Dining and Deposition: Distinguishing Human and Divine Use of Space in Sanctuaries by Deposits (20 min)

Presenters

Gunnel Ekroth, Uppsala University

Abstract

This paper addresses the use of sanctuary space by gods and humans in connection with dining after animal sacrifice. The starting point is the ancient Greek notion of a sanctuary as a temenos, a demarcated space set apart from surrounding secular or profane space. A temenos was owned by the deity but frequented just as often by humans, who were also the caretakers of the sanctuary and responsible for its upkeep and purity.

The question of human and divine use of temenos space in relation to dining after sacrifice can be approached by looking at the location, function and appearance of architecture, altars, monuments, water installations, and which areas were built upon or left empty. My focus is on the presence and contents of deposits connected to dining after sacrifice, encompassing the butchery and distribution of the meat, food preparation, the space allocated for cooking and consumption, the storage of equipment and the handling of waste, such as animal bones and implements used.

Which kinds of deposits inside temene can be linked to dining and to what extent did they structure sanctuary space and define its use by gods and humans? Were the visitors to the sanctuary meant to see that there were deposits on a particular location, that is, were they marked somehow? Which function did the deposits have, as permanent and visible markers of space or did they reflect a moment or action not important enough to be visibly recalled in a longer perspective, such as waste management? Finally, What can such deposits reveal of divine involvement in dining after sacrifice, that is, was dining an activity of interest for the gods or more strictly a human affair?