Sanctuaries and the Sacred focuses on the development of sacrality (“sacredness”) in Greek sanctuaries from the Late Bronze age to the Hellenistic period. Sacrality defined social, cultural and political life at its very core: it determined not only the proper way of conduct of humans with regard to the gods, but also defined social relationships between humans by posing strict (often implicitly understood) rules. This embeddedness of Greek religion is thus key to understanding many forms of social, cultural and political interaction in the Greek world.

During this course, we ask why sanctuaries developed into the principal centers where societal ideas about divinely sanctioned conduct came together and from which these ideas in turn emanated. We will be studying the various constituent components that made up sanctuaries as centers of religion: human actors, ritual practice, mythological traditions and demarcation and structural organization of sacred space. We will question how sacrality interacted with political power, the economy, arts and architecture. We will investigate votive practices and animal sacrifice as a central element of the Greek cult. We will furthermore seek to understand sacrality outside of sanctuaries proper: How did curses, oaths and invocations shape the “profane” world? And how did sacrality shape public spaces?

Central to this course is participation in the Spring School excursion to the sanctuaries of Eleusis in Attica as well as the sacred sites of the Corinthia, Achaea and Epidauros on the Peloponnese. The Spring School is organized by OIKOS (the national research school for Classical Studies in the Netherlands) in collaboration with HIERON (International Network for the Study of Ancient Greek Sanctuaries), the Dutch Institute at Athens, the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Vienna. Examination will be in the form presentations both on- and off-site.

Program, dates

Participation in the Spring School (Saturday, April 26 – Sunday May 4) is preceded by preliminary sessions in March and April (exact dates t.b.a.).

Saturday, April 26

Flight to Athens – Hotel in Athens

Sunday, April 27

• Sanctuary of Demeter and Corinth, Eleusis

Hotel in Korinth

Monday, April 28

• Sanctuary of Hera, Perachora
• Sanctuary of Poseidon, Isthmia

Hotel in Korinth

Tuesday, April 29

• Korinth:
  • Sanctuary of Apollon
  • Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore
  • Spring sanctuaries
  • Sanctuary of Aphrodite

Hotel in Korinth

Wednesday, April 30

• Aigeira
  • Sanctuary on the acropolis
  • Naiskoi at the theatre terrace
• Aigion (museum)
• Sanctuary of Poseidon Helikonios, Helike

Hotel in Aigion

Thursday, May 1

• Trapeza
• Sanctuary of Artemis Aontia, Ano Mazaraki
• Gremoulias
• Keryneia

Hotel in Aigion

Friday, May 2

• Patras (museum)
• Sanctuary of Demeter, Thea

Hotel at Epidauros

Saturday, May 3

• Epidauros
  • Sanctuary of Asklepios
  • Sanctuary of Apollon Maleatas

Hotel in Athens

Sunday, May 4

Flight back to AMS

Finances

Participation in the Spring School is free, but contingent upon acceptance by the course instructors. Accommodations and local transport will be offered at reduced cost (ca. 400, – p.p.). Food and travel to the school are not included. In general, expect to spend ca. 30 € per day on food. Tickets to Athens should go for 200, – to 300, – if you book on time.

Daily Schedule in Greece

The program has been designed so that we can visit and discuss all the important sites in the regions we visit. For this reason, the opening hours of the archaeological sites (08.00-15.00) will be used optimally. Late afternoons will be the preferred time to visit open sites. Lunch and other breaks will therefore be flexible. Dinner is usually after 20.00.

Examination

The examination of this course consists of three parts:

Reading List

See separate document.

Rules

Students must attend and prepare all scheduled activities and lectures. An active attitude is expected. Absence from the class is only allowed in case of force majeure. You must also provide proof of force majeure. In case you are absent without prior notification and proof of absence, your participation in the course will be considered terminated. If the absence is due to exceptional personal circumstances, you must report to the history study adviser as soon as possible.