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Excavation

  • Siris Herakleia
  • Policoro
  • Siris Herakleia
  • Italy
  • Basilicate
  • Province of Matera
  • Policoro

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Credits

  • The Italian Database is the result of a collaboration between:

    MIBAC (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Direzione Generale per i Beni Archeologici),

    ICCD (Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione) and

    AIAC (Associazione Internazionale di Archeologia Classica).

  • AIAC_logo logo

Summary (English)

  • The most important find from the excavation of the eastern area of the sanctuary of Demeter was the Hellenistic sacred well. Formed by a ring of clay (diam.90cm, height 50cm), it had a lid with a central hole. Close to the well numerous votive vases had been deposited during ritual celebrations: to the north were miniature drinking vessels and a cup with a perforated base; to the east a votive deposit composing of small hydria and jugs of various sizes; to the south and west were balsamari, miniature bowls and a votive of Demeter with a cruciform torch.

    Trench 3/95 revealed the late archaic remains of a ritual banquet with a fragment of obolos, pig’s teeth, a cup with omphalos, drinking vessels, a Black-figure lekythos, a cleaver, an iron knife, jugs and a spearhead (whose presence in this context is still unclear).

    During the period 433-432 B.C. the sanctuary of Demeter was situated inside the walls of Herakleia, in the centre of the city near the agora. It was composed of two small temples both facing north, the megaron A, in the upper part and the megaron B lower down the slope near the springs. When Herakleia became part of the Italiot League (347 B.C.) the sanctuary was enlarged. On its upper part a wall was built, reinforced by orthostats alternating with niches. In front of this, beside megaron A, a terrace was created, closed by a retaining wall at the bottom. A central courtyard with a semicircular altar (_bothros_) and a smaller rectangular courtyard, both having ritual functions stood on the terrace. From here, a flight of steps, of limestone blocks, lead down to the area of the springs. On the slope behind megaron B, oikos C was built. The central area of the sanctuary was delimited by two porticoed structures.

  • Maria Luisa Nava - Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Basilicata 

Director

  • Michael Tschurtschenthaler - Univ. Innsbruck Institut fur Klassische Archeologie Leopold-Franzens

Team

  • Brinna Otto - Università di Innsbruck

Research Body

  • Universitá di Innsbruck, Austria (Ist. archeologia classica)

Funding Body

  • Università di Innsbruck

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