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News about the altar of Dionysus on Kos

• Σταμπολίδης, Νίκος

At the end of 1986 the archaeologist’s spade of the 22nd Ephoria of the Dodecanese uncovered yet another fragment (λ. 12 A) of the frieze of the altar of Dionysus on Kos built into a cistern some 200 m SE of the foundations of the altar, in Odos Grigoriou V. A smaller fragment (λ. 12 Al) probably of the same stone was found in the filling of the outside wall of a well, very close to the cistern. Stone 12 A joins with the already published, broken opistho- graphic stone 12 of the altar frieze (see Ο βωμός του Διονύσου στην Κω, Συμβολή στη μελέτη της ελληνιστικής πλαστικής και αρχιτεκτονικής, 19872)' this is apparant from the material, the size and the style of the figures on the surviving side with the relief, as well as from the breaks on the left side and the bottom. The smaller fragment (λ. 12 Al) with the relief surface may also come from the relief side 2 of the new piece.With the overall length of the opisthographic stone 12 (α. λ. 12), and after a series of rejected hypotheses and reasonings, it seems clear that the theory that places the stones in the north side of the altar, in the order suggested previously, ceases, at least in part, to be valid.The join of the new fragment with the opisthographic stone 12 (α. λ. 12) contributes very little to the completion of the number of now lost sections of the frieze and cannot, therefore, add new elements to its thematic and iconographie content. Nevertheless it does contribute to changes connected with the position of the stones of the frieze —and, especially, of the thematic groups A’ and F - still leaving open the question of the final restoration of the altar.The recent discovery of a new inscription on the site of the Sanctuary of Apollo at Alasarna (modern Kardamaina) confirms the Kos provenance of inscription no 343 in the British Museum, about whose origins doubts had been expressed. The above conclusion together with the new finds that came to light in the excavations of the 22nd Ephoria within the city render it very probable that: a) the size of the ancient agora was larger than has hitherto been supposed, and b) within the southern extension of the area of the agora there must have been an altar dedicated to Dionysus. Nevertheless, before it can be demonstrated whether this was the magnificent Altar of Dionysus or some other earlier one, the area around the altar must be excavated to elucidate: a) the extent of the agora and its different phases and b) the phases and relationships of buildings like the so-called Hellenistic temple, the altar on its west and the magnificent Altar of Dionysus between them.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)
• Sculpture

Θερμές ευχαριστίες εκφράζει ο υπογράφων κι από αυτήν εδώ τη θέση στην αρχαιολόγο-προϊσταμένη της Κω, X. Κάντζια, καθώς και στη συνάδελφό της Ε. Μπρούσκαρη που του παρείχαν πολύτιμες πληροφορίες σχετικά με την ανασκαφή και το υλικό. Επίσης ευχαριστεί τον Έφορο της KB' Εφορείας I. Παπαχριστοδούλου για την άδεια δημοσίευσης του υλικού και την αρχαιολόγο Α. Παυλίδη-Γιαννικουρή για την εξυπηρέτηση και την παροχή φωτογραφιών της ανασκαφής., Περιέχει 1 σχέδιο. Πίνακες 45-50 βλέπε τέλος τεύχους, Το άρθρο περιέχεται στο τεύχος: Μέρος Α'-Μελέτες