Why Did the Early Greeks Build Temples? is the lecture presented by Professor Catherine Morgan, OBE in South Australia next week.
The professor – who will be visiting Australia from Kings College London where she is professor of Classical Archaeology and director of the British School at Athens – will be in Adelaide on Tuesday 11 September on behalf of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (AAIA) and The Society of the South Australian Friends of the AAIA Inc.
Temples are often taken for granted as essential features of Greek sanctuaries. Yet following the collapse of the Mycenaean palaces, the nature and function of buildings at cult sites varied – and many sanctuaries were entirely open air. From the 8th century onwards, a marked increase in the number of buildings has led to discussion of how and why the idea of a temple arose and was widely adopted. Far from being a simple progression, the variety of Early Iron Age buildings found in recent years suggests a series of local decisions, which can only be understood in the context of previous cult practice. This lecture will draw on extensive new discoveries and studies over the past decade to explore how and why the notion of a temple widely emerged. Special attention will be paid to the area of the Corinthian Gulf.
The lecture Why Did the Early Greeks Build Temples? will be held on Tuesday 11 September at 7:00 pm for 7:15 pm start at the Napier Building (Room GO4), University of Adelaide. For more information contact Spiros Sarris, President SA Friends on 0404 145 455