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Vergina : the sanctuary of the mother Goddess-Kybele

• Δρούγου, Στέλλα

The sanctuary of the Mother Goddess-Kybele was discovered in 1990, in an area east of the archaeological site and northeast of the palace of ancient Aigai. The identification of the building was based on the terracotta figurines and an inscription incised on a black-glazed kantharos. The size and plan of the sanctuary are still unknown, since only a small part of the complex has been excavated: it is a big rectangular area (7x9m.) with an entrance at the northern side. The walls are equipped with a stone foundation and base, while their upper part was made of mud bricks. An important feature is a hole in the eastern wall, which was used for libations. A group of characteristic vessels used for the worship of the goddess, were also found at the same place. A small pit-altar was found beside the threshold of the entrance; this yielded terracotta figurines of Kybele, a figurine of a bull, an altar, and the terracotta female head of a statue. It seems that this extended area had a mystic characterfunction, which well corresponds to the mysteries which took place at the Metroa. The bronze coins and the pottery date the destruction of the sanctuary to the mid-2nd century B.C., while there is evidence which implies that the sanctuary had already been in use by the end of the 4th cent. B.C. This is going to be testified by the results of the future excavations.

• History and Archaeology

• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

Βεργίνα, συνέδρια

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