Archaic Sanctuaries of the Cyclades: Research of the Last Decade

Abstract

In recent years much progress has been made in the study of the sanctuaries of the Cyclades, both in the field, with new excavations, as well as in restoration projects, and also towards their publication.A research project entitled Sanctuaries and Cults in the Cyclades was approved as part of a research grant attached to the Chaire Internationale Blaise Pascal for 2012/2013 awarded to me by the French state and the Regional Council of Ile-de-France. The project started in October 2012, in collaboration with the University of Paris 1 (Franis Prost) and the École pratique des hautes études (François de Polignac), and is still in progress. I have been assisted by Jean-Sébastien Gros, who designed the related website and database, Yannis Kalliontzis, who is responsible for the compilation of the written sources associated with the cults in the Cyclades (mostly the inscriptions referring to cult and cult places) and Olga Kaklamani who is responsible for compiling the basic bibliography and catalogues of cult places. The chronological scope of the project is restricted to the Geometric and Archaic periods, though the developments of the Classical era are largely taken into account. The Hellenistic and Roman periods have not been included in the compilation of the archaeological data, with the exception of late inscriptions which could refer to possible earlier cults. An interactive website and online database are in preparation and will be launched soon, hosted by the server of the Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology of the University of Thessaly.