"The Heart of the Greek Race in Egypt": Revisiting the Hellenion at Naukratis (20 min)

Presenters

Camille Acosta, University of California, Irvine

Abstract

The site of Naukratis, in the western Nile Delta of Egypt, was founded around 620 B.C.E. as a trading port for Greeks in Egypt. The site was home to Greek sanctuaries of Aphrodite, Apollo, Hera, and the Dioskouroi, an Egyptian temple of Amun-Ra, as well as a sanctuary known as the Hellenion. Herodotus (2.178) described the Hellenion, a joint foundation of nine Greek poleis, as the largest and most-visited sanctuary at Naukratis. Excavations by David George Hogarth in 1899 and 1903 uncovered a large mudbrick enclosure wall that surrounded smaller structures, along with dedicatory inscriptions to deities such as Artemis, Aphrodite, Apollo, Heracles, and the Dioskouroi, as well as to the “gods of the Greeks” as a whole. As such, the Hellenion has long been viewed as an important locus for the formation of a pan-Hellenic identity on Egyptian soil.

However, the archaeology of the Hellenion is poorly understood. Hogarth’s publication of the Hellenion is confusing and contradictory, making it challenging to interpret the physical remains of this important site. Using Hogarth’s excavation reports, diaries, and photographs, this paper presents a reassessment of the archaeological evidence for the Hellenion, connecting objects to their original findspots, proposing possible interpretations of the architectural remains, and restoring finds and features which were not recorded in the final publication. This paper reveals how the process of excavation and selective retention of objects emphasized Greek material culture while obscuring Egyptian elements of the site, suggesting that Hogarth’s presentation of the Hellenion more strongly reflected contemporary ideologies rather than more complicated ancient realities.