Abstract
AbstractThe spatial turn in the humanities has yielded a rich set of theoretical paradigms and new technologies for incorporating space into the analysis of cultural forms. Qualitative geographic information systems (GIS) represent a new pathway for investigation into two uniquely challenging, but historically central, cultural phenomena of the ancient Mediterranean world: the mystery cult of the Great Gods of Samothrace and the seafaring that was central to Greek economy and identity. The cult of the Great Gods was celebrated in the northeastern Aegean from 600 BCE to 400 CE, and while its procedures were sealed by secrecy, its promise was as well known as it was unusual: safety in travel at sea. This promise has not been part of the scholarly investigation of the rites to date. GIS provides tools to test the hypothesis that the rituals worked, in that they created a social network of communicating, cooperating, mutually supportive nodes. The project shines historical light on one of the most famous of t...
Published Version
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