Kernos Revue internationale et pluridisciplinaire de religion grecque antique 24 | 2011 Varia The Sanctuary of Zeus Ammon at Kallithea (Chalicidice) Elisavet Bettina Tsigarida Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/kernos/1964 DOI: 10.4000/kernos.1964 ISSN: 2034-7871 Publisher Centre international d'étude de la religion grecque antique Printed version Date of publication: 1 January 2011 Number of pages: 165-181 ISSN: 0776-3824 Electronic reference Elisavet Bettina Tsigarida, « The Sanctuary of Zeus Ammon at Kallithea (Chalicidice) », Kernos [Online], 24 | 2011, Online since 01 February 2014, connection on 02 May 2019. URL : http:// journals.openedition.org/kernos/1964 ; DOI : 10.4000/kernos.1964 Kernos Kernos 2A (2011), p. 155-181. The Sa ctuary of keus Ammo at /allithea (Chalicidice) AbstractM This paper presents the sanctuary of &eus Ammon at 1allithea, 2halcidice, where three related deities were worshipped. The cult of Dionysos and pro.a.ly that of the Nymphs .egan in the late 8th century (2 or earlier in a cave in the southern part of the sanctuary. The cult of &eus Ammon was introduced in the first half of the Ath century (2, and in the second half of the century a Doric peristyle temple and an open-air corridor running parallel to the temple and flanked .y two rows of monumental .ases that supported sculpture were .uilt. The cult of Asclepios was introduced in the same period. In the 2nd century AD the sanctuary reached its apogeeM the area was reorganized, the old .uildings were altered and new edifices (two o.long .uildings for spectators in front of the temple of &eus Ammon, a .alneum-therapeuterion etc.) were .uilt. Résumé M 2et article pr sente le sanctuaire de &eus Ammon L 1allithea en 2halcidi-ue, oJ trois divinit s li es entre elles taient honor es. Le culte de Dionysos et, pro.a.lement, celui des Nymphes a commenc L la fin du VIIIe si;cle av. J.-2., ou plus tFt, dans une grotte situ e dans la partie sud du sanctuaire. Le culte de &eus Ammon a t introduit dans le premier -uart du IVe si;cle av. J.-2. et, dans la deuxième moiti du si;cle, on a construit le temple dori-ue p ristyle et un porti-ue ouvert parall;le au temple et flan-u de deuN rang es de .ases monumentales -ui soutenaient des sculptures. Le culte dIAscl pios a t introduit L la mGme p riode. Au IIe si;cle de notre ;re, le sanctuaire atteint son apog e M lIespace est r organis , les anciens .âtiments sont transform s et de nouveauN difices sont construits (deuN .âtiments allong s pour les spectateurs en face du temple de &eus Ammon, un lieu thermal et de cure, etc.). The sanctuary of &eus Ammon at 1allithea, 2halcidice is situated .y the sea, in a .eautiful, forested area of the western peninsula of the 2halcidice. The site was discovered in 1958, when illegal .uilding activities destroyed part of the foundation and the crepidoma of a monumental .uilding, which afterwards proved to .e a temple. The rescue eNcavation that followed from 1959 to 1970 .rought to light a temple which was attri.uted to &eus Ammon, following the discovery of a votive inscription to the god.1 South of the temple, research revealed the remains of a shrine which was attri.uted to Dionysos on the .asis 1Ph. PETSAS, “ku ow|x jklo z| zs|_, Oeltion 25 (1970) (2, 2hron., p. 35A-351X ID., “lx|so klmksx~xso 1958-1970_, w%A"IJ&A 25 (1975), p. 237-2A5X Steph. (yz., s.v. Àzs. 155 (. TSIGARIDA of the name of the god inscri.ed on many sherds found there. This shrine was recorded in ancient Greek literature.2 The sanctuary was eNcavated again from 2005 to 2008, as part of the proPect “Sanctuary of &eus Ammon of 2halcidice – enhancement and presentation to the pu.lic_, financed .y the European )nion and the Greek State. This recent eNcavation was carried out in three areasM a) the shrine of Dionysus and the Nymphs, .) the temple of &eus Ammon, and c) a Roman .ath discovered north of the temple.3 This paper aims at the presentation, dating and interpretation of the monu- ments which came to light in the sanctuary as well as the discussion of the identification of deities worshipped there and their cult practices. 2. The history of the area The sanctuary eNtends from the slope of a forested hill with water springs and waterfalls down to the seaX originally, this area was in the territory of the Eretrian colony of Aphytis.A Later, after the founding of 2assandreia in 315 (2, it was incorporated into its territory and .ecame the most important sanctuary of the city and the whole peninsula until late anti-uity. From the (yzantine era onwards the area constituted the territory of the Metochi of the Russian monastery of Panteleemon on Mt. Athos and was e-uipped with water-mills and a port for the eNportation of the agricultural products of the entire peninsula of 2assandra.5 The masonry of the ancient .uildings was used for the construction of the Metochi (.uildings used .y the monks), while it is reported .y travelers that the monks and local population were often engaged in illegal digging. Statues, inscriptions, antefiNes, fragments 2 Eu. J)RI-LEVENTOPO)LO), “ßx splu| zx ow|x su jklo z| zs|_, AAA 3,3 (1971), p.355-355X Eu. J)RI, “ßx splu| zx sx|”qx ks zx splu| zx ow|x su_, in ).JANT&EN (ed.), Neue Forschungen in griechischen 0eiligtümern. Symposion in 3lympia, 1f71d 3ktober 197a, Tü.ingen,1975,p.13A-150XXen., 0ellenica V,3,13-19. 3 E.(. TSIGARIDA, S. VASILEIO), “|kqks• ks o~~p plkqp qzx splu zx w|k k qz| Ók~~sr•k k~ssn_, tI v !%&IBI|&AK ™ |I #CF w%A"IJD% A%& AF 19 (2005), p.339-3A5X E.(. TSIGARIDA, S. VASILEIO), D. PATTIS, “|kqksn •lp|k qzx splu zx w|x su qz| Ók~~sr•k z k~ssn kzo zx •zx 2007_, tI v !%&IBI|&AK ™ |I #CF w%A"IJD% A%& AF 21 (2007)inpress. A Xenophon calls it “the sanctuary of Dionysos at Aphytis_ (Xen., 0ellenica V, 3, 19). See also M. &A,RNT, 3lynth und die Chalkidier, Munich, 1971, p.15A-159X F. PAPA&OGLO), .es villes de Mac5doine 8 l25poque romaine, LC0 Suppl. XVI (1988), p.427-A28X E.VO)TIRAS, “ßx splu zx sx|”qx qz| z_, in w CIE. w"B™C"E #CF HJ(HF CFE @IBD%E IAICIIBI, Thessaloniki, 2000, p.631-5A0. 5D. FEISEL, M. SÈVE, “La 2halcidi-ue vue par 2h. Avezou_, LC0 103 (1979), p.250X &A,RNT, o.c.(n.4)XPAPA&OGLO), o.c.(n.4)XVO)TIRAS, l.c.(n.4). The Sanctuary of &eus Ammon at 1allithea 157 of simas, pottery and other o.Pects were taken to the Monastery, where they are still housed.5 2. The sa ctuary of _io ysos7 The few remains of the cult of Dionysos were found near a cave, which is located at the foot of a forested slope in the southern part of the sanctuary, in an area with dense vegetation, rocks and waterfalls.8 The eNcavation of the area yielded (ronze Age pottery, indicating the area has .een inha.ited since the (ronze AgeX however, on the .asis of pottery, the cult of Dionysos dates to the second half of the 8th century (2 or earlier.9 No temple of the god has .een discovered in that area and the only structures of the shrine are a monumental staircase and the remains of a fountain house. It is assumed that Dionysos and the nymphs were worshipped in the cave – which was a common ritual practice in ancient Greece (Fig. 1). ,owever, no cult evidence has .een found inside the cave.10 Only a few sherds, inscri.ed with the name Fig. 2 M The cave in the southern part of the of the god, were discovered in sanctuary and the surrounding area, the fountain houseandthefallenRomancistern. front of its entrance (Fig. d). This lack of evidence is pro.a.ly due to intense .uilding activities in the whole shrine of Dionysos in the Roman Imperial Period and afterwards. For the same 5 For the illegal digging .y the monks N.(. 2,RDSANT,IDIS, vCI#!™&IE " &| %}( CFE §%BA&&A(E §" #IJ(#I H"C2 % !%&IBI|&A¥J #FH"&¥#"J A%& &#CI &A¥J #H JCJ, 2onstantinopolis, 1870, p.12X N. STAMOS, ¡ F &A( £%##J % %J CIE %&¥J%E, Athens, 1951, p. 35. Today many anti-uities are housed in the Li.rary of the Monastery, S. AT,ANASIADIS, 2h. 2,EILAS, °|&IJ ± IE A%& I! &#C&%J&A( v !%&KCFC%, Thessaloniki, 2005,p. 5A-57. 7 The sanctuary of Dionysos is recorded .y Xenophon (see n. 2). See also VO)TIRAS, l.c. (n. A). 8 The area is much changed todayM the waterfalls have disappeared and the water from a spring in the area is pipedto a near.y hotel. Eu. PO)LA1I-PANTERMALI, M.VAXEVANOPO)LOS, “ßx qjn~ksx qzx splu zx ow|x su qz| Ók~~sr•k k~ssn 200A_, tI v !%&IBI|&AK ™ |I #CF w%A"IJD% A%&Θ AF18(200A),p.125-131. 9SeeVO)TIRAS, l.c. (n. A). Thepotteryimpliesthatitstartedearlierinthe10thor9thcent.B2. 10 The cult of the Nymphs has .een suggested .y Eugenia Juri, see J)RI-LEVENTOPO)LO), l.c. (n. 2). For discussion of the cult of Dionysus in caves, see VO)TIRAS, l.c.