Reconstructing Greek Sacred Landscapes: Dynamics and Approaches from the Field

What is meant by “sacred landscape”? How can ancient sacred landscapes, greatly eroded by time, be reconstructed? In the landscape, how did the religious dimension relate to the economic, social and political dimensions? In this book, scholars with many years’ experience of archaeological approaches to Greek religion offer answers to these questions, by presenting a variety of case studies. The examples selected relate to various regions of the Greek world (Attica, Arcadia, Boeotia, Euboea, Asia Minor) and the periods covered range from the Late Bronze Age to the Byzantine era. Several chapters are based on survey data, which are examined in relation to written sources. Topics covered include the development of sacred landscapes over the long term and the integration of major sanctuaries into their wider environment (Olympia, Kalapodi, Artemision at Amarynthos). The contributions reveal different understandings of a sacred landscape. As a modern concept, the latter is examined in a methodological introductory chapter. Two recent ethnographic examples, one from Morocco and the other from India, provide further food for thought. The book is intended as an incentive to exploit the heuristic potential of the concept of sacred landscape, while defining its boundaries.