Beholding Greece: Viewing Panhellenic Sanctuaries in Late Antiquity

Abstract

Prevailing scholarly narratives have characterized Panhellenic sanctuaries in Late Antiquity as enclaves of dwindling pagan worship that were subsequently destroyed or appropriated by Christians. Contrary to these narratives, this dissertation argues that Panhellenic sanctuaries continued to function in Late Antiquity as sites where both Christian and non- Christian visitors could participate in cultural, civic, and intellectual traditions. This dissertation offers a new approach to Panhellenic sanctuaries by examining both archaeological and textual evidence for interactions with the monumental landscapes of the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi and the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia in the late third through the sixth centuries AD. The results of this study reveal that rather than attempting to obscure monumental testimonies of the ancient Greek pagan past, the stewards of sanctuaries in Late Antiquity maintained the monumental landscapes as distinct, recognizable spaces by selectively preserving monuments, by making new additions that respected existing topography, and by investing in architecture that facilitated visitors’ ability to view the landscape. By situating this pattern alongside practices associated with the intellectual culture of the Second Sophistic in the earlier Roman imperial period, this dissertation proposes that these acts of preserving and framing the monumental landscapes of the sanctuaries in Late Antiquity allowed visitors of different religious commitments to express a shared paideia and draw personal connections to the ancient past through theōria, the contemplative viewing of the mythological and historical landscapes of these renowned sites.