Moving down the mountain: pathways for sacred landscape transformation at ancient Epidaurus and Nemea

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper explores reciprocal relationships between landscape, human attention, and time. I present two sacred landscapes: Epidaurus and Nemea, located in Greece's northeastern Peloponnese. In both landscapes, worshipers created sanctuaries on prominent mountains. Eventually, their attention shifted downhill where they built larger, monumental sanctuaries on the flat ground. I trace each mountain’s role as a sacred landmark; I question what other social functions they had – if at all – after the new sanctuaries were built. I consider a wide range of evidence. I begin with a comparative example from Mount Fuji in Japan, and move on to archaeological excavation and survey data, ancient testimonials, and modern tourist reviews about the Greek sanctuaries. I also use Geographic Information Systems to quantify each Greek sanctuary’s visual impact in comparison to the surrounding topography. Woven together, these data reveal generations of sacral continuity. The Sanctuary of Asklepios and the Sanctuary of Zeus encircled new sacred temenoi, but worshipers’ collective memory guided their pathways and vision; through human senses, these mountains retained their role as sacred landmarks.