A devotional Peak Sanctuary of the Goddess
Athena has been discovered in Paliokastro, by Professor Giannis Petrochilos
On October 30, 2015, at a lecture
given by our compatriot professor Giannis E.Petrochilos titled "The
excavation in Paliokastro Kythera and the divinity of the peak", revealed
that during a recent excavation in Paliokastro Kythera and NW of position of
the church of St.George, pulled the stone slab with a votive inscription to
deity with special relationship with the peak, i.e. the goddess Athena as a goddess
of peaks and citadels. The inscription in Doric dialect says "Athanaiai anethike" (=dedicated
to Athena) without other items because the remaining part of that obviously was
referring to the name of the applicant
in the Godhead has been destroyed.
This lecture (revelation) was made
within the context of the series of lectures "Sanctuaries and
Deities" organized in the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus, the 26th Classical Antiquities Ephorate
of West Attica, Piraeus and Islands.
The
fine speaker was prefaced by the Head of Inspectorate madam Stella
Chryssoulaki, reporting on Miss, in his studies, his scientific training, his
thesis, the educational duty at the University of Ioannina (taught Classical Archeology)
and the excavation work and outside Kythera (Thira, Amorgos, Spata, etc.) and
invited him to step.
Giannis Petrochilos mentioned in
excavation work in Paliokastro, highlighting especially the location of the unknown
original ancient Sancturary, near the church of St. George (which is structured
with ancient limestone). He was the first archaeologist who excavated in St.
George, initially with surface surveys and with the early incisions in
1998-1999 on the western slope and 2000 eastern aisles of the peak, where the
area is inaccessible, dry and exposed to the "eye" of the weather
while the bushy vegetation (shrubs adventitious) hindered excavation.
In 1999 began the first findings and
as he pointed out, these were vessels, metals, bisala etc. The year 2000 the
excavation continued and the 2001 where fragments of vessels of the Geometric
Era were discovered, while the finding of the year (2001) was the female
figurine. Peer has looked up to Kythera and today located in the British Museum
(see Newspaper KYTHERAISMOS, December 2009). In 2002 stated, "we
discovered the entire devotional building, vessels early 7th century BC,
stressing columns from flint, ensfragista with the inscription "holy"
(IEROI) and ended in 2003-2004 we have come back to the place we had in 1999,
and 2004 we spotted the existence of a rectangle building that was elongated 27m.
length and 6m. width".
Recently in K3 building with rectangular
pedestal low height notes, we spotted the above inscription dedicated to the Goddess
Athena, a goddess with a special relationship with the peak, the goddess of
Citadels, as was the case in all areas of the Spartan Doric, during the 7th and
6th century B.C.
Of course Giannis Petrochilos, after
this discovery of the sacred Peak of Athena in Paliokastro, stressed that scientific
announcements will follow for the new findings, after researching further and will
continue excavations, something that we think is necessary all of us to help to
bail the effort will yield many benefits for the place to enrich its history
and development of its future.
Many of our compatriots were between
the people that watched the apocalyptic lecture by Giannis Petrochilos while
answered questions. Followed by a small reception offered by the Kytherian
Brotherhood of Piraeus-Athens and chairman Vrettos Kypriotis was there while the
Kytherian Association of Athens was represented and other Kytherians
associations too.
We congratulate Professor Giannis
Petrochilos for the great revelation of the archaeological excavation and the vivid,
eloquent, precise and comprehensive speech, which occurred with the modesty
that distinguishes him and the use of documentary evidence. For the record, noting
that very few sanctuaries of Athena in Greece have identified and inscribed with
a anathimatos pedestal. While, we believe that with this discovery opens a new
chapter in the history of our homeland and a new beginning to stimulate the
interest of candidates for our island visitors with large ramifications for
archaeological research.
(PS:)
For the record, here are two short excerpts from the speech of Giannis Petrochilos
at 1st International Conference on Kytherian Studies in Kythera, in September
2000, entitled "Ancient Sanctuary in Paliokastro”:
1. ... It is about the finding out
of the residues of an ancient temple, unknown and unexplored by researchers by
the official archeology.
2. ... .All the data gathered so far
refer to the worship of a deity, possibly female established in that place very
early and practiced for centuries. The impressive is the peculiarity and
specificity of place, as the location is central with free horizon and commanding
view, such as those that were selected in various places by the ancients to
establish sacred and which were not
unrelated to the nature of the honoured deity.
The prophetic words of dear Giannis
Petrochilos in the conference of Kythera (2000) were simple clues. These
specific findings and mainly the anathematiki inscription constitute tangible
evidence that they fully justified his estimations.
We congratulate him for the discovering
as Kytherians and we thank him from the bottom of our hearts for the good he
does on our homeland (his homeland) and we will be constantly close to him for
support and aid, so soon to begin new excavations and to come to light and
other ruins of the first Capital of the island, the ancient Kythera. The Institute
of Kytheraismos in Greece, as well as its branches outside Greece, especially
in Australia, will be next to him as it does to any scientist, researcher of
our small homeland.
Elias Marsellos
