The Erotic Goddess of the Syme Sanctuary, Crete
The pottery, architectural remains, and artifacts excavated at the interregional sanctuary at Syme on Crete document the importance and continuous use of the site from ca. 2000 B.C.E. down to the sixth/ seventh century C.E. Votives of the first millennium indicate that Hermes was worshiped there tog...
Saved in:
Published in | American journal of archaeology Vol. 113; no. 4; pp. 521 - 545 |
---|---|
Main Author | |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Boston
Archaeological Institute of America
01.10.2009
|
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get more information |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | The pottery, architectural remains, and artifacts excavated at the interregional sanctuary at Syme on Crete document the importance and continuous use of the site from ca. 2000 B.C.E. down to the sixth/ seventh century C.E. Votives of the first millennium indicate that Hermes was worshiped there together with an erotic goddess as early as the 10th century and that in the Hellenistic period, this goddess was Aphrodite. The archaeological evidence from the sanctuary is incompatible with current theories of Aphrodite's origins. Instead, it emphasizes the local factor as the motive force in the genesis of Aphrodite and the contribution made by local cults throughout Greece and Cyprus in the development of her personality. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0002-9114 1939-828X |
DOI: | 10.3764/aja.113.4.521 |