Between the Aphrodite-Temple and the Late Archaic House

Archaeological investigations on religion and power formation on Monte Iato in archaic western Sicily

Abstract:

Around 500 BC, a large two-storey house was constructed on Monte Iato. This building is notably aligned along a sacred axis, which formed the foundation of the so-called Aphrodite Temple, built around 550 BC. The upper level of this late Archaic building contained magnificently decorated banqueting rooms that were accessible from ground level on the much higher hillside to the north, through an open area in front of the house.

Despite this clear integration of the upper level into the cultic and festival activities of the sanctuary surrounding the Aphrodite Temple, the rooms on the ground floor are still to be regarded as part of the area used for representative living. Thus, this was the residence of a powerful family or a “clubhouse” of a local elite circle. This familial or elite group held trusteeship over the upper-level banqueting rooms as well as over the sacrificial and festival policy at the Aphrodite Temple.

Although the sanctuary on Monte Iato was located in the middle of the indigenous hinterland, its two most significant architectural monuments—the Aphrodite Temple and the late Archaic house—are remarkable examples of Greek architecture. This can only be explained as the result of successful networking with the Greeks.

The archaeological project “Between the Aphrodite Temple and the Late Archaic House” reflects a causal link between religion, the formation of power, and colonial contact. A detailed archaeological study of this interdependence will be based on Robert N. Bellah’s typology of religion and society. This sociological perspective also informs the choice of archaeological methods and defines the areas where fieldwork is necessary to obtain more precise explanations.

Through the analysis of activity areas and palaeobotanical as well as palaeozoological investigations, the aim is to reconstruct as precisely as possible what was consumed, where, and how. On the basis of such analyses—examining consumption patterns involving pottery, sacrificial meat, and alcoholic beverages—a social topography of the cult community in the sanctuary around the Aphrodite Temple will be revealed.

This study promises to yield new insights into the cultic and festival policy of the local elite residing on the lower floor of this late Archaic house. The formation of alliances with Greek partners played a central role in this process. Ultimately, claims to power were established on this foundation and were inherent in the installation of a genuine cult within the sanctuary of the Aphrodite Temple, conceived as an earthly manifestation of a cosmic order.