The New Greek Temple at Apollonia:

Excavations of a New Greek Temple: The Bonjakët Hamlet near Illyrian Apollonia

By Professor Jack Davis

Free Public Seminar – Tuesday 9 August 2011

Cultural Collections, Auchmuty Library 1pm

Jack Davis completed his undergraduate education at the University of Akron in 1972 and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati in 1977. From there he joined the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he taught until 1993. Since 1993 he has been a member of the faculty at the University of Cincinnati where he holds the post of Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology.  Since 2007 he has been serving as Director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Professor Davis has directed archaeological projects on the island of Keos, in the Nemea Valley, and in the area of the Palace of Nestor in Messenia.  His research interests include the history and archaeology of Ottoman and early modern Greece and the history of Classical archaeology, in particular its relationship to nationalist movements in the Balkans. Currently Prof Davis is directing regional studies and excavations in Albania, in the hinterlands of the ancient Greek colonies of Durrachium/Epidamnos and Apollonia and he is also engaged in a project to publish unpublished finds from Blegen’s excavations at the Palace of Nestor at Pylos.

A sculptural relief from Apollonia of the goddess Artemis.

Foundations of the new temple at Apollonia

Synopsis: In 2002, in the course of surveying the plain west of the ancient Greek colony, archaeologists from a joint Albanian-American expedition discovered remains that appeared to mark the location of an ancient Greek temple or sanctuary. Subsequent excavations in 2004 – 2006 explored what turned out to be a well-stratified site and managed to disentangle its rich history. This talk will discuss the circumstances of the discovery of the site and will present a chronicle of its excavation.  The lowest levels can be dated to the 7th century BC and contain dedications similar to those found at Perachora and elsewhere in Corinthian lands. A stone temple was built ca. 500 BC and worship continued until the 2nd century. By Roman times the site had been abandoned for cult purposes and a villa was built on top of it.