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Social Science Archaeology

Stymphalos, Volume One

The Acropolis Sanctuary

edited by Gerald Schaus

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Nov 2015
Category
Archaeology, Cultural, General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781487520427
    Publish Date
    Nov 2015
    List Price
    $80.00
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781442645295
    Publish Date
    May 2014
    List Price
    $180.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442662292
    Publish Date
    May 2014
    List Price
    $153.00

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Description

The buildings and artefacts uncovered by Canadian excavations at Stymphalos (1994–2001) shed light on the history and cult of a small sanctuary on the acropolis of the ancient city. The thirteen detailed studies collected in Stymphalos: The Acropolis Sanctuary illuminate a variety of aspects of the site. Epigraphical evidence confirms that both Athena and Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth, were worshipped in the sanctuary between the fourth and second centuries BCE. The temple and service buildings are modest in size and materials, but the temple floor and pillar shrine suggest that certain stones and bedrock outcrops were held as sacred objects. Earrings, finger rings, and other jewelry, along with almost 100 loomweights, indicate that women were prominent in cult observances. Many iron projectile points (arrowheads and catapult bolts) suggest that the sanctuary was destroyed in a violent attack around the mid-second century, possibly by the Romans.

A modest sanctuary in a modest Arcadian city-state, the acropolis sanctuary at Stymphalos will be a major point of reference for all archaeologists and historians studying ancient Arcadia and all southern Greece in the future.

About the author

Gerald P. Schaus is a professor in the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Gerald Schaus' profile page

Editorial Reviews

‘This meticulously documented and amply illustrated book will be welcomed warmly by scholars interested in both Greek religion and the history of the region, and be envied for the completeness and speed of publication of such a broad corpus of excavated material.’

Bryn Mawr Classical Review, August 2015