Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
Poseidon was once thought to rule over not only the seas with his trident, but also streams, rivers, lakes, fountains, and marshes. Temples to Poseidon were built at the water’s edge. The Sanctuary of Poseidon at Samikon was one of those temples, but it sank into a swamp, seemingly never to resurface.
The temple never vanished from literature, though. It is mentioned by ancient Greek geographer Strabo in Book 8 of his Geographika, which describes the lands of Greece and the surrounding territories. He provides a vision of the Peloponnesian temple site as it was in antiquity. Behind a sloping hill and surrounded by sacred wild olive trees, it was the religious center of the ancient cities Lepreum, Macistus, and Phrixa in the region of Elis. The larger area, which sprawled past the Kleidi hills to marshes at the foot of the Lapithas Mountains, is a coastal plain in the Gulf of Kyparissia, but in ancient times, the sea was even closer to the temple of its deity than it is now.
Thought to have been built during the 6th century B.C.E., the temple was an object of fascination to archaeologists for centuries, until Wilhelm Dörpfeld had something of a breakthrough during an expedition at Kleidi-Samikon, near what used to be the Agoulenitsa Lagoon, at the turn of the 20th century. His findings hinted at the remains of a monumental structure, specifically a thick, double-faced wall near the site that may have been part of a dam to protect the temple. Dörpfeld was unable to explore the entire area, since its lagoons stretched up the limestone Kleidi hills.
Long after the swamp had dried up, researchers brought the remains of the temple to light. Its foundations showed it was rectangular, measuring about 92 feet by 33 feet, and was apparently a dual temple whose two main rooms were entered through a vestibule, or pronaos, and backed by what was interpreted to be a rear hall. This ground plan is unlike that of any other Greek temple. It is possible that the two main rooms were dedicated to Poseidon and another deity, though one of them may have been used for meetings of representatives from Lepreum, Macistus, and Phrixa. The temple’s walls were at least two feet thick, and it also had columns with deep bases and a laconian roof, characterized by the curved terracotta tiles still seen on many modern buildings in Greece.
Artifacts unearthed at the site included a marble water basin, or perirrhanterion, that was carved to look like a bronze cauldron and used for ritual purification. Also found were painted fragments of a Late Classical kantharos from the 4th century B.C.E. With a name derived from the Greek word for “beetle,” these were deep drinking cups with a handle on each side, though the handles from the one that emerged at Samikon have been lost. It probably had some kind of religious significance. Dionysus, god of wine and revelry, was often depicted drinking from a kantharos, though there is no evidence he was worshipped at this temple. There was also an inscribed bronze plaque that had once been on the temple wall. While archaeologists have not yet been able to make out the text, restoration may reveal an echo of ancient voices.
It also appears the temple was remodeled sometime between the second half of the fourth century B.C.E. and the third century B.C.E. Renovations to the temple over 2,000 years ago saw the roof tiles replaced and reused as a layer to stabilize the new floor and prevent groundwater from seeping in. Excavations are expected to continue at the temple through the rest of 2026, so we still have more to learn about the monumental structure worthy of the god of the seas.
Elizabeth Rayne is a creature who writes. Her work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Ars Technica, SYFY WIRE, Space.com, Live Science, Den of Geek, Forbidden Futures and Collective Tales. She lurks right outside New York City with her parrot, Lestat. When not writing, she can be found drawing, playing the piano or shapeshifting.
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。