Hero-cult in Archaic and Classical Sparta: a study of local religion
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Nicolette A. Pavlides [Ph.D. Thesis - Hero Cult in Archaic and Classical Sparta].doc (10.92Mb)
Date
2011Author
Pavlides, Nicolette A.
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Abstract
This dissertation examines the hero-cults in Sparta in the Archaic and Classical periods on the
basis of the archaeological and literary sources. The aim is to explore the local idiosyncrasies of a
pan-Hellenic phenomenon, which itself can help us understand the place and function of heroes in
Greek religion. Although it has long been noted that hero-cult was especially popular in Sparta,
there is little known about the cults, both in terms of material evidence and the historical context
for their popularity. The first, second and third chapters query the origin and development of herocults
and challenge the traditional assumption that Helen, Menelaos and Hyakinthos were 'faded
gods‘. They also question the Dorian Spartan adaptation of Achaian heroes for political
propaganda. Instead, the evidence at the Menelaion and the worship of Agamemnon and
Alexandra/Kassandra, Orestes and others who remain anonymous to us, are viewed as a local
phenomenon reflective of the developing communal and social consciousness in Archaic and
Classical Sparta. The fourth chapter deals with the heroisation of the recently dead in the context
of the possible posthumous heroisation of the Spartan kings and other important communal
personalities. Thus, hero-cults are explained and interpreted as a changing phenomenon, which are
influenced and shaped by societal dynamics at any given time. It is concluded that in Sparta the
boundaries of the divine/heroic/mortal were fluid, which allowed a great variation in the
expression of cults. The fifth and sixth chapters study the more intimate relationship of the
individual to the hero through a survey of the votive deposits dedicated to heroes and an
iconographical analysis of the votives, such as the stone and terracotta reliefs. The study of the
archaeological record permits an analysis of the kinds of offerings to hero cults and an evaluation
of the architecture that housed such cults. Because of the material and spatial distribution of the
votive deposits, I conclude that Sparta had a large number of hero shrines scattered throughout the
polis which attests to an enthusiastic and long-lasting local votive practice at a popular level.