The veneration of Demeter at Kórinthos and Akrágas during the second half of the sixth and fifth centuries BC

According to myth Demeter was a daughter of the Titans Kronos and Rhea. This parentage made her sister to Zeus, with whom she had a daughter known by the name of Persephone. Being part of the Olympian deities, Demeter fulfilled a significant role within the pantheon of a great many Greek poleis. During the seventh century BC she received a cult place on the acropolis of Kórinthos, which she shared with the divinities Persephone and Dionysos, for she was associated with them in cult. Spread over three terraces, the sanctuary accommodated dining rooms, a courtyard, and a theatrical area. This place became the focus of Demeter’s Korinthian public cult. The sanctuary was visited during a variety of festivities, including agricultural festivals and initiations within a local mystery cult. Amongst these celebrations some were only to be attended by women. Venerators would grant many votives to the goddess, including, but not limited to, terracotta figurines, wine-and water utensils, and...Show moreAccording to myth Demeter was a daughter of the Titans Kronos and Rhea. This parentage made her sister to Zeus, with whom she had a daughter known by the name of Persephone. Being part of the Olympian deities, Demeter fulfilled a significant role within the pantheon of a great many Greek poleis. During the seventh century BC she received a cult place on the acropolis of Kórinthos, which she shared with the divinities Persephone and Dionysos, for she was associated with them in cult. Spread over three terraces, the sanctuary accommodated dining rooms, a courtyard, and a theatrical area. This place became the focus of Demeter’s Korinthian public cult. The sanctuary was visited during a variety of festivities, including agricultural festivals and initiations within a local mystery cult. Amongst these celebrations some were only to be attended by women. Venerators would grant many votives to the goddess, including, but not limited to, terracotta figurines, wine-and water utensils, and offering trays. Most of these dedications were set in the context of fertility, which was considered Demeter’s very core, and therefore the base of her elements concerning agriculture, chthonic, and female identity. Demeter was venerated in the Magna Graecia as well. During the mid-sixth century BC several sanctuaries were erected at the Sicilian Greek polis Akrágas, of which one was provided with monumentalised architecture. Sharing worship with Persephone, who was assigned primary significance within mystery cults and female identity, Demeter’s core element was limited to earthly fecundity. This is reflected by most of the votive material she received, for the objects mainly concerned eating- and drinking vessels and terracottas. Within Korinthian cult Demeter was deemed to provide earthly fertility and the knowledge of the cultivation of grain. Additionally, her association with female identity connected her to fecundity of women, which was necessary for securing the existence of the following generations. Therefore, Demeter was considered partly responsible for the very survival of the polis. However, in Akrágas she was merely honoured as an agricultural deity, for her other elements were assigned to Persephone, thus decreasing Demeter’s social significance within society.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

The veneration of Demeter at Kórinthos and Akrágas during the second half of the sixth and fifth centuries BC