Greek Sanctuaries: course writing assignment

Greek Sanctuaries

Instructions: 

Please select ONE of the following topics for the course writing assignment, or you may propose your own topic.

Please consider each topic as a point of departure for your exploration, you need not develop your paper adhering precisely to its wording or specific questions.

This paper (ca. 1800 words or ca. 7 pages; images, title page, and bibliography are exclusive of page/word count) should present a coherent, organized, and polished scholastic work that demonstrates your independent research into Greek Sanctuaries and Greek Religion.

The papers are due on 2 April 2026.

Please see the guideline to citations (on Avenue) for indications on bibliography, footnotes, format and referencing.

Papers will be evaluated on content, organization, grammar, bibliography, and use of examples and images.

It is expected that your paper contains images; they should be labeled as figures and include captions, e.g. Figure 1: the Athenian Acropolis overlooking the city of Athens. Images may be placed within the body of the text or at the end of the paper.

Topics

1. The Panathenaic was the largest festival in the city of Athens. In an examination of the city-wide event that culminates at an intra-urban sanctuary, what do we know about the rites of the festival, and what did it mean for the city of Athens? Additionally, how does Perikles’ building program relate to, and perhaps reflect, the festival?

2. Discuss the development of one of the important sanctuaries not explored fully in class: The Sanctuary of Zeus at Dodona, Artemis at Brauron, Apollo at Amyklai/Sparta, Zeus at Nemea, the Argive Heraion, Hera at Perachora, Poseidon at Isthmia, Apollo at the Ptoion and Demeter Malophoros at Selinus all have rich histories of building and worship. Trace the development of one of the sanctuaries and discuss its monumental growth across the archaic and Classical Periods.

3. Tyrants and sanctuaries: some of the most notable offerings and structures at Greek sanctuaries are the result of tyrannical rule. Selecting no more than three sanctuaries, what can offerings/building at sanctuaries tell us about Greek tyrants in the archaic period? Are such dedications more similar to civic or private offerings?

4. Consider the context of rivalry both within and between Greek cities as demonstrated at Pan-Hellenic Sanctuaries. To what degree did competing interests use sanctuaries and/or athletic competitions as a forum for display? How closely can competing political interests at sanctuaries be chronicled? How does this fit into our understanding of interpolis interactions in general?

5. The cult of Demeter and Kore is one of the most widespread in the Greek world. What are the specific rites and votives associated with the cult, and how did they vary across the Greek world? Why was this cult so popular and who were the primary participants in the cult?

6. Greek sanctuaries frequently undertook significant expenditures including sacrifice and capital projects such as the construction of a new temple. These things would not be possible without substantial funding. Discuss the economics of Greek sanctuaries including funding and managements of sacred money. You might begin an inquiry with the inscriptions from the Athenian Acropolis, Delphi, or Delos.

7. Dining at sanctuaries occurred frequently, but practices and infrastructure varied across sites. Selecting 2-4 sanctuaries, explore dining practices including dedicated spaces such as hestiatoria. Is it possible to determine 1) what was consumed, either through written accounts or zooarchaeological evidence? 2) where hestiatoria or other facilities exist, is it possible to determine by whom and when they were used? How did the existence of the facilities contribute to or determine the nature of the festival?

8. Hero cults are an important but often overlooked aspect of Greek religion. Selecting one hero cult, investigate the mythological importance of the hero and relevance to its home city. After describing the archaeology of the sanctuary, investigate ancient authors’ references to the cult.

9. Healing cults were an important part of the Greek world from the late Classical Period. Investigating a healing cult (Asklepios, Amphiaraos at Oropos), examine how and why such a cult differs from other sanctuaries. How did the site function and what occurred there? What does this indicate about the nature of medicine/healing in the Greek world?

10. Delphi had a fundamental role in Greek Colonization. A narrative developed around new foundations that indicated potential founders consulted the Oracle before departure and that Apollo had a guiding hand in the process. How do religion and colonization intersect at the site and how is Delphi’s role in colonization portrayed in Greek myth and history? What purpose did this colonial narrative serve in the archaic period?

11. When the Greeks set up colonies overseas, they imported their gods along with them as part of their transplanted culture. Looking at a small number of colonies, examine their religious institutions to determine whether discrete colonial trends can be discerned or, perhaps, ties with the mother city were present in the new foundation.

12. Greek colonies worshipped their heroic founders (oikists) as heroes, that is, they were considered semi-divine beings. Examining a small number of colonies, discuss the archaeological and historical basis of founder worship. How were they worshipped in the city? You may consider both archaeological and historical/literary evidence.

13. One theme explored in class is the differentiation of use of temples (two or more) at the same sanctuary. Selecting 1-2 sanctuaries, explore this phenomenon. What is the evidence for different uses and the motivations behind it (religious, civic, etc.). Sanctuaries such as the Athenian Acropolis and Zeus at Olympia lend themselves well to this analysis, but reduplication can also be found at Paestum, Akragas, Metaponto, and Selinus. Is there a discernable attempt to invoke awe (thauma) and/or delight (charis) in the arrangement?

14. The logistics of operating a sanctuary have been explored in greater depth in recent scholarship. Explore the practical aspects of operating a sanctuary; you could focus on one or multiple aspects of administration, from handling crowds to paying for the sacrifices themselves. How did sanctuaries manage hygiene, food preparation/division, and/or overall safety concerns?

15. Develop your own topic. Explore an aspect of sanctuaries and/or religious life of the ancient Mediterranean that you find interesting, puzzling, or worthy of attention. I’m happy to work with you on refining a topic and finding bibliography for your research please use Pausanias and Vitruvius De architectukovre as a source (important )