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Book Review - Greek Sanctuaries: An Introduction.

Category: Book Reviews Author: Aikaterini-Illiana Rassia | Comment | GetCited Entry | Google Scholar Entry

Emerson, M., Greek Sanctuaries. An Introduction, Bristol Classical Press, London (2007). ISBN 978-1-85399-689-4. xi, 172 p. : ill., map ; 23 cm.

Since at least the 1980s, the frequent appearance of new introductions to Greek sanctuaries on libraries’ shelves is a clear indication that the subject is one of ever-increasing popularity. The present book, Greek Sanctuaries: An Introduction, written by Mary Emerson, provides the reader with a clear and readable introduction to the subject, from the architectural viewpoint.

Concerning the structure, it is divided into fifteen chapters, which combined together do offer a preliminary knowledge into the architectural aspect of a Greek sanctuary. As it is clearly explained in the preface, the book is intended for readers (e.g. high-school students) with no prior background in the subject matter, with the attempt to set the architectural features of ancient Greek sanctuaries into their “original social and aesthetic context” (p.vii). Although, the author does not explicitly conceptualize her theoretical approach, with the present book, she successfully paints for the reader a concise, well-articulated picture of how the ancient Greek sanctuaries would have looked and functioned in their contemporary period. For instance, in the first chapter “Introduction”, I found very interesting Emerson’s emphasis on Greeks’ sensitive approach towards the sacred landscape. In particular, the Greeks did not alter the landscape setting, when they built their sanctuaries in order to conform to their building-plans, apart from some planting extensions, in contrast to Romans.

However, it is misleading that in Chapter 2, “What was a sanctuary?”, there is a definition of temenos as a marked-out sacred area. Nowadays, we do know that there is a linguistic distinction between the words: temenos and hieron. The first is defined as a separate precinct and the latter as a sacred place (i.e. the god’s property). Although the author does refer to the altar, she does not emphasize either its significance or the diversity of the most prominent types of a typical altar in a sanctuary (e.g. bothroi, escharai). More significantly, an altar may serve as the litmus test for the nature of a religious cult and tell us whether the deity worshipped at a particular sanctuary belongs either to the literary or folklore tradition or the religious tradition.

Moving to the Chapter 3, “From mud hut to marble temple: Doric and Ionic”, the author traces the origins of the first Greek sanctuaries in the so-called Dark Ages (c.1100-600 B.C.), where most of their materials were perishable wood, bricks of sun-dried with the some use of stone for foundations (p.9). It would be also a welcome input if Emerson had referred that one of the more ingenious inventions of Archaic religious architecture is the mixed combination of Ionic brackets with Doric cushions in the capitals at the throne of Apollo foo¹ at the sanctuary of Apollo/Hyakinthos at Amyklai. This spectacular innovation can be seen, nowadays, in the Sparta museum. The author ends the discussion of the third chapter by briefly presenting the major architectural features of the Heraion at Samos. Chronologically speaking, I would like to add that the original cella of the Heraion at Samos may date to the early 7 ^th century B.C. and the one attested peripteral collonade was probably added later at the mid-7 ^th century B.C. foo² Lastly, at the point (p.15) where the author refers to Vitruvius and what he says about triglyphs, the ancient reference inside the text is missing.

In Chapter 4, “Architectural Sculpture”, Emerson reckons that the Ionic and the Doric decoration must have created different visual expectations to the ancient viewer. She ends her discussion by briefly describing the Doric pediment of the temple of Artemis at Corfu (c.580 B.C.).

The following two chapters summarize in a few paragraphs the most prominent architectural buildings of such large sanctuaries as (i) the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi and (ii) the sanctuary of Hera at Olympia. In particular, in chapter 5, “Delphi”, Emerson succinctly describes the most notable buildings of such a large sanctuary, as Delphi. While, in chapter 6, “Olympia”, the importance of the west pediment is not as Emerson says that it reminds us Delphi, but because it serves as a telling example of the way in which pediments were reworked. We know that there were a series of restorations presumably following earthquakes, as can be seen in the variations of the lion-head water sprouts. foo³

The biggest part of the present book is focused on the sacred architecture of Athens (Chapters 7-13). The presentation and discussion of the relevant material evidence is successfully articulated under clear sub-headings. She begins by a brief historical background, and then she proceeds by discussing the structure and the decoration of the Parthenon, which was erected in the remarkably short period between 447 and 438 B.C.

The most controversial part of the Parthenon’s sculptural program is undoubtedly the celebrated Ionic frieze. The author’s argument concerning the addition of an Ionic frieze to a Doric temple (p.88) does persuade me. It was intended to attract the viewer’s eyes, even though the frieze itself was difficult to be seen from the ground level. However, the author has not included all the prominent scholarly viewpoints concerning the interpretation of the frieze. For instance, a very interesting observation has been expressed by Boardman foo⁴, who suggested that the procession of 192 horsemen shown on the frieze reflects the procession of the 192 heroes who died gloriously during the battle at Marathon.

From a comparative viewpoint, the discussion in the penultimate chapter, “The sanctuary of Apollo Epikourios at Bassae” is well-carried out (pp.150-158). The author succinctly records the sanctuary’s uniqueness, on the basis of the following reasons: its north-south orientation, the position of its frieze around the inside of the cella, and the unique design of its interior colonnade of Ionic columns with the earliest known Corinthian column at one end. Ultimately, the book ends with a very brief chapter “Looking at art in sanctuaries” (pp.159-161), where the author incorporates some quotes from Athenian tragedy to illustrate that the ancient viewers as “typical tourists they would be happy to be given the kind of information they expected” (p.160). It is an interesting remark, and I believe that this section will inspire further research on the topic.

The present book has certainly much strengths: the descriptions of the sites and structures are precise and detailed, the 78 black-and-white illustrations complement the narrative of the book and provide good visual support for the account. Overall, the page layout is clean and uncluttered, with each passage clearly labelled under an informative heading. The figures are given adequate space so as not to clash with the source text. Here and there, the work produces stimulating discussions, in particular Emerson’s clear and comprehensive presentation of the religious topography of the ancient Athenian Acropolis (pp.142-149). This particular section of the book is useful for stressing what can be gained from examining the geographical orientation of the sacred monuments (i.e. temples on the Acropolis hill) in relation to the mythological/historical accounts of the Athenian region.

Finally, Greek Sanctuaries is an attractive brief, but selective, overview of the architecture of the main Greek sanctuaries from an Athenocentric viewpoint, with a few exceptions (e.g. Delphi, Olympia and the sanctuary of Epikourios Apollo at Bassae). This book is a lovely read for anyone who enjoys ancient Greek archaeology with a focus on religion, whether that reader is a newcomer to the field (e.g. high-school or undergraduate students) or is a serious scholar looking for a brush-up on the major Greek sanctuaries.

Bibliography

1. Boardman, J. (1977): “The Parthenon Frieze –Another view”, in Festschrift für Frank Brommer, ed. U. Höckmann and A. Krug: 39-49.
2. Buschor, E., and Von Mascow, W. (1927): “Vom Amykalion”, Athmitt 52.
3. Kyrieleis, H. (1993): “The Heraion at Samos”, in Greek Sanctuaries: New Approaches, edited by Nanno Marinatos and Robin Hägg, Routledge, London and New York.
4. Pedley, J. (2005): Sanctuaries and the sacred in the ancient Greek world, Cambridge University Press, New York.
5. Rehak, P. and Younger, J. (1996): “Technical Observations On The Sculptures Of The Temple Of Zeus At Olympia III: The Metopes”, The 97th Annual Meeting Of The Archaeological Institute Of America, AJA 100: 367-8.

Endnotes

¹ Buschor and Von Mascow (1927): 21.

² Kyrieleis 1993: 125-153.

³ Rehak and Younger (1996): 367-8.

⁴ In accordance to this line of thought, sculpture on temples never depicts contemporary scenes, Boardman 1977: 39-49.