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Archaeological site

Hellenistic Sanctuary of Dionysus

At a close distance from the cave of Euripides, the research team of the University of Ioannina (1998–2000) identified an autonomous building complex of the Hellenistic period, built on a small plateau. It consists of a sanctuary with a small square temple (2.50×2.40 m.) and a courtyard worship space with a built-in desk. The complex also includes a faucet installation with a rectangular water tank (sealed internally with hydraulic mortar), which is fed from an adjacent natural spring through an earthen conduit. The study of the mobile finds assigns the Sanctuary to the middle of the 3rd century BC. The relatively short period of operation ended in the 2nd century BC, when it was probably destroyed by natural causes. The most important finds, which constitute the presumptions of its identification with the cult of Dionysus, are a marble votive phallus, the right hand of a marble statue holding a kantharus, as well as a clay kantharus with embossed theatrical masks on the handles. Also important was the discovery of four disc-shaped clay cell covers with the letter E embossed in their center. The find testifies to the practice of beekeeping in Salamis, confirming the description given to his homeland by Euripides in the Troades (798-799: "beekeeper Salamis"). In the immediate vicinity of the cave, the Dionysian Sanctuary should have actively participated in the cult of the local Dionysians during classical times, before emerging during the Roman period as a place of pilgrimage, as the work of Euripides had spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. This rural Sanctuary was probably intended for the co-cult of Dionysus-Euripides. This point of interest is coastal and urban. Suitable Visiting Season: All year round. It is not accessible by public transport. There is no cost or ticket. Visiting hours: Free. Source of photographic material: archaiologia.gr