Sanctuaries of Zeus: Mt. Lykaion and olympia in the early iron age Item Type Article; text Authors Romano, D.G.; Voyatzis, M.E. Citation Romano, D. G., & Voyatzis, M. E. (2021). Sanctuaries of Zeus: Mt. Lykaion and olympia in the early iron age. Hesperia, 90(1), 1–25. DOI 10.2972/hesperia.90.1.0001 Publisher American School of Classical Studies at Athens Journal Hesperia Rights Copyright © American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Download date 26/09/2021 07:37:53 Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ Version Final published version Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/660820 () SANCTUARIES OF ZEUS Pages – M. L O E I A ABSTRACT Recent excavations at the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion have revealed evidence for ritual activity at the ash altar of Zeus from the Mycenaean through the Hellenistic period. Indications of continuous activity at this cult place beginning in the Late Bronze Age invite consideration of possible connections between this site and others in the Peloponnese, including the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia. Although altars composed of ash became fairly common in the Early Iron Age, we propose that the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and its impressive ash altar may have been inspired by key aspects of the much older cult place at Mt. Lykaion, which it ultimately overshadowed in subsequent centuries. INTRODUCTION Situated in the Arcadian mountains, near the ancient and modern borders of Elis and Messenia, the Sanctuary of Zeus on Mt. Lykaion was one of the most famous Zeus shrines in the ancient world (Fig. 1). It consisted of an ash altar and temenos at the southern peak of the mountain, and an administrative and athletic complex in a lower mountain meadow (Fig. 2). A number of ancient authors refer to the remote location and great antiq- uity of the site. Famed as one of the birthplaces of Zeus, Mt. Lykaion was 1. e Sanctuary of Zeus at has been run as a synergasia between of Arizona. Mt. Lykaion was investigated in the 39th Ephorate of Prehistoric Romano is grateful to the School the late 19th and early 20th centu- and Classical Antiquities in Tripolis of Historical Studies, Institute for ries, principally by Kourouniotis on (now the Ephorate of Antiquities of Advanced Study, and the Andrew W. behalf of the Archaeological Society Arcadia) and the University of Arizona Mellon Foundation for support in the of Athens. His important excavation under the auspices of the American winter and spring of 2018. e authors reports are Kourouniotis 1904 and School of Classical Studies at Athens. also appreciate the assistance of the 1909. Since 2004, renewed research, e director of the project is Anna Archaeological Mapping Lab, School excavation, and study have been Karapanagiotou of the Ephorate of of Anthropology, University of Arizona, underway as the Mt. Lykaion Excava- Antiquities of Arcadia, and the co- in creating the maps and plans for this tion and Survey Project, http://lykaion directors are David Gilman Romano article. excavation.org. Since 2006 this project and Mary E. Voyatzis of the University © A S C S A . also known for the practice of human sacriªce at the altar, and for humans Figure 1. Map of the Peloponnese, turning into werewolves.« Two preliminary reports have been published showing Mt. Lykaion and other key that summarize recent work at the site between 2004 and 2010, including sites. D. G. Romano, M. Pihokker, and A. Mayer, after E. Gaba; Wikimedia Com- excavation at the upper level of the sanctuary from 2007 to 2010, and in mons CC BY 3.0 the mountain meadow from 2006 to 2010.® A second ªve-year excavation permit granted in 2016 allowed a renewal of investigations at the site.¯ e Lykaion sanctuary was one of several important cult sites that existed in the Peloponnese by the Early Iron Age (EIA). Some of these sanctuaries may have been connected via river pathways cutting through the region, most prominently the Eurotas, the Alpheios, and the Pamisos 2. Both Callimachus (Hymn 1.5–9) the history of the cult, see Cook 1914, http://lykaionexcavation.org. and Pausanias (8.36.3) talk about the pp. 63–99. For werewolves and an 3. Romano and Voyatzis 2010, 2014, birth of Zeus on Mt. Lykaion. Mul- excellent summary of the sacriªces 2015. tiple ancient authors mention human at Mt. Lykaion, see Burkert 1983, 4. We continued our excavations at sacriªce at the Sanctuary of Zeus at pp. 83–93. Most of the ancient literary the altar in each of the summer seasons, Mt. Lykaion including Paus. 8.38.5–7; accounts relating to the Sanctuary 2016–2019, and plan to complete our eophr. in Porph. Abst. 2.27; Pl. Resp. of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion are conve- ªve-year permit in 2021. 565d; Pseudo-Plato, Minos 315c. For niently found at the project website: . µ Figure 2. Map of the upper and lower parts of the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion. D. G. Romano, M. Pihokker, and A. Mayer ¶ . Rivers. ey include sites such as the Sanctuary of Apollo at Amyklai, south of Sparta, and the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia, while the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia in Sparta reveals evidence of activity likely beginning a little later.¸ In this article we examine how these sites of sacriªce and ritual gathering may relate in terms of appearance, landscape, communication, ªnds, chronology, and cult. RESULTS FROM THE RECENT EXCAVATIONS AT MT. LYKAION e ash altar at Mt. Lykaion is situated at the very top of a natural conical formation at the southern peak of the mountain (Fig. 3). e peak ex- tends 24 m above a ¹at terrace to the south, identiªed by Kourouniotis as the temenos, which he measured as 55 m wide and up to 120 m long (Figs. 2, 4).º Human engineering fashioned the top of the southern peak into a circular shape best seen by means of a Google Earth satellite image (Fig. 5). e diameter of the circular shape is ca. 30 m; part of the stone retaining wall to support the ash can be seen to the south and west.» e ash altar was comprised primarily of heavily burned animal bones, which were mixed together with ash and huge amounts of pottery, ter- racotta ªgurines, miniature bronze tripods, coins, lead dedications, and other o¼erings.½ All the material points to a long history of ritual use, with consistent activity from the Mycenaean through the Hellenistic period.¾ e animal bones consisted principally of heavily burned sheep and goat femurs (thigh bones), patellas (knee bones), and tail bones.¿ e deepest layer contained Mycenaean pottery, ranging in date from the Mycenaean through the Hellenistic period (Fig. 6). Kylikes were the most common type of vessel identiªed. In some parts of the altar, an EIA layer may be discerned immediately above the Mycenaean one by EIA pottery including, for example, a Laconian-style skyphos (Fig. 7). A heavy concentration of ªre-cracked rocks and dedications comprises a region that we have labeled an “area of intense burning,” likely established in the EIA in the southern part of the altar, immediately above the Mycenaean level. It re¹ects the intense heat generated in this concentrated area, which contained a variety of votive o¼erings and ceramics. 5. For a discussion of the earli- belonging to the columns holding the it is not clear what the nature of the est pottery from the site, see Coulson golden eagles of Zeus mentioned by activities were during those times. 1985, pp. 31, 63–66. Of the nearly 400 Pausanias (8.38.7). is early pottery is mostly the kind catalogued Laconian EIA pieces, just 7. e stone retaining wall was of household assemblage common in a a small fraction (ca. 14) are said to be likely constructed near the end of the domestic setting, but the southern sum- from Artemis Orthia (Coulson 1985, 7th century Â.Ã.; see Romano and mit of the mountain lacks water and pp. 67–84). By far the majority comes Voyatzis 2014, pp. 625–629. is inhospitable, windy, and cold even from Amyklai, where huge quantities of 8. Romano and Voyatzis 2014, in the summer, therefore it is highly such material continue to be uncov- pp. 578–626. For a geoarchaeological unlikely that it was a site of habitation ered; see also Vlachou 2012; 2018, study of the evidence for ritual from in any period. pp. 99–110. the altar, see Mentzer, Romano, and 10. See the appendix by Starkovich 6. Kourouniotis 1904, pp. 160–161. Voyatzis 2017, pp. 1038–1041. in Romano and Voyatzis 2014, p. 645. Kourouniotis reports that in 1897, 9. Neolithic, Early Helladic, and 11. Romano and Voyatzis 2014, Kontopoulos found two large stone Middle Helladic pottery was also found pp. 580–582. bases that he correctly identiªed as in the excavations of the altar, though . Å Figure 3. ¤e southern peak of Mt. Lykaion, from the northeast. Photo D. G. Romano Figure 4. ¤e altar of Zeus, the temenos, and the stone bases for the columns of the sanctuary, from the east. Photo D. G. Romano Figure 5. Satellite image of the southern peak of Mt. Lykaion, November 2013. Base image Google Earth; annotations D. G. Romano Æ . Figure 6. Mycenaean kylikes found in situ during the excavation of the ash altar at Mt. Lykaion. Photo A. Rohn Figure 7. Laconian-style skyphos (C-Z-051-12 + C-Z-060-11) from Mt. Lykaion. Scale 1:3. Drawing C. L. Kolb Farther north at the very summit of the southern peak in a shallower part of the altar we uncovered a manmade architectural platform consist- ing of irregular long, ¹at ªeldstone slabs constructed on top of bedrock.