Natural Features in Greek Cult Places and Ritual: the Case of Athens

Venue: Malaysian Theatre B121, Melbourne School of Design

Presenters: Professor Katja Sporn

Greek sanctuaries have been connected with monumental architecture for a long time, especially with temple architecture, altars and functional buildings. But natural features were sometimes predecessors of architectural elements; in other cases, even in Hellenistic Times and later, they intentionally outlined the sacred places, as has been recently shown, especially in various cities of Asia Minor. The lecture will discuss various types of natural elements associated with ritual places in Athens: caves, rock-cut features, trees and groves, as well as water. A major theme will be to trace the role and function of these elements in the cult of the sites.

Katja Sporn (PhD in Classical Archaeology, Heidelberg) is the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens Visiting Professor for 2016.

from
https://events.unimelb.edu.au/events/7375-natural-features-in-greek-cult-places-and-ritual-the-case