Votive Deposits or Sacred Rubbish? Reassessing the Evidence from the Acropolis of Syracuse (20 min)

Presenters

Gulio Amara, Scuola Normale Superiore

Abstract

This paper investigates the archaic Greek sanctuary of Ortygia, on the uppermost part of the island acropolis of Syracuse, focusing on the ritual and votive deposits. The excavations, carried out from 1910 to 1917, brought to light not only a remarkable complex of architectural structures related to the Greek sanctuary, but also plenty of archaeological material dating back to the late eighth century B.C.E. However, since the publication of the archaeological report in 1918, this impressive context has been never investigated nor the body of archaeological evidence entirely examined.

Based on the legacy data form these excavations and the recent examination I conducted of the full corpus of ritual and votive objects, this paper aims to bridge this gap. It is thus possible to identify and locate different archaeological assemblages within the temenos. These are mostly related to “practical” purposes such as the filling and leveling of renovated areas, the consecration of new sacred buildings, or their dismantling with the consequent disposal of refuse.

Therefore, this investigation sheds light on the actual function, realization, and meaning of depositions in relation to their specific contexts. It demonstrates that the discard of sacred materials is not purely utilitarian, but ritually organized by the community of worshippers in order to meet cult and ideological purposes.

The paper focuses on the following aspects: (1) take stock of the different deposits, taken as independent archaeological assemblages within the Syracusan sanctuary; (2) the main deposit beneath Building A (“stipe sacra”) as a key-study: formation processes, layout, and typology; (3) identification of ritual agency lying behind the (functional) architectural development of the sanctuary.