Research Project

The fragmentation of votive offerings in the sanctuary of Olympia

Research on the background of a ritual practice

Summary

Alongside Delphi, the most important Greek sanctuary is that of Zeus at Olympia. It attracted numerous visitors from near and far, and not only during the Olympic Games. The German excavations at Olympia, which have been ongoing since 1875, have unearthed a huge number of bronze votive offerings, many of which are more or less fragmented and sometimes show traces of intentional destruction. The aim of this project is to explore the practices and intentions behind these destructions.

Despite the large quantity of fragmented bronze votive offerings at Olympia and other sanctuaries, no in-depth attempt has yet been made to systematically analyse this phenomenon and to understand the demolitions as part of a (ritual) practice that allows insights into the cult activities of an important Greek sanctuary. In other disciplines, especially in prehistoric archaeology, fragmented bronzes (“bronze scrap”) are an important object of research in the investigation of European Bronze Age hoards, for which a number of methodological approaches have been developed.

The project aims to bring together research approaches from different disciplines and make them useful for the analysis of fragmented bronze objects in Olympia. The aim is to investigate the function and significance of fragmented votive offerings in Olympia, when and how they were demolished, and why they ended up in the ground in such large numbers. Using selected types of material, this project’s objectives include:

  • recognising specific fragmentation and breakage patterns;
  • carrying out statistical investigations on the basis of weights and measures;
  • calculating the degree of fragmentation;
  • investigating the spatial distribution of fragmented objects in relation to functional areas within the sanctuary (e.g. forges, altars, temples).
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Contact

Apl. Prof. Dr. Holger Baitinger
+49 6131 8885-0
Kontakt

Team

Apl. Prof. Dr. Holger Baitinger
Dr. Azzurra Scarci
Gerhard Stawinoga

Project Period

Since 01.2022

  • Olympiagrabung des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Athen (PD Dr. Oliver Pilz)

  • A. Scarci, Olympia, Griechenland. Forschungen zum Projekt »Fragmentierung von Weihgaben im Heiligtum von Olympia«. Die Forschungsarbeiten von 2022 bis 2023. E-Forschungsberichte des DAI, 2023, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.34780/zsd6-1c8f
  • A. Scarci, Fragmentation of votive offerings in the sanctuary of Olympia: first results. In: Proceedings of the 21. International Congress on Ancient Bronzes (Budapest, 20-24 September 2022) im Druck.
  • H. Baitinger, Fragmentierte Weihgaben und Brucherz in Olympia. In: A. Moustaka / W.-D. Niemeier (Hrsg.), Neue Forschungen zu frühen griechischen Heiligtümern (12.– 5. Jh. v. Chr.). Internationales Symposion zu Ehren von Helmut Kyrieleis anlässlich seines 80. Geburtstages, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Athen, 19.– 21. April 2018. Athenaia (im Druck).
  • H. Baitinger, Ritual killing, melting down, re-use – fragmented objects in the sanctuary of Olympia. In: C. Tarditi / R. Sassù (Hrsg.), Offerte in metallo nei santuari greci. Doni votivi, rituali, smaltimento. Atti del seminario online, 29 ottobre 2020. Thiasos 10, Supplementum V  (Rom 2021) 5-14.

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