Greek Cults Places & Sanctuaries Flashcards
Where were the cult areas in the Mycenaean age?
There were no separate temple buildings for cults, all worship was conducted in the palace complexes
When did the freestanding temple appear as a new architectural form?
The 8th century BCE
What was the temple considered as?
As well as the place for congregational cult, it was the HOME of the god
What resided inside of the temple?
The image of the deity it was dedicated to
What does the emergence of the temple reflect?
The new political-framework of the polis & worshipping the gods as protectors of their cities
What was the perachora?
The earliest freestanding temple
Describe the perachora
Very modest compared to later ones, a single room with a curved end, & modeled on houses of that time
What happened with temples of the 8th century & onward?
They had an increasing trend towards monumentality
What was the Heraion of Samos?
the first hekatompedon: a temple with a canonical length of 100 ft
Describe a hekatompedon
A rectangular temple, no longer house-shaped, a pedestal for the god image, & colonnaded
What was the altar?
The most important part of a cult site, was always outside of the temple (if there was one)
Describe the basics of an altar
The place where deities receive offerings/sacrifices & where worshippers make contact, often surrounded by a boundary wall to separate the holy ground from the rest, & had a basin of water for purification outside
What was a bomos?
A table-like altar for ouranic deities
What was a bothros?
A pit for deities below the earth (underworld)
What was an eschara?
A low-lying structure with openings to the bare earth which was also for underworld deities
