Stymphalos, Volume One: The Acropolis Sanctuary

The buildings and artefacts uncovered by Canadian excavations at Stymphalos (1994–2001) shed light on the history and cult of a small sanctuary on the acropolis of the ancient city. The thirteen detailed studies collected in Stymphalos: The Acropolis Sanctuary illuminate a variety of aspects of the site. Epigraphical evidence confirms that both Athena and Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth, were worshipped in the sanctuary between the fourth and second centuries BCE. The temple and service buildings are modest in size and materials, but the temple floor and pillar shrine suggest that certain stones and bedrock outcrops were held as sacred objects. Earrings, finger rings, and other jewelry, along with almost 100 loomweights, indicate that women were prominent in cult observances. Many iron projectile points (arrowheads and catapult bolts) suggest that the sanctuary was destroyed in a violent attack around the mid-second century, possibly by the Romans. A modest sanctuary in a modest Arcadian city-state, the acropolis sanctuary at Stymphalos will be a major point of reference for all archaeologists and historians studying ancient Arcadia and all southern Greece in the future.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Introduction – Gerald P. Schaus (Wilfrid Laurier University, Archaeology and Classical Studies) Chapter 1: Ancient Sources and Early Travellers – Gerald P. Schaus Chapter 2: The Sanctuary: Site Description – Gerald P. Schaus Chapter 3: Sculpture from the Acropolis Sanctuary – Mary Sturgeon (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Art) Chapter 4: Coins from the Acropolis Sanctuary – Robert Weir (University of Windsor, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures) Chapter 5: Weapons: Catapult Bolts, Arrowheads, Javelin- and Spear-heads, and Sling Bullets – Christopher Hagerman (Albion College, History Department) Chapter 6: Jewelry – Alexis Young (Wilfrid Laurier University, Archaeology and Classical Studies) Chapter 7: Miscellaneous Small Finds – Gerald P. Schaus Chapter 8: Iron Nails – Monica Munaretto (Wilfrid Laurier University, Archaeology and Classical Studies) and Gerald P. Schaus Chapter 9: Pottery of Building A – Peter Stone (Newcastle University, Head of School of Arts and Cultures) Chapter 10: Select Pottery – Gerald P. Schaus Chapter 11: Lamps – Hector Williams (University of British Columbia, Greek Art & Archaeology) Chapter 12: Loomweights – Laura Surtees (University of Pennsylvania, Classical Studies) Chapter 13: Faunal remains – Deborah Ruscillo (Washington University in St. Louis, Anthropology) Chapter 14: Human Skeletal Remains – Sandra Garvie-Lok (University of Alberta, Anthropology) Notes Works Cited Illustrations Index

About the Author :
Gerald P. Schaus is a professor in the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Review :
‘This meticulously documented and amply illustrated book will be welcomed warmly by scholars interested in both Greek religion and the history of the region, and be envied for the completeness and speed of publication of such a broad corpus of excavated material.’ - Jeannette Marchand (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, August 2015)