AD). Kyrieleis, 1993, fig. 7.2.
2.4 State-plan of "monopteros". Ohly, 1953, fig. 1.
2.5 Restored plan of "monopteros". Buschor and Schleif, 1934, p. 214, fig. 3.
VII
2.6 Base remains from the pronaos of the "Polykrates temple". Ohly, 1953, fig. 3.
2.7 Bronze statuette from the British Museum, probable copy of the bronze image of
Apollo by Kanachos from Didyma. Frazer, 1913, v. 4, fig. 45.
2.8 Early remains in adyton of temple of Apollo at Didyma. Remains of late
geometric enclosure walls and early naiskos remains. Drerup, 1964, fig. 12.
2.9 Restored plan of Archaic temple of Apollo at Didyma and naiskos in adyton.
Chuben, 1963,fig.5.
2.10 Restored plan of Hellenistic temple of Apollo at Didyma and naiskos in adyton.
Gruben, 1963, fig. 4.
3.1 Sanctuary of Athena Nike from the northwest. Travlos, 1971, fig. 204.
3.2 Temple of Athena Nike (Stage IV), from the east. Hurwit, 1999, fig. 182.
3.3 (a) Repository (Base for the cult statue) from the east (Mark, 1993, Plate 2); and
(b) Repository with deposit of figurines from the southeast (Travlos, 1971, fig.
201).
3.4 Plan and cross-section of the repository (base for the cult statue). Mark, 1993,
fig. 2.
3.5 Reconstruction of the base for the cult statue of Athena Nike. Mark, 1993, fig. 3.
3.6 Actual-state plan of early Nike Bastion and surroundings. Mark 1993, Plan A.
3.7 Plan of naiskos and repository (base for the cult statue). Mark, 1993, fig. 5.
3.8 Plan of the late 5th-century (Stage IV) Nike Sanctuary and southwest wing.
Mark, 1993, fig. 17.
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