Sanctuary of Dodona

Δωδώνη

Greece · Epirus, Ioannina

Temple / ritual siteUnknown
Approximate period2,000 BCE — 650 CEBronze Age, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman See on the map ↓

In brief

Dodona was an important oracle center associated with the cults of Zeus and Dione. The inscribed tablets found during excavations directly document the questions visitors addressed to the gods.

What was found?

  • 1Lead tablets bearing oracular questions

    Questions that visitors addressed to the gods were inscribed on small lead tablets. Topics such as health, livelihood, and work give direct expression to ordinary people's concerns.

  • 2Bronze votive objects

    Jewelry, figurines, and bronze vessels are among the gifts offered at the sanctuary. They document both votive traditions and bronze craftsmanship.

  • 3Remains of the Temple of Zeus

    The temple known as Hiera Oikia is part of the worship area that developed around the sacred oak. It allows the site's acquisition of monumental buildings over time to be traced.

  • 4Ancient theater

    Built from local limestone, the theater belongs to King Pyrrhos's building program of the early 3rd century BC. It shows the sanctuary's connection with performances attended by large audiences.

What does it point to?

At Dodona, consulting the gods was a practice that brought personal life and public decisions together. The different dialects and forms of writing on the tablets show that the sanctuary attracted visitors from various regions; the monumental buildings also reveal its regional political importance.

What did it teach us?

  1. Enabled the everyday problems of ancient people to be studied through their own written questions.
  2. Provided tangible documentation of different Greek dialects and forms of the alphabet.
  3. Showed that an oracular center could also serve as a political center and a venue for performances.

Images

Figurine of Zeus Keraunios from the Sanctuary of Dodona at the National Archaeological Mus
George E. Koronaios · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Ancient Greek; Epirote; Roman
First modern dig
1875
Coordinates
39.5464°, 20.7878°

Sources

  1. culturalegnatia.culture.gov.gr
  2. snl.no
  3. en.wikipedia.org
  4. Ulusal Arkeoloji Müzesi, Atina — Dodona levhaları

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