O plano do sítio arqueológico de Dodona: 1: Acrópole - 2: Teatro - 3: Stadium - 4: Bouleuterion - 5: Casa dos sacerdotes - 6 e 7: Prytaneum e anexos - 8: Templo de Afrodite - 9: edifício romano - 10: Templo de Têmis - 11: Casa Coroada (Ἱερά Οἰκία) - 12 e 13: Novo e antigo templo de Dione - 14 e 15: Templo e altar de Hércules - 16: Basílica cristã - 17: muro oeste - 18 e 19: portões novo e antigo
The sanctuary of Dodona, the religious centre for northwestern Greece, closely related to the cult of Zeus, father of the gods, lies in the narrow valley east of Tomaros. Dodona was also known for its famous oracle, traditionally considered as the most ancient one in Greece and referred to by Homer in his epics. Herodotus (2.52) relates a myth regarding the establishment of the sanctuary, narrated to him by the sanctuary's priests on his visit to Dodona: two black pigeons, the peleiades, flew from Thebes in Egypt; one of them landed in Libya, where the temple of Ammon Zeus was subsequently erected; the other one reached Dodona, where it sat on an oak tree, Zeus's sacred tree, and spoke in a human voice, indicating the spot where the god's oracle was to be built. By observing the rustling of the leaves on the sacred oak tree and the flight of the birds nesting in it the priests interpreted the god's will. The oracles were based on the murmuring of the waters from the ancient spring and on the sound produced by bronze cauldrons standing on tripods around the sacred tree. According to ancient sources, the priests of the oracle were originally only men, but priestesses, the so-called Peleiades, appear in later times. The priests and priestesses were famous for walking barefoot and for sleeping on the ground so as to be in immediate contact with the earth.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the area was occupied since the Bronze Age. The earliest cult was probably dedicated to the Earth goddess or to another female deity related to fertility. The cult of Zeus, brought to Dodona by the Selloi, a tribe from Thesprotia, soon became the main cult. Zeus Naios was worshipped together with Dioni, his wife, according to local tradition. Later, the cult of Aphrodite, their daughter, was also introduced, together with that of Themis. Dioni and Themis were worshipped as 'naian gods' - that is, gods who shared the same house (synoikoi) and temple (synnaioi) as Zeus.
Originally the sanctuary was outdoors, and various ceremonies were performed around the sacred tree (sacred oak or fagus), in which the divine couple, Zeus and Dioni, resided. Offerings, such as bronze tripods, statuettes, jewellery, and weapons, from southern Greece reached the sanctuary as early as the eighth century BC, indicating that settlers from Greek cities were colonizing the shores of Epirus. Dodona, however, did not witness the intense building activity of other famous sanctuaries, such as Delphi, Olympia, and Delos, during this period, probably because it was isolated from the rest of Greece and far from all major commercial routes. The sanctuary remained outdoors, and the sacred area of the tree was defined by a kind of enclosure formed by bronze cauldrons.
The first signs of building activity date to the early fourth century BC, when the first small temple of Zeus and three Ionic stoas were erected. The enclosure of the Dodona acropolis, further north, dates to the same period. The sanctuary thrived in the third century BC under King Pyrrhus (297-272 BC), who gave it its monumental character. The rest of the temples and the sanctuary's most impressive buildings, including the theatre, the bouleuterion, the prytaneum, and the stadium, which hosted the Naian Games held in honour of Zeus, were all erected during this period. The sanctuary was destroyed by the Aetolians in 219 BC, but was soon reconstructed and functioned again until 167 BC, when it was destroyed by the Romans. It suffered again in 88 BC under Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus, and his Thracian warriors. The sanctuary was reestablished in the Roman period, although with a different character, and its theatre was converted into an arena, which Emperor Hadrian visited around 132 AD. The oracle and festivities in honour of Zeus continued to attract worshipers until the fourth century BC. Christianity, however, gradually replaced the old religion, Christian basilicas were erected inside the sacred precinct, and the sacred oak was cut down.
Excavations by K. Karapanos in 1875 identified the sanctuary and yielded a large number of finds. Another short-termed excavation began after 1913 by the Archaeological Society in Athens under G. Sotiriadis, but was interrupted by the political events of 1921. D. Evangelidis continued the investigations from 1929 until 1932. Systematic excavations began in the 1950s under Evangelidis and S. Dakaris, and continued under Dakaris alone after Evangelidis's death in 1959. Since 1981 excavations have been carried out under the auspices of the Archaeological Society of Athens and are co-funded by the University of Ioannina. The systematic consolidation and restoration of the theatre, stadium, and other monuments, according to a study by the architect V. Charisis, began after 1961 with funds provided by the Archaeological Society and the Programme for Public Investments. The theatre, most of which was restored by 1975 (apart from the third landing and a few other parts), now hosts theatrical performances.
An integral part of the Dodoni sanctuary, the theatre of Dodoni counts among the largest and best preserved ancient Greek theatres, able to accommodate about 18,000 spectators. For visitors arriving from the south it was the most dominant monument thanks to its curvilinear surfaces and imposing retaining walls. Its construction dates to the third century BC, when King Pyrrhus of Hepirus implemented an ambitious building project in order to reshape the Panhellenic sanctuary and lend it a monumental character.
The theatre's huge cavea had been shaped into a natural cavity at the foot of Tomaros mountain and extended over an earth fill supported by isodomic retaining walls that were fortified with six towers creating an imposing fa?ade. The two towers nearer to the orchestra were of larger dimensions for they also served as stairways. Four horizontal corridors and ten staircases divided the cavea into three sections and nine cunei respectively; the lower section comprised 19 rows of seats, the middle section 15 and the upper section 21 rows. The lower row was the so called proedria (seats of honour) made of stone seats ment for officials or honoured guests. Spectators had access to the cavea through large staircases starting at the parodoi (passageways); they departed through the wide exit at the top of the central cuneus. The orchestra, 18.70m in diameter, was not entirely circular. At its centre stood a carved rock called thymeli, the altar of Dionysos. The scene was a two-storey, rectangle building with an isodomic stonework measuring 31,20 x 9,10m and was flanked by two rectangle rooms, the paraskenia (back of stage), separated by four pillars. At the south and north side of the scene, Doric porticos surrounded the path leading to the sanctuary, while at the east and west end were the parodoi permitting spectators and actors to access the orchestra.
After the destruction of the Dodoni sanctuary by the Aetolians in 219 BC, the theatre and the overall buildings were rebuilt. A stone proscenium (front of scene) was constructed, and the front of the paraskenia was enlarged by two smaller rooms prolonged externally through two porches with engaged Ionic columns. The theatre maintained this shape until 167 BC, when Macedonia and Hepirus were conquered by the Romans (Emilius Paulus), and the sanctuary was again destroyed. The scene was set on fire, to judge by the traces observed during the excavation, and was rebuilt after the reconstitution of the authority called Koinon of Hepirotes in 148 BC. The columns found between the paraskenia were replaced by walls of lime and stones. However, the normal theatre form was short-lived, for in the years of Augustus Caesar (first century BC), the monument was conversed into an arena. The first rows of seats were removed and a 2.80 high wall was built, in order to protect spectators from savage animals, whereas the orchestra and the scene were covered by 0.50m high earth fills. The egg-shaped arena was now adjacent to the scene. Wild animals were kept in two triangular rooms formed by the protection wall and the scene wall. Thus transformed, the theatre stayed in use until the end of the fourth century AD.
The monument was initially excavated between 1875-1878 by the archeologist K. Karapanos. Later investigations were conducted by archaeology professor D. Evangelidis together with S. Dakaris (1929-1932), who continued their excavating activity after the Second World War, and contributed to the restoration of the theatre.
In the southernmost end of the sanctuary sacred to Zeus in Dodoni, roughly 30m westwards from the gate of the enclosure, rests the temple of Hercules, part of which lied under the Christian Basilica Β. It was built in the early third century BC, in the years of Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, who made efforts to correlate his genos (larger family, house) with the mythical hero, particularly after his second marriage to Lanassa, daughter of Agathocles, who was the tyrant of Syracuses, and originated from the family of Hercules.
This is the largest temple after that of Zeus, and the only known temple of Doric order within the sanctuary. It is oriented from northwest to southeast and measures 16.50 x 9.50m. Except of the pronaos (front section) and the cella (in Greek, sek?s), the temple also disposes of four or six Doric columns at the fa?ade (tetrastyle or hexastyle prostylos temple). After being set on fire by the Aetolians in 219 BC, it had been reconstructed and the destroyed architectural members of soft sandstone (triglyphs, capitals, cornice) were set in the wall that separates the pronaos from the cella. To the east of the pronaos survives a large pedestal, 5.70 x 3.20m in dimensions, which made part of the altar of the temple.
The fact that the temple was related to the adoration of Hercules is ascertained by several archaic bronze sheets found on the interior, by cheek pieces from helmets, by a relief representation depicting the dispute between Apollo and Hercules for the possession of the Delphic tripod, and especially by a metope made of limestone in the third century BC, depicting in relief the fight of Hercules against the monster called Lernaia Hydra, and is currently included among the exhibits of the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina. The hero is pressing down with his right knee the body of the beast depicted to his right, while Iolaos, standing to the left of Hercules, is trying to burn a tentacle of Hydra with a torch (his right thigh is visible). A crab near the right thigh of Hercules suggests the marsh of Lerna, which was the theatre for this particular scene.
Temple of Dioni at Dodoni
A place of significance in the Dodoni sanctuary was reserved to the adoration of goddess Dioni, the mythological mother of goddess Aphrodite. Both Dioni and Themis were called ?Naian goddesses, cohabitants and worshipped together with Zeus?. The earlier temple dedicated to Dioni was situated near the Sacred Residence to the north and made part of the central section of the sanctuary. Built in the second half of the fourth century or in the early third century BC, the temple was set on fire by the Aetolians in 219 BC and was subsequently abandoned.
It was oriented from east to west, in an almost square plan (9.80 x 9.40m) and was about half as big as the adjacent temple of Zeus. It disposed of a cella and a pronaos (front section) with four Ionic columns of sandstone at the fa?ade; the superstructure was made of unfired (?green?) bricks. The stone threshold of the entrance pierced in the intermediate wall that separates the cella from the pronaos, still survives; the double-leaf door was 1.20m wide. At the far end of the cella are preserved the remains of a pedestal supporting the ceremonial statue of Dioni, the so called ?edos? (habitat). The revered ?edos? was honoured every year by the Athenians, who sent honourable ?theories? (dignitaries as city representatives) and abundant gifts, following a Dodoni oracle.
When the sanctuary was reconstructed after 219 BC, a new temple sacred to Dioni was erected to the south, visibly diverging from the temple of Zeus. It was an Ionic tetrastyle (four-columned) with a frontal portico (?prostyle?) temple disposing of a pronaos (anteroom) and the cella, measuring overall 9.60 x 6.35m. The columns were made of conglomerate externally plastered with fine lime mortar or marble mortar that rendered to the surfaces the whiteness and smoothness of marble. The stepped fa?ade was of good quality limestone, similar to the columns of the parodoi (passageways, public entrances) in the theatre. A wall separates the pronaos from the cella, featuring a stone threshold that still survives together with traces of the double-leaf door, 1.30m in width. At the far end of the cella stands the pedestal which supported the statue of Dioni.
Temple of Hercules at Dodoni
In the southernmost end of the sanctuary sacred to Zeus in Dodoni, roughly 30m westwards from the gate of the enclosure, rests the temple of Hercules, part of which lied under the Christian Basilica Β. It was built in the early third century BC, in the years of Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, who made efforts to correlate his genos (larger family, house) with the mythical hero, particularly after his second marriage to Lanassa, daughter of Agathocles, who was the tyrant of Syracuses, and originated from the family of Hercules.
This is the largest temple after that of Zeus, and the only known temple of Doric order within the sanctuary. It is oriented from northwest to southeast and measures 16.50 x 9.50m. Except of the pronaos (front section) and the cella (in Greek, sek?s), the temple also disposes of four or six Doric columns at the fa?ade (tetrastyle or hexastyle prostylos temple). After being set on fire by the Aetolians in 219 BC, it had been reconstructed and the destroyed architectural members of soft sandstone (triglyphs, capitals, cornice) were set in the wall that separates the pronaos from the cella. To the east of the pronaos survives a large pedestal, 5.70 x 3.20m in dimensions, which made part of the altar of the temple.
The fact that the temple was related to the adoration of Hercules is ascertained by several archaic bronze sheets found on the interior, by cheek pieces from helmets, by a relief representation depicting the dispute between Apollo and Hercules for the possession of the Delphic tripod, and especially by a metope made of limestone in the third century BC, depicting in relief the fight of Hercules against the monster called Lernaia Hydra, and is currently included among the exhibits of the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina. The hero is pressing down with his right knee the body of the beast depicted to his right, while Iolaos, standing to the left of Hercules, is trying to burn a tentacle of Hydra with a torch (his right thigh is visible). A crab near the right thigh of Hercules suggests the marsh of Lerna, which was the theatre for this particular scene.
Temple of Venus at Dodoni
The temple of Venus (goddess Aphrodite), centrally positioned within the Dodoni sanctuary, is situated near the temple of the goddess Themis. Its identification followed on base of the earthen figurines, that were found around the temple and on its interior. They represent a feminine figure holding with her right hand a dove in front of her breast - the dove is a symbol for the goddess Venus. On the base of certain constructional details and of the findings that were taken from its interior, the temple can be dated to the fourth or the early third century BC; however, this should not exclude the possibility of an earlier cult in this location. The worship of Venus in Dodoni is also confirmed by inscription testimonies, but the time in which it was established remains unknown. It had been apparently anterior to the time of king Pyrrhus, but it is certain that in the early third century BC there was a fusion with the adoration of Venus Aineiada, introduced by king Pyrrhus, who ?imported? this cult from the city of Egesta, in western Sicily. This particular deity is related to the Trojan hero Aineias and the legend of Troy, who were incredibly dear to the tribe of the Molossoi, because, according to earlier traditions, the Molossoi originated from Troy through Andromache, the wife of Hector.
This is a small temple in Doric rhythm, 8.50 x 4.70m in dimensions, but it slightly differs from the type and style established in Dodoni. It is a simple distyle construction in antis, with a pronaos (anteroom) and a cella building; between the pilasters of the pronaos are two eight-sided Doric columns instead of four Ionic columns, which is the case of the other temples. Two of the column drums are built-in (encastr?) into the square edifice of the Roman years that stands immediately to the east. At the middle of the wall that separates the cella from the pronaos was an entrance with a one-leaf door, 1m in width, of which only the broken threshold survives. The walls of the temple were manufactured with small stones, as in Building M, while soft sandstone had been used for the capitals of the columns. Among the findings related with the building, are included lead inscriptions and figurines depicting a feminine figure, an earthen lion's head, dated to the fourth century BC, as well as a marble fragment from the trunk of an archaic feminine statue, of smaller dimensions than the natural size of a feminine body. This fragment presumably belonged to the ceremonial statue of the goddess Aphrodite.
Prytaneion of Dodoni
South of the Bouleuterion is the Prytaneion. Between them, remains are visible of the West Gate of the old 4th century BC precinct, through which the Sacred Way passed leaded to the oracular Oak-tree. For the construction of the two buildings, the Hiera Oikia and the Prytaneion, it was necessary to move the west side of the precinct further west and to join in with the House of the Priests.
The Prytaneion comprises the original nucleus, 31.50 m wide, dating to the beginning o the 3rd century BC and the extension to the north side made at the end of the 3rd century BC. This consists of three rooms with nine couches each and with service areas, where the archontes (government officials) dined, and on the east side, of a large extended colonnade that extended nearly as far as the south-west main gate of the west perimeter wall.
These additions were considered necessary when the Epirote Alliance was succeeded by the Epirote League, which was joined by all the Greek Epirote tribes from southern Albania to the Ambracian Gulf.
The Prytaneion, in whose sacred hearth the eternal fire burned, was where the prytaneis (magistrates) and distinguished persons dined and the resolutions of the Boule and the archontes were kept. It was, in a way, the home of the city-state or city-tribe. The excavations, which are continuing, brought to light a peristyle court with 4 x 4 Doric columns on the east side, where the entrance was.
After the Roman destruction in 167 BC, the Prytaneion was roughly repaired in the 1st century BC, but the north wing and its rooms with nine couches each and the east colonnade remained buried beneath the rubble. The Doric peristyle belonging to the beginning of the 3rd century BC was replaced by a larger one (4 x 7 columns) carelessly constructed of various materials. The bases of the peristyle, which was now built on a larger scale, consisted of slabs taken from the destroyed pedestrals that had been on the east facade of the Ionic Stoa. One of these bases preserves part of a decree by the League (of Epirotes), which tells us that the League, after an oracle, honoured a certain person with a bronze statue signed by a hitherto unknown sculptor, Melissos, son of Epikrates, from Corcyra.
Bouleuterion
This edifice is built on the south side of the hill, to the east of the Theatre. It consists of a large hall 1,260 m2 in area with a Doric colonnade (stoa) in front. Some remains of rough stone benches show that the members of the Bouleuterion (Council Champer) sat on the upper part o the slope.
The identification of this building as the Bouleuterion is confirmed by the stone altar, near the south wall, dedicated to Zeus Naios and Bouleus (Counsellor) and to Dione by Charops, the son of Machatas, a Thesprotian, one of the leading Epirotes and a "good and noble man", who assisted Flamininus in Epirus during the campaigns in 198 B.C. agains the Macedonians.
The survivng outside walls formed the stone base of the building, but the upper part was built of baked and unbaked bricks bonded woth mud. The great saddle roof was supported on eight breccia Ionic columns in three rows and the walls were reinforced by 14 buttresses to counter the thrust of the heavy roof. On both sides small flights of steps led to the theatre area where the members of the Council sat. Lower down on the south side, west of the altar, were the wooden chairs for the speakers and the stone ballot stand with the wooden boxes for the voting.
Acropolis of Dodoni
The summit of the small hill (alt. 35 m) is surrounded by a trapezoidal wall dating to the 2nd half of the 4th c. BC, built of isodomic masonry; it has ten rectangular towers and recesses, and the perimeter is 750 m in length and has an area of 34,000 m. This was the Acropolis of the ancient "city of Dodoneans", as it is called in an oracular inscription, where the inhabitants of the surrounding region took refuge when threatened by enemy attack. The enceinte had two main gates guarded by two towers on the northeast and southwest sides, and a small gate on the south. Inside there are house foundations and a rectangular cistern hewn out of the rock, which supplied water to the inhabitants in times of siege. It has two pillars supporting a stone architrave to carry the roof of the cistern
Official Unit:
12th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities
Τ.Κ. 45500, Dodoni (Prefecture of Ioanina)
Telephone: +30 26510 82287
Email: protocol@ibepka.culture.gr
The sanctuary of Dodona, the religious centre for northwestern Greece, closely related to the cult of Zeus, father of the gods, lies in the narrow valley east of Tomaros. Dodona was also known for its famous oracle, traditionally considered as the most ancient one in Greece and referred to by Homer in his epics. Herodotus (2.52) relates a myth regarding the establishment of the sanctuary, narrated to him by the sanctuary's priests on his visit to Dodona: two black pigeons, the peleiades, flew from Thebes in Egypt; one of them landed in Libya, where the temple of Ammon Zeus was subsequently erected; the other one reached Dodona, where it sat on an oak tree, Zeus's sacred tree, and spoke in a human voice, indicating the spot where the god's oracle was to be built. By observing the rustling of the leaves on the sacred oak tree and the flight of the birds nesting in it the priests interpreted the god's will. The oracles were based on the murmuring of the waters from the ancient spring and on the sound produced by bronze cauldrons standing on tripods around the sacred tree. According to ancient sources, the priests of the oracle were originally only men, but priestesses, the so-called Peleiades, appear in later times. The priests and priestesses were famous for walking barefoot and for sleeping on the ground so as to be in immediate contact with the earth.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the area was occupied since the Bronze Age. The earliest cult was probably dedicated to the Earth goddess or to another female deity related to fertility. The cult of Zeus, brought to Dodona by the Selloi, a tribe from Thesprotia, soon became the main cult. Zeus Naios was worshipped together with Dioni, his wife, according to local tradition. Later, the cult of Aphrodite, their daughter, was also introduced, together with that of Themis. Dioni and Themis were worshipped as 'naian gods' - that is, gods who shared the same house (synoikoi) and temple (synnaioi) as Zeus.
Originally the sanctuary was outdoors, and various ceremonies were performed around the sacred tree (sacred oak or fagus), in which the divine couple, Zeus and Dioni, resided. Offerings, such as bronze tripods, statuettes, jewellery, and weapons, from southern Greece reached the sanctuary as early as the eighth century BC, indicating that settlers from Greek cities were colonizing the shores of Epirus. Dodona, however, did not witness the intense building activity of other famous sanctuaries, such as Delphi, Olympia, and Delos, during this period, probably because it was isolated from the rest of Greece and far from all major commercial routes. The sanctuary remained outdoors, and the sacred area of the tree was defined by a kind of enclosure formed by bronze cauldrons.
The first signs of building activity date to the early fourth century BC, when the first small temple of Zeus and three Ionic stoas were erected. The enclosure of the Dodona acropolis, further north, dates to the same period. The sanctuary thrived in the third century BC under King Pyrrhus (297-272 BC), who gave it its monumental character. The rest of the temples and the sanctuary's most impressive buildings, including the theatre, the bouleuterion, the prytaneum, and the stadium, which hosted the Naian Games held in honour of Zeus, were all erected during this period. The sanctuary was destroyed by the Aetolians in 219 BC, but was soon reconstructed and functioned again until 167 BC, when it was destroyed by the Romans. It suffered again in 88 BC under Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus, and his Thracian warriors. The sanctuary was reestablished in the Roman period, although with a different character, and its theatre was converted into an arena, which Emperor Hadrian visited around 132 AD. The oracle and festivities in honour of Zeus continued to attract worshipers until the fourth century BC. Christianity, however, gradually replaced the old religion, Christian basilicas were erected inside the sacred precinct, and the sacred oak was cut down.
Excavations by K. Karapanos in 1875 identified the sanctuary and yielded a large number of finds. Another short-termed excavation began after 1913 by the Archaeological Society in Athens under G. Sotiriadis, but was interrupted by the political events of 1921. D. Evangelidis continued the investigations from 1929 until 1932. Systematic excavations began in the 1950s under Evangelidis and S. Dakaris, and continued under Dakaris alone after Evangelidis's death in 1959. Since 1981 excavations have been carried out under the auspices of the Archaeological Society of Athens and are co-funded by the University of Ioannina. The systematic consolidation and restoration of the theatre, stadium, and other monuments, according to a study by the architect V. Charisis, began after 1961 with funds provided by the Archaeological Society and the Programme for Public Investments. The theatre, most of which was restored by 1975 (apart from the third landing and a few other parts), now hosts theatrical performances.
The Hiera Oikia (Temple of Zeus) with the oracular oak-tree had a rectangular structure, measuring 20.80 x 19.20 m and at least four building phases. The original nucleus consisted of a small temple with a pronaos and cella dating to the first half of the 4th c. BC.
At the beginning of the 3rd c. BC, in the reign of King Pyrrhus (297-272 BC), the ashlar precinct was replaced by a larger one with Ionic colonnades on three sides of the court and an entrance in the front; on the east side, where the oak-tree stood, there was no colonnade. The interior layout was characteristic, with a court and the colonnades in the form of a Π enclosing the lofty Oak-tree where the God lived. In these colonnades Pyrrhus hung the Roman shields he captured after his victory at Heraclea in Italy (280BC) and the votive inscription preserved on a part of a shield, now in the National Museum of Athens.
In 219 BC the Aetolians made a sudden attack on Dodona and Dion, the holy city of the Macedonians, and looted the two Sanctuaries. According to the 2nd c. BC historian Polybius, the Aetolians burnt down the Sanctuary Dodona; the Hiera Oikia, however, they did not burn, but demolished. The different treatment of the Hiera Oikia can be explained if we remember that it was here that the Oak-tree stood which was the god's abode, and that burning down would have destroyed the tree; this would have constituted a great sacrilege and stirred up popular indignation throughout Greece. We have therefore good reason to suppose that this building, which shows no traces of burning, was the Hiera Oikia mentioned by Polybius.
In the autumn of the following year (218 BC) the Macedonians and Epirotes, to avenge the destruction of Dion and Dodona, attacked Thermos in Aetolia and burned and plundered it. With the booty they captured, which was considerable, they rebuilt the destroyed Sanctuaries at Dion and Dodona. The Hiera Oikia was now refurbished on a more monumental scale. A larger one with an Ionic tetrastyle pronaos, cella and adytum, having three Ionic columns in the front, took the place of the small temple. On the side of the Oak-tree a deep hole and hewn stones were found, probably from an altar. The exterior east wall has suffered subsidence in this place, due to the hole left by the uprooted tree.
The excavations have not uncovered any evidence for the fate of the Temple when the Romans (167 BC) burnt down the Sanctuary and other buildings. In the 2nd c. AD, Pausanias described the Sanctuary with the Oak-tree as "worth-seeing", and the Naia were still being celebrated in 240 AD. The final end of the Hiera Oikia came at the end of the 4th c. AD, when the oracular Oak-tree was cut down and a huge hole excavated in order to uproot it or else in search of treasure.
The ancient stadium of Dodoni lies to the southwest end of the sanctuary, adjacent to the theatre. It was built after the sanctuary was destroyed for the first time by the Aetolians in 219 BC and is immediately related to the second building phase of the theatre, since the retaining walls of the stadium seats join the propylon (porch) of the theatre, which was built in the same period. Every four years the stadium hosted the Naian games, a sport competition honouring Zeus; in the early second century BC they became stephanites games (the victors were crowned with olive branch wreaths).
This is one of the few ancient stadiums with stone tiers, which reside upon sloping earth fills retained by walls, on both the north and the south side. Narrow staircases cut across 21 or 22 rows of seats. Under the south seats extended probably a conduit for rainwater. On the same side, a stone rill with small bowls at intervals, for the passage of fresh water coming from a spring on Tomaros mountain, ensured water supply for competing athletes as well as spectators. The sphendone on the east hosted a gate with two continuous arcs leading to the theatre and to other buildings of the sanctuary.
The stadium of Dodoni temenos came to light when K.Karapanos first excavated the area in 1875. A later investigation was conducted by D.Apostolidis and S.Dakaris, but the stadium has not been fully uncovered yet, except of its east section near the sphendone; the remaining part extends over 250m to the west and lies under embankments. The seats of the uncovered part are today cushioned under an earth layer to protect them from humidity and frost.
At the beginning of the 3rd c. BC, in the reign of King Pyrrhus (297-272 BC), the ashlar precinct was replaced by a larger one with Ionic colonnades on three sides of the court and an entrance in the front; on the east side, where the oak-tree stood, there was no colonnade. The interior layout was characteristic, with a court and the colonnades in the form of a Π enclosing the lofty Oak-tree where the God lived. In these colonnades Pyrrhus hung the Roman shields he captured after his victory at Heraclea in Italy (280BC) and the votive inscription preserved on a part of a shield, now in the National Museum of Athens.
In 219 BC the Aetolians made a sudden attack on Dodona and Dion, the holy city of the Macedonians, and looted the two Sanctuaries. According to the 2nd c. BC historian Polybius, the Aetolians burnt down the Sanctuary Dodona; the Hiera Oikia, however, they did not burn, but demolished. The different treatment of the Hiera Oikia can be explained if we remember that it was here that the Oak-tree stood which was the god's abode, and that burning down would have destroyed the tree; this would have constituted a great sacrilege and stirred up popular indignation throughout Greece. We have therefore good reason to suppose that this building, which shows no traces of burning, was the Hiera Oikia mentioned by Polybius.
In the autumn of the following year (218 BC) the Macedonians and Epirotes, to avenge the destruction of Dion and Dodona, attacked Thermos in Aetolia and burned and plundered it. With the booty they captured, which was considerable, they rebuilt the destroyed Sanctuaries at Dion and Dodona. The Hiera Oikia was now refurbished on a more monumental scale. A larger one with an Ionic tetrastyle pronaos, cella and adytum, having three Ionic columns in the front, took the place of the small temple. On the side of the Oak-tree a deep hole and hewn stones were found, probably from an altar. The exterior east wall has suffered subsidence in this place, due to the hole left by the uprooted tree.
The excavations have not uncovered any evidence for the fate of the Temple when the Romans (167 BC) burnt down the Sanctuary and other buildings. In the 2nd c. AD, Pausanias described the Sanctuary with the Oak-tree as "worth-seeing", and the Naia were still being celebrated in 240 AD. The final end of the Hiera Oikia came at the end of the 4th c. AD, when the oracular Oak-tree was cut down and a huge hole excavated in order to uproot it or else in search of treasure.
The ancient stadium of Dodoni lies to the southwest end of the sanctuary, adjacent to the theatre. It was built after the sanctuary was destroyed for the first time by the Aetolians in 219 BC and is immediately related to the second building phase of the theatre, since the retaining walls of the stadium seats join the propylon (porch) of the theatre, which was built in the same period. Every four years the stadium hosted the Naian games, a sport competition honouring Zeus; in the early second century BC they became stephanites games (the victors were crowned with olive branch wreaths).
This is one of the few ancient stadiums with stone tiers, which reside upon sloping earth fills retained by walls, on both the north and the south side. Narrow staircases cut across 21 or 22 rows of seats. Under the south seats extended probably a conduit for rainwater. On the same side, a stone rill with small bowls at intervals, for the passage of fresh water coming from a spring on Tomaros mountain, ensured water supply for competing athletes as well as spectators. The sphendone on the east hosted a gate with two continuous arcs leading to the theatre and to other buildings of the sanctuary.
The stadium of Dodoni temenos came to light when K.Karapanos first excavated the area in 1875. A later investigation was conducted by D.Apostolidis and S.Dakaris, but the stadium has not been fully uncovered yet, except of its east section near the sphendone; the remaining part extends over 250m to the west and lies under embankments. The seats of the uncovered part are today cushioned under an earth layer to protect them from humidity and frost.
An integral part of the Dodoni sanctuary, the theatre of Dodoni counts among the largest and best preserved ancient Greek theatres, able to accommodate about 18,000 spectators. For visitors arriving from the south it was the most dominant monument thanks to its curvilinear surfaces and imposing retaining walls. Its construction dates to the third century BC, when King Pyrrhus of Hepirus implemented an ambitious building project in order to reshape the Panhellenic sanctuary and lend it a monumental character.
The theatre's huge cavea had been shaped into a natural cavity at the foot of Tomaros mountain and extended over an earth fill supported by isodomic retaining walls that were fortified with six towers creating an imposing fa?ade. The two towers nearer to the orchestra were of larger dimensions for they also served as stairways. Four horizontal corridors and ten staircases divided the cavea into three sections and nine cunei respectively; the lower section comprised 19 rows of seats, the middle section 15 and the upper section 21 rows. The lower row was the so called proedria (seats of honour) made of stone seats ment for officials or honoured guests. Spectators had access to the cavea through large staircases starting at the parodoi (passageways); they departed through the wide exit at the top of the central cuneus. The orchestra, 18.70m in diameter, was not entirely circular. At its centre stood a carved rock called thymeli, the altar of Dionysos. The scene was a two-storey, rectangle building with an isodomic stonework measuring 31,20 x 9,10m and was flanked by two rectangle rooms, the paraskenia (back of stage), separated by four pillars. At the south and north side of the scene, Doric porticos surrounded the path leading to the sanctuary, while at the east and west end were the parodoi permitting spectators and actors to access the orchestra.
After the destruction of the Dodoni sanctuary by the Aetolians in 219 BC, the theatre and the overall buildings were rebuilt. A stone proscenium (front of scene) was constructed, and the front of the paraskenia was enlarged by two smaller rooms prolonged externally through two porches with engaged Ionic columns. The theatre maintained this shape until 167 BC, when Macedonia and Hepirus were conquered by the Romans (Emilius Paulus), and the sanctuary was again destroyed. The scene was set on fire, to judge by the traces observed during the excavation, and was rebuilt after the reconstitution of the authority called Koinon of Hepirotes in 148 BC. The columns found between the paraskenia were replaced by walls of lime and stones. However, the normal theatre form was short-lived, for in the years of Augustus Caesar (first century BC), the monument was conversed into an arena. The first rows of seats were removed and a 2.80 high wall was built, in order to protect spectators from savage animals, whereas the orchestra and the scene were covered by 0.50m high earth fills. The egg-shaped arena was now adjacent to the scene. Wild animals were kept in two triangular rooms formed by the protection wall and the scene wall. Thus transformed, the theatre stayed in use until the end of the fourth century AD.
The monument was initially excavated between 1875-1878 by the archeologist K. Karapanos. Later investigations were conducted by archaeology professor D. Evangelidis together with S. Dakaris (1929-1932), who continued their excavating activity after the Second World War, and contributed to the restoration of the theatre.
In the southernmost end of the sanctuary sacred to Zeus in Dodoni, roughly 30m westwards from the gate of the enclosure, rests the temple of Hercules, part of which lied under the Christian Basilica Β. It was built in the early third century BC, in the years of Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, who made efforts to correlate his genos (larger family, house) with the mythical hero, particularly after his second marriage to Lanassa, daughter of Agathocles, who was the tyrant of Syracuses, and originated from the family of Hercules.
This is the largest temple after that of Zeus, and the only known temple of Doric order within the sanctuary. It is oriented from northwest to southeast and measures 16.50 x 9.50m. Except of the pronaos (front section) and the cella (in Greek, sek?s), the temple also disposes of four or six Doric columns at the fa?ade (tetrastyle or hexastyle prostylos temple). After being set on fire by the Aetolians in 219 BC, it had been reconstructed and the destroyed architectural members of soft sandstone (triglyphs, capitals, cornice) were set in the wall that separates the pronaos from the cella. To the east of the pronaos survives a large pedestal, 5.70 x 3.20m in dimensions, which made part of the altar of the temple.
The fact that the temple was related to the adoration of Hercules is ascertained by several archaic bronze sheets found on the interior, by cheek pieces from helmets, by a relief representation depicting the dispute between Apollo and Hercules for the possession of the Delphic tripod, and especially by a metope made of limestone in the third century BC, depicting in relief the fight of Hercules against the monster called Lernaia Hydra, and is currently included among the exhibits of the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina. The hero is pressing down with his right knee the body of the beast depicted to his right, while Iolaos, standing to the left of Hercules, is trying to burn a tentacle of Hydra with a torch (his right thigh is visible). A crab near the right thigh of Hercules suggests the marsh of Lerna, which was the theatre for this particular scene.
Temple of Dioni at Dodoni
A place of significance in the Dodoni sanctuary was reserved to the adoration of goddess Dioni, the mythological mother of goddess Aphrodite. Both Dioni and Themis were called ?Naian goddesses, cohabitants and worshipped together with Zeus?. The earlier temple dedicated to Dioni was situated near the Sacred Residence to the north and made part of the central section of the sanctuary. Built in the second half of the fourth century or in the early third century BC, the temple was set on fire by the Aetolians in 219 BC and was subsequently abandoned.
It was oriented from east to west, in an almost square plan (9.80 x 9.40m) and was about half as big as the adjacent temple of Zeus. It disposed of a cella and a pronaos (front section) with four Ionic columns of sandstone at the fa?ade; the superstructure was made of unfired (?green?) bricks. The stone threshold of the entrance pierced in the intermediate wall that separates the cella from the pronaos, still survives; the double-leaf door was 1.20m wide. At the far end of the cella are preserved the remains of a pedestal supporting the ceremonial statue of Dioni, the so called ?edos? (habitat). The revered ?edos? was honoured every year by the Athenians, who sent honourable ?theories? (dignitaries as city representatives) and abundant gifts, following a Dodoni oracle.
When the sanctuary was reconstructed after 219 BC, a new temple sacred to Dioni was erected to the south, visibly diverging from the temple of Zeus. It was an Ionic tetrastyle (four-columned) with a frontal portico (?prostyle?) temple disposing of a pronaos (anteroom) and the cella, measuring overall 9.60 x 6.35m. The columns were made of conglomerate externally plastered with fine lime mortar or marble mortar that rendered to the surfaces the whiteness and smoothness of marble. The stepped fa?ade was of good quality limestone, similar to the columns of the parodoi (passageways, public entrances) in the theatre. A wall separates the pronaos from the cella, featuring a stone threshold that still survives together with traces of the double-leaf door, 1.30m in width. At the far end of the cella stands the pedestal which supported the statue of Dioni.
Temple of Hercules at Dodoni
In the southernmost end of the sanctuary sacred to Zeus in Dodoni, roughly 30m westwards from the gate of the enclosure, rests the temple of Hercules, part of which lied under the Christian Basilica Β. It was built in the early third century BC, in the years of Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, who made efforts to correlate his genos (larger family, house) with the mythical hero, particularly after his second marriage to Lanassa, daughter of Agathocles, who was the tyrant of Syracuses, and originated from the family of Hercules.
This is the largest temple after that of Zeus, and the only known temple of Doric order within the sanctuary. It is oriented from northwest to southeast and measures 16.50 x 9.50m. Except of the pronaos (front section) and the cella (in Greek, sek?s), the temple also disposes of four or six Doric columns at the fa?ade (tetrastyle or hexastyle prostylos temple). After being set on fire by the Aetolians in 219 BC, it had been reconstructed and the destroyed architectural members of soft sandstone (triglyphs, capitals, cornice) were set in the wall that separates the pronaos from the cella. To the east of the pronaos survives a large pedestal, 5.70 x 3.20m in dimensions, which made part of the altar of the temple.
The fact that the temple was related to the adoration of Hercules is ascertained by several archaic bronze sheets found on the interior, by cheek pieces from helmets, by a relief representation depicting the dispute between Apollo and Hercules for the possession of the Delphic tripod, and especially by a metope made of limestone in the third century BC, depicting in relief the fight of Hercules against the monster called Lernaia Hydra, and is currently included among the exhibits of the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina. The hero is pressing down with his right knee the body of the beast depicted to his right, while Iolaos, standing to the left of Hercules, is trying to burn a tentacle of Hydra with a torch (his right thigh is visible). A crab near the right thigh of Hercules suggests the marsh of Lerna, which was the theatre for this particular scene.
Temple of Venus at Dodoni
The temple of Venus (goddess Aphrodite), centrally positioned within the Dodoni sanctuary, is situated near the temple of the goddess Themis. Its identification followed on base of the earthen figurines, that were found around the temple and on its interior. They represent a feminine figure holding with her right hand a dove in front of her breast - the dove is a symbol for the goddess Venus. On the base of certain constructional details and of the findings that were taken from its interior, the temple can be dated to the fourth or the early third century BC; however, this should not exclude the possibility of an earlier cult in this location. The worship of Venus in Dodoni is also confirmed by inscription testimonies, but the time in which it was established remains unknown. It had been apparently anterior to the time of king Pyrrhus, but it is certain that in the early third century BC there was a fusion with the adoration of Venus Aineiada, introduced by king Pyrrhus, who ?imported? this cult from the city of Egesta, in western Sicily. This particular deity is related to the Trojan hero Aineias and the legend of Troy, who were incredibly dear to the tribe of the Molossoi, because, according to earlier traditions, the Molossoi originated from Troy through Andromache, the wife of Hector.
This is a small temple in Doric rhythm, 8.50 x 4.70m in dimensions, but it slightly differs from the type and style established in Dodoni. It is a simple distyle construction in antis, with a pronaos (anteroom) and a cella building; between the pilasters of the pronaos are two eight-sided Doric columns instead of four Ionic columns, which is the case of the other temples. Two of the column drums are built-in (encastr?) into the square edifice of the Roman years that stands immediately to the east. At the middle of the wall that separates the cella from the pronaos was an entrance with a one-leaf door, 1m in width, of which only the broken threshold survives. The walls of the temple were manufactured with small stones, as in Building M, while soft sandstone had been used for the capitals of the columns. Among the findings related with the building, are included lead inscriptions and figurines depicting a feminine figure, an earthen lion's head, dated to the fourth century BC, as well as a marble fragment from the trunk of an archaic feminine statue, of smaller dimensions than the natural size of a feminine body. This fragment presumably belonged to the ceremonial statue of the goddess Aphrodite.
Prytaneion of Dodoni
South of the Bouleuterion is the Prytaneion. Between them, remains are visible of the West Gate of the old 4th century BC precinct, through which the Sacred Way passed leaded to the oracular Oak-tree. For the construction of the two buildings, the Hiera Oikia and the Prytaneion, it was necessary to move the west side of the precinct further west and to join in with the House of the Priests.
The Prytaneion comprises the original nucleus, 31.50 m wide, dating to the beginning o the 3rd century BC and the extension to the north side made at the end of the 3rd century BC. This consists of three rooms with nine couches each and with service areas, where the archontes (government officials) dined, and on the east side, of a large extended colonnade that extended nearly as far as the south-west main gate of the west perimeter wall.
These additions were considered necessary when the Epirote Alliance was succeeded by the Epirote League, which was joined by all the Greek Epirote tribes from southern Albania to the Ambracian Gulf.
The Prytaneion, in whose sacred hearth the eternal fire burned, was where the prytaneis (magistrates) and distinguished persons dined and the resolutions of the Boule and the archontes were kept. It was, in a way, the home of the city-state or city-tribe. The excavations, which are continuing, brought to light a peristyle court with 4 x 4 Doric columns on the east side, where the entrance was.
After the Roman destruction in 167 BC, the Prytaneion was roughly repaired in the 1st century BC, but the north wing and its rooms with nine couches each and the east colonnade remained buried beneath the rubble. The Doric peristyle belonging to the beginning of the 3rd century BC was replaced by a larger one (4 x 7 columns) carelessly constructed of various materials. The bases of the peristyle, which was now built on a larger scale, consisted of slabs taken from the destroyed pedestrals that had been on the east facade of the Ionic Stoa. One of these bases preserves part of a decree by the League (of Epirotes), which tells us that the League, after an oracle, honoured a certain person with a bronze statue signed by a hitherto unknown sculptor, Melissos, son of Epikrates, from Corcyra.
Bouleuterion
This edifice is built on the south side of the hill, to the east of the Theatre. It consists of a large hall 1,260 m2 in area with a Doric colonnade (stoa) in front. Some remains of rough stone benches show that the members of the Bouleuterion (Council Champer) sat on the upper part o the slope.
The identification of this building as the Bouleuterion is confirmed by the stone altar, near the south wall, dedicated to Zeus Naios and Bouleus (Counsellor) and to Dione by Charops, the son of Machatas, a Thesprotian, one of the leading Epirotes and a "good and noble man", who assisted Flamininus in Epirus during the campaigns in 198 B.C. agains the Macedonians.
The survivng outside walls formed the stone base of the building, but the upper part was built of baked and unbaked bricks bonded woth mud. The great saddle roof was supported on eight breccia Ionic columns in three rows and the walls were reinforced by 14 buttresses to counter the thrust of the heavy roof. On both sides small flights of steps led to the theatre area where the members of the Council sat. Lower down on the south side, west of the altar, were the wooden chairs for the speakers and the stone ballot stand with the wooden boxes for the voting.
Acropolis of Dodoni
The summit of the small hill (alt. 35 m) is surrounded by a trapezoidal wall dating to the 2nd half of the 4th c. BC, built of isodomic masonry; it has ten rectangular towers and recesses, and the perimeter is 750 m in length and has an area of 34,000 m. This was the Acropolis of the ancient "city of Dodoneans", as it is called in an oracular inscription, where the inhabitants of the surrounding region took refuge when threatened by enemy attack. The enceinte had two main gates guarded by two towers on the northeast and southwest sides, and a small gate on the south. Inside there are house foundations and a rectangular cistern hewn out of the rock, which supplied water to the inhabitants in times of siege. It has two pillars supporting a stone architrave to carry the roof of the cistern
Official Unit:
12th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities
Τ.Κ. 45500, Dodoni (Prefecture of Ioanina)
Telephone: +30 26510 82287
Email: protocol@ibepka.culture.gr
