Hélène Aurigny donnera une conférence autour du thème Images, gestures and ritual practices in the sanctuary of Aphrodite at Argos: Evidence from clay and lead votives le Mardi 29 avril à 17.00 EEST.
Dans le cadre de l’Athens Greek Religion Seminar | Swedish Institute at Athens
Conférence en anglais et uniquement en ligne | S’inscrire ici
Hélène Aurigny Université Aix-Marseille/École Française d’Athènes
The sanctuary of Aphrodite at Argos was excavated from 1967 to 1974 by Francis Croissant. It was quickly identified as the one described by Pausanias (II, 20,8). Its location beyond the theatre provides an important reference point for Argive archaeology and the topography of the agora.
Despite the paucity of architectural remains and monumental offerings, the sanctuary yielded numerous terracotta figurines and some metal objects. This material provides a wealth of information about Argive craftsmanship, but it also sheds light on the religious practices of visitors to the sanctuary, especially in the Archaic period. It is therefore interesting to examine the iconographic types, from the most common to the most original, and the votive assemblage, in order to understand what the ritual gestures and practices in the sanctuary may have been. Hopefully, this will give us a better idea of what the ancient Argives expected of this important deity in the city of Argos.