Toponyme

KYTHNOS

The sanctuaries of the island of Kythnos have been the focus of intensive investigations since 2001, by the University of Thessaly under the direction of the author, in collaboration of the Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of the Cyclades (website: http://extras.ha.uth.gr/kythnos/). A series of sub- and extra-urban sanctuaries have been located, several thanks to Adonis Kyrou, who guided us to them. These have now been mapped and are currently under study by the author and Dora Papagellopoulou of the Ephorate. The urban sanctuaries of the ancient capital of the island, the homonymous Kythnos (today called Vryokastro) have been published in a preliminary form in L. Mendoni & A. Mazarakis Ainian (eds.), Kea-Kythnos: History and Archaeology, Athens 1998; the sanctuary of Demeter on the acropolis formed part of the unpublished Ph.D. thesis of C. Mitsopoulou (Το ιερό της Δήμητρας στην Κύθνο και το αττικό ελευσινιακό σκεύος, Univ. of Athens 2007; see also id., Το ιερό της Δήμητρας στην Κύθνο και η μίσθωση του ελευσινιακού τεμένους, in I. Leventi & C. Mitsopoulou (eds.), Ιερά και λατρείες της Δήμητρας στον αρχαίο ελληνικό κόσμο, Athens 2010, 43-90). In 2002 and thereon until 2006, an important discovery was made, that of the unplundered inner sanctum ("adyton") of a temple of the North extremity of the Middle Plateau of the city of Kythnos, dated in the Archaic period. The back room of the Doric temple was full with offerings in precious metals, mostly jewels, and a great variety of luxurious objects, dated mostly from the seventh to the early fifth centuries B.C., though certain objects date back to the Early Iron Age and there were also "antiques" dating to the Late Bronze Age. The finds in the "adyton" were perhaps re-positioned there during the Hellenistic period, following a damage of the temple by an earthquake. A second violent destruction some time later led to the final collapse of the edifice and the preservation of its contents up to the present day.

The opulence of the finds both from within the temple as well as from the large votive deposit discovered nearby is impressive. The offerings, mostly jewels, were of gold, silver, bronze, bone and ivory, carnelian, rock crystal, glass paste, faience, amber, semi-precious stones etc. A number of imports from all over the Aegean World, as well as the East and West Mediterranean (Phoenician, Egyptian, South Italian) were also found. Among the finds there were significant numbers of terracotta seated female figurines. The pottery was broken though several vases were intact, coming from various production centres of the Aegean (the Cyclades, East Greece and Ionia, Corinth, Athens and Attics). Some of the Athenian black figure vases may be linked to master painters.

Judging by the character of the finds and the architectural layout of the sanctuary (double sacred "oikos" and two altars standing on the side next to it) the cult may have been addressed to two divinities. Apollo and Artemis are likely candidates (this hypothesis is also supported by a few graffiti, which however are not conclusive). The study and publication which are well under way will contribute towards a better understanding of ancient Greek cult practices. Preliminary studies have appeared: A. Mazarakis Ainian, Inside the adyton of a Greek temple: Excavations on Kythnos (Cyclades), inΜ. Geroulanou & M. Stamatopoulou (eds.), Architecture and Archaeology in the Cyclades, Colloquium in honour of J.J. Coulton, Oxford University, April 16-17, 2004, Oxford 2005, 87-103; id. Réflexions sur les systèmes votifs aux sanctuaires de Kythnos (Cyclades), in C. Prêtre (ed.), Le donateur, l'offrande et la déesse. Lille 13-15/12/2007, KernosSuppl. 23, 2009, 287-318; id., Ein antikes Heiligtum auf Kythnos, in H. Frielinghaus & J. Stroszeck (eds.), Neuen Funden in griechischen Städten und Heiligtümern. Kolloquium. 4.-5. Nov. 2005. Univ. Regensburg (Festschrift Bernard Wesenberg) Wiesbaden 2010, 21-53; id. with C. Mitsopoulou, Απότηνεπιφανειακήέρευναστηνανασκαφή. Το ιερό της αρχαίας Κύθνου, inE. Konsolaki (ed.), ΕΠΑΘΛΟΝ. Αρχαιολογικό Συνέδριο προς τιμήν του Άδωνι Κ. Κύρου, Πόρος, 7-9 Ιουνίου 2002, Athens 2007, 301-374. Several collaborators have either finished their MA thesis on the study of certain categories of finds (M. Panagou on the Corinthian pottery, C. Koukoulidou on the silver jewelry, D. Vai on the bone and ivory offerings, all in 2008, while M. Koutsoumpou has presented the Orientalising pottery from the sanctuary in two symposia, at the British School at Athens (2012) and the University of Amsterdam (2013), the acts of which are in preparation; T. Theodoropoulou also published a synthesis of the mollusks and corals from the sanctuary in (The sea in the temple? Seashells from the sanctuary of the ancient town of Kythnos and other marine stories of cult, in G. Ekroth, J. Hjohlman (eds), Bones, behaviour and belief. The osteological evidence as a source for Greek ritual practice, Skrifter utgivna av Svenska Institutet i Athen, in press). A joint publication of the Kythnos excavation is in preparation and will be published by the end of 2014.

The double temple with its two altars stood on a massive terrace which on its turn was bordered by a monumental terrace wall, more than 60 metres long. The latter may belong to the Hellenistic period and seems to mark the monumental reorganization of the entire upper plateau of the ancient city, allowing large-scale communal gatherings. It cannot be excluded that the Agora of the Kythnians was situated here. This idea is further strengthened by the discovery and excavation (from 2009 to the present day) a few metres lower down the slope of a large public edifice dated in the late Classical and Hellenistic period The architectural layout and the finds, which include votive offerings and official lead weights and measures of the Kythnians, suggest that the edifice may have been a Prytaneion. The pottery was presented by Yula Tsiloyanni,Ελληνιστική κεραμεική από το Κτίριο 5 της αρχαίας πόλης της Κύθνου, in the Θ' Meeting of Hellenistic Pottery held in Thessaloniki between 5-9/12/2012.

Kythnos, Thermia

KYTHNOS


The sanctuaries of the island of Kythnos have been the focus of intensive investigations since 2001, by the University of Thessaly under the direction of the author, in collaboration of the Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of the Cyclades (website: http://extras.ha.uth.gr/kythnos/). A series of sub- and extra-urban sanctuaries have been located, several thanks to Adonis Kyrou, who guided us to them. These have now been mapped and are currently under study by the author and Dora Papagellopoulou of the Ephorate. The urban sanctuaries of the ancient capital of the island, the homonymous Kythnos (today called Vryokastro) have been published in a preliminary form in L. Mendoni & A. Mazarakis Ainian (eds.), Kea-Kythnos: History and Archaeology, Athens 1998; the sanctuary of Demeter on the acropolis formed part of the unpublished Ph.D. thesis of C. Mitsopoulou (Το ιερό της Δήμητρας στην Κύθνο και το αττικό ελευσινιακό σκεύος, Univ. of Athens 2007; see also id., Το ιερό της Δήμητρας στην Κύθνο και η μίσθωση του ελευσινιακού τεμένους, in I. Leventi & C. Mitsopoulou (eds.), Ιερά και λατρείες της Δήμητρας στον αρχαίο ελληνικό κόσμο, Athens 2010, 43-90). In 2002 and thereon until 2006, an important discovery was made, that of the unplundered inner sanctum ("adyton") of a temple of the North extremity of the Middle Plateau of the city of Kythnos, dated in the Archaic period. The back room of the Doric temple was full with offerings in precious metals, mostly jewels, and a great variety of luxurious objects, dated mostly from the seventh to the early fifth centuries B.C., though certain objects date back to the Early Iron Age and there were also "antiques" dating to the Late Bronze Age. The finds in the "adyton" were perhaps re-positioned there during the Hellenistic period, following a damage of the temple by an earthquake. A second violent destruction some time later led to the final collapse of the edifice and the preservation of its contents up to the present day.
 
The opulence of the finds both from within the temple as well as from the large votive deposit discovered nearby is impressive. The offerings, mostly jewels, were of gold, silver, bronze, bone and ivory, carnelian, rock crystal, glass paste, faience, amber, semi-precious stones etc. A number of imports from all over the Aegean World, as well as the East and West Mediterranean (Phoenician, Egyptian, South Italian) were also found. Among the finds there were significant numbers of terracotta seated female figurines. The pottery was broken though several vases were intact, coming from various production centres of the Aegean (the Cyclades, East Greece and Ionia, Corinth, Athens and Attics). Some of the Athenian black figure vases may be linked to master painters. 
 
Judging by the character of the finds and the architectural layout of the sanctuary (double sacred "oikos" and two altars standing on the side next to it) the cult may have been addressed to two divinities. Apollo and Artemis are likely candidates (this hypothesis is also supported by a few graffiti, which however are not conclusive). The study and publication which are well under way will contribute towards a better understanding of ancient Greek cult practices. Preliminary studies have appeared: A. Mazarakis Ainian, Inside the adyton of a Greek temple: Excavations on Kythnos (Cyclades), inΜ. Geroulanou & M. Stamatopoulou (eds.), Architecture and Archaeology in the Cyclades, Colloquium in honour of J.J. Coulton, Oxford University, April 16-17, 2004, Oxford 2005, 87-103; id. Réflexions sur les systèmes votifs aux sanctuaires de Kythnos (Cyclades), in C. Prêtre (ed.), Le donateur, l'offrande et la déesse. Lille 13-15/12/2007, KernosSuppl. 23, 2009, 287-318; id., Ein antikes Heiligtum auf Kythnos, in H. Frielinghaus & J. Stroszeck (eds.), Neuen Funden in griechischen Städten und Heiligtümern. Kolloquium. 4.-5. Nov. 2005. Univ. Regensburg (Festschrift Bernard Wesenberg) Wiesbaden 2010, 21-53; id. with C. Mitsopoulou, Απότηνεπιφανειακήέρευναστηνανασκαφή. Το ιερό της αρχαίας Κύθνου, inE. Konsolaki (ed.), ΕΠΑΘΛΟΝ. Αρχαιολογικό Συνέδριο προς τιμήν του Άδωνι Κ. Κύρου, Πόρος, 7-9 Ιουνίου 2002, Athens 2007, 301-374. Several collaborators have either finished their MA thesis on the study of certain categories of finds (M. Panagou on the Corinthian pottery, C. Koukoulidou on the silver jewelry, D. Vai on the bone and ivory offerings, all in 2008, while M. Koutsoumpou has presented the Orientalising pottery from the sanctuary in two symposia, at the British School at Athens (2012) and the University of Amsterdam (2013), the acts of which are in preparation; T. Theodoropoulou also published a synthesis of the mollusks and corals from the sanctuary in (The sea in the temple? Seashells from the sanctuary of the ancient town of Kythnos and other marine stories of cult, in G. Ekroth, J. Hjohlman (eds), Bones, behaviour and belief. The osteological evidence as a source for Greek ritual practice, Skrifter utgivna av Svenska Institutet i Athen, in press). A joint publication of the Kythnos excavation is in preparation and will be published by the end of 2014.
 
The double temple with its two altars stood on a massive terrace which on its turn was bordered by a monumental terrace wall, more than 60 metres long. The latter may belong to the Hellenistic period and seems to mark the monumental reorganization of the entire upper plateau of the ancient city, allowing large-scale communal gatherings. It cannot be excluded that the Agora of the Kythnians was situated here. This idea is further strengthened by the discovery and excavation (from 2009 to the present day) a few metres lower down the slope of a large public edifice dated in the late Classical and Hellenistic period The architectural layout and the finds, which include votive offerings and official lead weights and measures of the Kythnians, suggest that the edifice may have been a Prytaneion. The pottery was presented by Yula Tsiloyanni,Ελληνιστική κεραμεική από το Κτίριο 5 της αρχαίας πόλης της Κύθνου, in the Θ' Meeting of Hellenistic Pottery held in Thessaloniki between 5-9/12/2012.