The Hero Cults of Sparta: Local Religion in a Greek City

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This book examines the hero-cults of Sparta on the basis of the archaeological and literary sources. Nicolette Pavlides explores 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 evidence from the cult of Helen and Menelaos at the Menelaion, the worship of Agamemnon and Alexandra/Kassandra, the Dioskouroi, and others who remain anonymous to us, is viewed as a local phenomenon reflective of the developing communal and social consciousness of the polis. What is more, through an analysis of the typology of cults, 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 votive patterns, topography, and architectural evidence permit an analysis of the kinds of offerings to hero-cults and an evaluation of the architecture that housed such cults. Due to the material and spatial distribution of the votive deposits, it is argued 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.

Reviews

Pavlides skilfully combines archaeological, epigraphic and literary evidence to provide a detailed presentation of the role which hero cult ranging from anonymous heroes to Helen, Menelaus and the Dioscuri played in the lives of Spartan men, women and children * Philip John Victor Davies, Assistant Professor in Ancient Greek History, University of Nottingham, UK *
This stimulating volume contributes both to understanding and rethinking the place and function of heroes in ancient Greek religion. * Scripta Classica Israelica *

Author Bio

Nicolette A. Pavlides is Lecturer in Greek Art and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, UK. Her research focuses on Spartan religious practices, in particular hero cults, as well as the role of sanctuaries in the relationship between Sparta and the perioikic communities of Laconia and Messenia.