Sanctuary of Athena

GENERAL

Karthaia is located at the SE coast of the island, at the Bay of Poles. Inside the fortification wall of the acropolis a temple, possibly dedicated to Athena, has been uncovered.

MONUMENTS

The temple was of Doric order, hexastyle in antis (23.20x11.10 m). It was oriented to the S. The walls were made of marble at the exterior side and of schist at the interior side. The columns and the entablature from the peristyle were made of stone from Aegina and the tiles were made of Parian marble.

MOVABLE FINDS: VOTIVE OFFERINGS & CULT EQUIPMENT

Two groups of acroteria, representing Theseus and Antiope and Thetis and Peleus, decorated the two gables (S and N). A statue of Athena must have occupied the central position of one of them. A small statue of the goddess was also found at the sanctuary.

CHRONOLOGY

The temple dates to the end of the 6th c. BC.

IDENTIFICATION

The cult recipient has been identified by the statue of the goddess, which occupied the central position of the gable, as well as by the small statue of Athena.The identification, however, is not absolutely sure.

RECORDS

Excavation Date: 1905, 1987-1989

Institution/Excavator: Graindor P. (1905), University of Athens/Mendoni L. (1987-1989), Simantoni-Bournia, E. (2001-2009)

Excavation type: Survey and restauration work

REFERENCES

Primary Publications:

Brönsted, P. O 1826. Voyages dans la Grèce accompagnés de recherches archéologiques et suivis d’un aperçu sur toutes les entreprises scientifiques, qui ont eut lieu en Grèce depuis Pausanias jusqu’à nos jours, I, Paris, pl, VI

Graindor, P. 1905. Fouilles de Karthaia (Ile de Kéos), BCH 29: 337-351

Mendoni, L. 1989. Αρχαιολογικές έρευνες στην Κέα: Αρχαία Καρθαία, Archaiognosia, 4 (1985-1986): 149-184

Simantoni-Bournia, E., L. Mendoni, T. Panagou, Καρθαία. Ελαχύνωτον στέρνον χθονός..., Athens 2009

Secondary Publications:

Mermoz, J. 2010. La vie religieuse des Cyclades de l’HR IIIC à la fin de la période archaïque, Lyon, PhD Thesis, 297

Ohnesorg, A.- Walter-Karydi, E. 1994. Mittelakrotere des Peripteraltempels in Karthaia, AA: 349-364

Ostby, E. 1980. TheAthenaionofKarthaia, OpAth, 13: 189-223

Papanikolaou, A. 1998. Η οικοδομική δραστηριότητα στη Ν κλιτύ της Ακροπόλεως της Καρθαίας, in L. Mendoni & A. Mazarakis Ainian (eds), Kea-Kythnos. History and Archaeology, Acts of an International Symposium, 22-25 June 1994, (MELETHMATA 27, ΚΕRΑ-ΕΙΕ), Αthens, 564-582

Papanikolaou, A. 1998.H στέγη του ναού της Αθηνάς στην Καρθαία, in L. Mendoni & A. Mazarakis Ainian (eds), Kea-Kythnos. History and Archaeology, Acts of an International Symposium, 22-25 June 1994, (MELETHMATA 27, ΚΕRΑ-ΕΙΕ), Αthens, 583-608

Schüller, M. 1991. Die Wandkonstruction dorischer Tempel auf den Kykladen, in A.Hoffmann (ed.), Bautechnick der Antike : internationales Kolloquium in Berlin vom 15-17. Februar 1990, DiskAB, 5, Mainz: 208-215

Touloupa, E. 1998. Ο γλυπτός διάκοσμος του ναού της Αθηνάς στην Καρθαία, in L. Mendoni & A. Mazarakis Ainian (eds.), Kea-Kythnos. History and Archaeology, Acts of an International Symposium, 22-25 June 1994, (MELETHMATA 27, ΚΕRΑ-ΕΙΕ), Αthens, 609-623