„Trash or Votive – The high complexity of depositional contents in the extra-urban sanctuary of S. Anna (Agrigent) “

am Dienstag, 2. Mai 2023

Im Kolloquium der Klassischen Archäologie freuen wir uns auf einen Vortrag von Alina Bell (M.A.), Universität Augsburg.

Abstract

The extra-urban sanctuary of S. Anna is located on a hill overlooking the urban temples of ancient Akragas in Sicily. Excavations began in the 1960s under the direction of Graziella Fiorentini and resumed in 2014 by the University of Augsburg. Based on the archaeological record, the sanctuary could be dated to the end of the 6th to the beginning of the 4th century BC. The numerous depositions found here are already present just a few centimeters below the surface in a very good state of preservation and can often be seen in a spatial as well as chronological context.
In sanctuaries the objects entered usually as a sacrifice or votive offering, but also as cult device and components for ritual feasts such as table- and cookingware, and were deposited after their primary ritual use, as they had to remain in the sanctuary.
However the examination of the depositions in S. Anna reveals, on the one hand, often recurring patterns of ritual activities, but on the other hand also clearly distinguishable details in the construction of depositions. For even if the various actions and objects occur several times, the different possible combinations result in quite different complex structures.
In this context, the depositions cannot be categorized into trash or votive, as it is managed by mainstream research. Rather, they contain a complex assemblage of complete, in situ broken and fragmentarily preserved votive objects, tableware and cult devices. The situation is similar with sacrificial and feast residues, such as plant seeds, bone fragments, and charcoal.
Since 2014, the excavation site shows a very high density of finds where a large number of ritual depositions, which were found next to and on top of each other – or at close distances – has been investigated. Based on these finds, the versatile use of fragmented material within the depositional practice can be exemplarily demonstrated. It can also be shown, that the objects not only functioned as offerings and as containers for votives but that they may also have had limiting, covering, marking, or stabilizing functions.
This lecture will discuss the symbolic and ritual-practical function of fragmented objects by the exemplary presentation of depositions from S. Anna, which are the topic of my PhD thesis. Hereby the versatile use of objects within depositional practices can be demonstrated and the great importance of examining fragmented material alongside complete preserved objects for understanding depositional practices in ancient sanctuaries in general is highlighted.

Termin:
am 02.05.2023
um 14.00 - 15.30 Uhr
Der Vortrag findet in Raum D 2129 statt.
Die Anmeldung erfolgt über Digicampus beim Kolloquium Klassische Archäologie oder beim Sekretariat der Klassischen Archäologie.