The Study of the Concept of the Sacred Hearth and Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Their Association with the Prytaneion, Its Origins, and Its Development
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THE STUDY OF THE CONCEPT OF THE SACRED HEARTH AND GREEK GODDESS OF THE HEARTH AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE PRYTANEION, ITS ORIGINS, AND ITS DEVELOPMENT A Master’s Thesis by ESRA ÇAYIR Department of Archaeology and History of Art Bilkent University Ankara September 2006 THE STUDY OF THE CONCEPT OF THE SACRED HEARTH AND GREEK GODDESS OF THE HEARTH AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE PRYTANEION, ITS ORIGINS, AND ITS DEVELOPMENT The Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent University by ESRA ÇAYIR In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF ART BILKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA September 2006 I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Archaeology and History of Art. --------------------------------- Dr. Jacques Morin Supervisor I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Archaeology and History of Art. --------------------------------- Asst. Prof. Dr. Charles Gates Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Archaeology and History of Art. --------------------------------- Asst. Prof. Dr. Burcu Erciyas Examining Committee Member Approval of the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences --------------------------------- Prof. Dr. Erdal Erel Director ABSTRACT THE STUDY OF THE CONCEPT OF THE SACRED HEARTH AND GREEK GODDESS OF THE HEARTH AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE PRYTANEION, ITS ORIGINS, AND ITS DEVELOPMENT Çayır, Esra MA, Department of Archaeology and History of Art Supervisor: Dr. Jacques Morin September 2006 This thesis examines the concept of the sacred hearth and also Hestia, the goddess of the sacred hearth in Greece in association with the origins and developments of the Prytaneion, which is connected to one of the most important civic institutions of the Greek city-state. In the thesis, the meaning and functions of the Prytaneion are defined in accordance with the literary and epigraphic sources. Some identified and excavated examples are also described in the thesis. Related to the Prytaneion, the monumental hearths in the Mycenaean palaces and examples of house architecture from the Iron Age will be emphasized briefly to look at the possible cultic and architectural origins of the Prytaneion. Keywords: Prytaneion, sacred hearth, perpetual fire, Hestia, goddess of the hearth, city-state, civic institution, house, domestic architecture. iii ÖZET KUTSAL OCAK KAVRAMI VE YUNAN OCAK TANRIÇASI ĐLE BERABER BUNLARIN PRYTANEION YAPISI, BU YAPININ KÖKENLER Đ VE GEL ĐŞĐ MĐ ĐLE ĐLG ĐSĐNĐN ĐNCELENMES Đ Çayır, Esra Master, Arkeoloji ve Sanat Tarihi Bölümü Tez Danı şmanı: Dr. Jacques Morin Eylül, 2006 Bu tez Yunan şehir devletlerinin en önemli şehir kurumlarından biri olan Prytaneion’un kökenleri ve geli şimi ile ilgili olarak kutsal ocak kavramı ile Yunan ocak tanrıçası olan Hestia’yı incelemektedir. Tezde Prytaneion’un anlamı ve fonksiyonları yazılı kaynaklar ve yazıtlar uyarınca tanımlanmı ştır. Bazı tanımlamı ş ve kazılmı ş örnekler hakkında da tezde bilgi verilmi ştir. Prytaneion yapısı ile ilgili olarak büyük Miken saray ocaklarına ve Demir Ça ğına ait ev mimarisi örneklerine de Prytaneion yapısının muhtemel kült ve mimari kökenlerini incelemek için kısaca de ğinilmi ştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Prytaneion, kutsal ocak, sönmeyen ate ş, Hestia, ocak tanrıçası, şehir devleti, şehir kurumu, ev, konut mimarisi. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank, first of all, my thesis advisor Dr. Jacques Morin, who answered all my questions with patience and helped me with his suggestions during the formation of this thesis. He was also a tremendous help for me to translate French articles. I would like to express my thanks to Dr. Thomas Zimmermann for his help with German articles. I also thank the thesis committee members, Assist. Prof. Dr. Charles Gates, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Burcu Erciyas. I express my thanks to my parents for their support and patience. I am grateful to my brother and sister for their kindness, optimism and support during my turbulent times. Without my family’s support I could not have reached this point. I am grateful to Ye şim Özalp for being with me as my precious friend in my good and bad days sharing my joy, sorrow, and hopes. I also express my thanks to Evren Đmre, Egemen Đmre, Elif Örgü and Selen Ça ğlayık for their support and technical aid whenever I needed. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................iii ÖZET...................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................... v Table of Contents.................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ......................................................................................................viii INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................1 THE FIRE AND THE HEARTH AS CULTIC ENTITIES IN THE GREEK WORLD WITH THE GREEK GODDESS OF THE HEARTH, HESTIA AND HER PARALLELS..................................................................................................6 II.1. The Fire And Hearth as Cultic Entities in the Ancient Greek World ......7 II.2. Greek Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth: Possible Origins, Characteristics, and Parallels ..........................................................................13 II.2.1. The General Knowledge on the Origins of the Greek Goddess Hestia...13 II.2.2. The Characteristics of Hestia and Her Association to the Sacred Hearth in the Prytaneion ................................................................................................16 II.2.3. Identified Parallels to the Greek Hestia: Scythian Tabiti/ and Roman Vesta ..................................................................................................................24 THE IMPORTANCE, FUNCTIONS, ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS AND IDENTIFIED EXAMPLES OF THE PRYTANEION AS A CIVIC INSTITUTION...................................................................................................... 35 III.1. The Definition and the Importance of the Prytaneion...........................36 III.2. Functions of the Prytaneion....................................................................41 III.2.1. Religious Functions ...............................................................................41 III.2.2. Dining ....................................................................................................44 III.2.3. Law Court ..............................................................................................47 III.2.4. Archive and State Repository ................................................................48 III.2.5. Social Welfare Institution ......................................................................49 III.3. Architectural Elements of the Prytaneion..............................................51 III.4. The Prytaneion of Athens .......................................................................54 III.5. Archaeologically Identified and Excavated Prytaneia...........................57 III.5.1. Securely Identified Prytaneia.................................................................58 III.5.2. Posible Prytaneia....................................................................................63 vi POSSIBLE ARCHITECTURAL ORIGINS OF THE PRYTANEION AS A BUILDING TYPE ................................................................................................. 77 IV.1. The Association of the Prytaneion to the Bronze Age Megaron and the Mycenaean Monumenal Hearth.......................................................................78 IV.2. The Association of the Prytaneion Plan to the Examples of Iron Age House Plan ........................................................................................................82 IV.3. The Association of the Architectural Plan of the Prytaneion to Houses After the Iron Age ............................................................................................89 CONCLUSION...................................................................................................... 93 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................99 FIGURES............................................................................................................ 116 APPENDICES..................................................................................................... 156 A. EXAMPLES OF INSCRIPTIONS WITH INVITATION TO XENIA............ 156 B. EXAMPLES OF INSCRIPTIONS WITH INVITATION TO DEIPNON ...... 158 C. EXAMPLES OF INSCRIPTIONS WITH INVITATION TO SITESIS ......... 160 vii LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1. Drawing of the north frieze of the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi 525 BC. No. 2 is Hestia between Hephaistos (1) and Dionysos (3). Boardman, 1978: Figure 212.1. Fig. 2. Hestia on the Attic Black Figure Dinos by Sophilos, 580-570 BC. http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk. Fig. 3. Hestia (K), Dione (L) and Aphrodite (M) on the East Pediment