Mound of Ash Reveals Shrine to Zeus : Discovery News

THE GIST:

• Recent excavations have found a shrine dedicated to Zeus.
• This altar may be the first of its kind.
• Zeus was the king of the gods in the pantheon of Greek mythology.

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Excavations at the Sanctuary of Zeus atop Greece’s Mount Lykaion have revealed that ritual activities occurred there for roughly 1,500 years, from the height of classic Greek civilization around 3,400 years ago until just before Roman conquest in 146.

“We may have the first documented mountaintop shrine from the ancient Greek world,” says project director David Romano of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Ritual ceremonies were conducted in a part of the open-air sanctuary called the ash altar of Zeus. It now consists of a mound of ash, stone and various inscribed dedications to Zeus, the head god of Greek mythology. Romano’s team has found no evidence of a temple or structures of any kind on Mount Lykaion.

Work conducted over the past two years at the ash altar of Zeus has unearthed material from many phases of Greek civilization. Finds include pottery of various types, terra cotta figurines of people and animals, and burned bones of sheep and goats.

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Related Links:

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• Colossal Apollo Statue Unearthed in Turkey
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• HowStuffWorks.com: Ancient Greece
• Zeus Cult Sacrificed Animals on Mountaintop Altar

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Chemical analyses have revealed traces of red wine on the inside surfaces of some pottery fragments, Romano says.

His team reported initial evidence of ritual activity at the ash altar of Zeus in 2007. The new discoveries indicate that ancient Greeks kept returning to the sacred site for a remarkably long time.

Fancy six weeks in Greece?

http://corinth.sas.upenn.edu/lykaion/lykaion.html

Field Season 2009

A new excavation and survey has begun at the Sanctuary of Zeus on Mt. Lykaion in Arcadia, Greece. The sixth field season, summer 2009, will have three major aspects, excavation, architectural documentation and topographical survey in addition to ongoing geological, geophysical and historical surveys.

The dates of the summer 2009 season are June 9 – July 21, 2009.

· Excavation: 6 supervisors, 6 staff

12 positions are available. Supervisors should have extensive excavation experience. Staff members should have some background in Classical Studies, ancient history, anthropology or archaeology.

· Architectural Survey and Drawing: 1 supervisor, 4 staff

5 positions are available as graduate fellowships funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The objective is to create architectural actual-state drawings of the previously excavated and exposed buildings, monuments and structures at the mountain site. Skills in measured hand drawing as well as CAD and rendering skills are necessary. Ability to create actual-state drawings of above ground architecture and monuments in two and three dimensions.

· Topographical survey: 1 supervisor, 5 staff

6 positions are available. Supervisor should have extensive archaeological survey experience. Staff members should have some background in Classical Studies, ancient history, anthropology or archaeology in addition to the following:

· Experience in data collection and analysis
· Experience as surveyor
· Familiarity with CAD software
· Familiarity with ESRI software (ArcGIS)
· Familiarity with Microsoft Office

· Museum: 1 supervisor, 1 staff

2 Positions available. Supervisor should have extensive museum and field experience. Staff members should have some background in Classical Studies, ancient history, anthropology or archaeology.

·Photographer:

1 position available. Duties to include object photography as well as site photography.

Household Manager:

For excavation in Greece in small village near Megalopolis.
June 9 – July 21, 2009. Greek speaker preferred. To help with food shopping and to coordinate the logistics of housing and laundry in the village where the team of about 30 archaeology students and staff lives.

·Cook:

For excavation in Greece in small village near Megalopolis.
June 9 – July 21, 2009. Greek speaker preferred.
To help organize and prepare meals, buy supplies and work with household manager for a team of about 30 archaeology students and staff.

· Expenses:
Depending on funding, the expenses of each individual will include airfare and subsidy for room and board for 6 weeks, a total of roughly $2500.00. Some fellowships are available.

To apply for any of these positions write a letter of application, including a curriculum vitae and include the name, address (and e-mail address) of a reference who is familiar with your work. Send your application to:

David Gilman Romano, Ph.D.
C0-Director, Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Survey Project
Mediterranean Section
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
3260 South Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19104-6324

Or send to: dromano@sas.upenn.edu / phone: 215 898-4437

View of Ano Karyes

“Schon vor Beginn der Verehrung des Göttervaters wurden auf dem Lykaion Opfer gebracht
Die Opferstelle auf dem Gipfel des Lykaion über dem Peloponnes ist etwa tausend Jahre älter als bisher angenommen. Dies belegen fünftausend Jahre alte Tonscherben, die ein Grabungsteam amerikanischer und griechischer Wissenschaftler in der Nähe des dem Zeus zugeschriebenen Altars gefunden hat. …”

Nach Vermutung der Wissenschaftler wurden an dem Altar, der als früheste Kultstätte und Geburtsort des griechischen Göttervaters gilt, vor ihm bereits Naturgewalten verehrt.

Lest dazu den ganzen Artikel “Wo Zeus geboren wurde” von wissenschaft.de, die Original-Pressemitteilung des Penn Museum (englisch) und das Weblog der Ausgräber auf dem Lykaion (ebenfalls englisch).