Sanctuary of Athena and other deities

Author of the notice : A. Mazarakis Ainian

Location

Place : Acropolis, Ay. Konstantinos hill, Paroikia
: Paros
: Paros isl.
Notice linked to toponyme Paros, Minoa

Description

GENERAL

A temple of Athena (Temple A) and architectural members belonging to other two temples, were discovered on the hill Agios Konstantinos at the modern town of Paros (Paroikia). The site was doubtless the Acropolis of Paros town. Part of the hill, however, including its W peak, has fallen into the sea due to erosion.


 

MONUMENTS

TEMPLE A. A late archaic temple (Temple A) can be restored not only from the architectural remains found in situ, but mostly from those incorporated in later houses and the altar of the Byzantine church of Katapoliani. The temple must have been amphiprostyle of Ionic Order, divided into a pronaos, a cella and an opisthodomos. The large gneiss foundation slabs of the opisthodomos and the cella were preserved. The façade was 14,70 m wide with the total length of the building reaching 30 m. Architectural members of an altar, possibly belonging to Temple A, were found incorporated in the church of Kantapoliani (for recent excavations by Y. Kourayos click here).

TEMPLE B. A second temple (Temple B), which can be restored by architectural members, found incorporated in the wall of Kastro, the church of Katapoliani, as well as the chapel of Saint Nikolas, must be contemporary. This temple is consisted of a cella and an adyton.

TEMPLE C. Architectural parts of a third temple were found in second use in the Kastro and the small church of the Cross.


 

FINDS

Fragments of a colossal statue of Athena Promachos

Votive columns

The statue should be restored in temple A and dates to 480-470 B.C. Two votive columns of the 6th c., part of the Museum collection, is believed to belong to an archaic sanctuary on the acropolis of Paroikia.


 

CHRONOLOGY

Temple A dates to 530-520 B. C. Geometric sherds, found around the temple, suggest that the cult activity at the site goes back to the 8th c. Temple B dates to 520 B.C. Temple C dates also to the Late Archaic period.


 

IDENTIFICATION

Temple A has been identified as the temple of Athena, mentioned in later epigraphic sources. Because of its form, Temple B was associated with the temple of Apollo Pythian (Pythion), also known from later epigraphic evidence. An association with a chthonian divinity has also been proposed for this temple


 

RECORDS

Excavation Date: 1917, 1970, 1972

Institution/Excavator: German Archaeological Institute/Rubenschon O., Technical University of Munich/Gruben G.

Excavation Type: Systematic


 

REFERENCES

Primary Publications:

  • Gruben G.  1970. Der Hekatompedon von Naxos und der Burtempel von Paros, AA 1970: 144-153
  • Gruben G. 1972. Naxos und Paros. Dritter vorläufiger Bericht über die Forschungkampagnen 1970 und 1971, AA 1972: 366-368
  • Gruben G. 1982. Der Burgtempel A von Paros, AA 1982:197-229.
  • Rubenschon O. 1917. Die praehistorischen und frühgeschichlichen Funde auf den Burghügel von Paros, AM 1917: 2-6.

Secondary Publications:

  • Berranger D. 1992. Recherches sur l’histoire et la prosopographie de Paros à l’époque archaïque, Clermont Ferrand, Ed. de l’Université Blaise-Pascal, 70-71, 240
  • Despinis G. 1979. Προβλήματα τῆς παριανῆς πλαστικῆς τοῦ 5ου αιώνα π.Χ. Thessalonique, 69
  • Mermoz J. 2010. La vie religieuse des Cyclades de l’HR IIIC à la fin de la période archaïque, Lyon, PhD Thesis, 100-105
  • Ohnesorg A. 2005. Naxian and Parian architecture. General features and new discoveries, Yeroulanou M., Stamatopoulou M. (eds), Architecture and Archaeology in the Cyclades, papers in honour of J.J.Coulton, Oxford, 146-147
  • Ohnesorg A. 1999. Das Zapheiropoulos-Kapitell in Paros, Eine Votivsäule ohne Bildwerk ?,  N. Ch. Stambolidis (ed), Φως Κυκλαδικóν, Τιμητικóς τóμος στη μνήμη του Νíκου Ζαφειρóπουλου, Athènes, 220-231.
  • Schilardi D. V.  1988. The temple of Athena at Koukounaries, Hägg R. (ed), Early Greek Cult Practice, Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium at the Swedish Institute at Athens, 26-29 June 1986, Stockholm,43
  • Schilardi D. V. 1996. Il culto ed il santuaria di Athena a Koukounaries, LanzillotaE. (ed) Le Cicladi ed il mondo Egeo.Atti del Seminario internazionale di studi, Roma, 1921 novembre 1992, Rome, 54
  • Schilardi D. V. 2002. The Emergence of Paros the Capital, Pallas 58: 241
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Monuments dedicace cultual law decreet insc. honorific other Ref
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Finds dedicace cultual law decreet insc. honorific other Ref
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