Why did early Greeks build temples?
Leave a commentTuesday, 7 August, 2012 by uoncc
FREE SEMINAR UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE
Speaker: Professor Catherine Morgan, Director of the British School at Athens.
Topic: Why did Early Greeks build temples?
Venue: Cultural Collections area, 2nd level, Auchmuty Library, University of Newcastle
Time: 1-2pm, Tuesday 14 August, 2012
Synopsis: Temples are often taken for granted as essential features of Greek sanctuaries. Yet, following the collapse of the Mycenaean palaces [around 1200 B.C.], the nature and function of buildings at all sites varied – and many sanctuaries were open-air. From the 8the Century B.C onwards a marked increase in the number of buildings has led to discussion of how and why the idea of a temple arose and was widely adopted. Far from being a simple progression, the variety of Early Iron Age buildings found in recent years suggests a series of local decisions, which can only be understood in the context of previous cult practice. The seminar will draw on extensive new discoveries and studies over the past decade to explore how and why the notion of a temple widely emerged {in the 8th Century B.C]. Special attention will be paid to the area of the Corinthian Gulf.
