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Un Santuario di Frontiera, fra Polis E Chora
Abstract
Nella campagna di scavi condotta a Cirene tra l'ottobre del 1910 ed il maggio del 1911 la Missione Archeologica Americana diretta da Richard Norton portava alia luce circa tremila statuine fittili, intere o quasi, ed una quantità innumerevole di testine ed altri frammenti.
L'occasione per la scoperta era stata del tutto fortuita. Agli inizi di novembre del 1910 un arabo si era presentato al campo portando un cesto con 765 statuette di terracotta, che erano state scavate nel suo giardino posto alle pendici dell'Acropoli, nella parte nord-occidentale, al livello della Terrazza del Santuario di Apollo (la
Myrtousa
).
Molte conversazioni e molti caffè consentirono al Norton l'inizio dello scavo, in una striscia piana posta a valle di un gradino roccioso. Nel sito non si rinvennero resti di edifici, ma diverse nicchie rettangolari scavate in alcuni speroni di roccia. Immediatamente davanti a queste vennero trovate le statuette di terracotta: esse formavano uno strato dello spessore di una novantina di centimetri.
... The study of these rocky sanctuaries, through the survey and the excavation, is therefore giving interesting information on their use and role in the territory of Cyrene. It has often been discussed the function of extra-urban sanctuaries either in general for the colonial poleis (Lepore, 1968;Vallet, 1968;Pugliese Carratelli, 1962;Pugliese Carratelli, 1989;Pugliese Carratelli, 1988;Greco, 1990;Leone, 1998) and for Cyrene (Bacchielli, 1994;Parisi Presicce, 1984;Fabbricotti, 2002;Menozzi, 2002 and2007), as irradiation centres for the 'hellenitazion' of the territory and of the local tribes, as 'political and cultural boundaries' of the polis and its chora; however, this 'religious and consequentially political acculturation' of the territory should be interpreted as a two ways process, in which the Greek world meet the local pre-existing cultures, interacting with them in very different ways. Therefore, these sanctuaries became the most original products of this interaction, showing always vivacious and innovative features in their architecture, rites, votive offerings and dedications. ...
يتعلَّق هذا البحث بدراسة مظهر من المظاهر الحضاريَّة اللِّيبيَّة، ألا وهو «ملابسُ النِّساءِ اللِّيبيَّاتِ الجلديَّةُ»، خاصَّةً البدويَّات منهنَّ في شرق ليبيا القديمة، وهي المنطقة المحدَّدة جغرافيًّا بالحدود الغربيَّة لدلتا النِّيل وحتَّى بحيرة تريتونيس في وسط تونس. وقد قدَّمت المصادرُ الأدبيَّةُ بعضَ الإشاراتِ بهذا الخصوصِ، واتَّفقت روايتُها عن الأصلِ اللِّيبيِّ للملابسِ الجلديَّةِ مع ما قدَّمته الأعمالُ الأثريَّةُ بتصويرها نساءً ليبيَّاتٍ بسماتٍ ليبيَّةٍ يرتدين ما يُشبه العباءة أو المعطف فوق ملابسهنَّ الدَّاخليَّة، وهو ما عدَّته بعضُ مصادرِ الإغريقِ الأصلَ لملابسِ أثينا بالاص ذات الأصلِ اللِّيبيِّ أيضًا، وقد اعتمدنا في دراستنا على المصادر الأدبيَّة، والأثريَّة على السَّواء، واتَّبعنا المنهج السَّرديَّ التَّحليليَّ، وفي الوقت عينه ناقشنا الآراءَ والنَّتائجَ الَّتي توصَّل إليها الباحثون الآخرون عن ذات الموضوع. وقد خلصت الدِّراسة إلى عددٍ من النَّتائج أهمُّها أنَّ اللِّيبيَّات فعلًا كنَّ دائمًا ما يرتدين عباءاتٍ جلديَّةٍ مصنوعةٍ في الغالب من جلد الماعز، وأنَّ هذا اللِّباس، وبكلِّ تفاصيله، هو ذاته لباس أثينا بالاص اليونانيَّة، المعروف باسم «الآيجيس»، وهو أشهرُ الدُّروع في فنونِ الإغريق وأدبهم.
Over the course of the last nine years, a large number of documents have come to light that chronicle more fully American interest in Cyrenaica in the 1880s and in the first two decades of this century. The documents mainly pertain to the 1910–1911 archaeological excavation of Cyrene by Richard Norton on behalf of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Archaeological Institute of America, during the course of which Herbert Fletcher DeCou, staff epigrapher, was fatally shot. But the material also refers to hitherto unnoticed American visits to Cyrenaica for archaeological purposes in 1883 and 1887, as well as the first official American expedition in the spring of 1909. While some of these papers are already well known and also have been the source of several studies regarding the murder of DeCou, most of the material has remained largely unexplored by scholars interested in Cyrenaica. For this reason they are presented here with the expectation that future articles on specific aspects of the Cyrene papers will be forthcoming shortly.
Chieti University's team in Libya has been mapping and studying the extraordinary patrimony in rupestrian architecture, looking at both funerary and sacred spaces. Particular attention has been paid to the rock-cut sanctuaries in the areas to the east (Ain Hofra/Bu Miliou areas) and to the west (Baggara and Budrag) of Cyrene, which also represent the most problematic zones for looting and vandalism. Therefore, the principal need for these areas has been to plan a project of mapping and recording that is as systematic as possible for this huge patrimony. The resulting data, coming from surveys, non-invasive geo-prospecting, laser scanning of the main monuments, diagnostic mapping of the damaged monuments, as well as from the excavations, have been recorded in a multilayer GIS. In combination with the surveys, a series of excavations have also been organised in several areas in order to have stratigraphic information from sample areas, which have been chosen on the basis of both their typology/monumentality and the degree of risk of damage and looting. These sanctuaries are generally located on the steep slopes of deep canyons, typically associated with water springs, wild landscape, chthonian cults and also, therefore, funerary areas. They are generally monumentalised and emphasised by rock-cut architecture. Among the most interesting finds are the sanctuaries of Budrag and Ain Hofra, with votive inscriptions, rocky altars and shrines. Particularly interesting is the discovery of a rocky high-relief statue of Dionysus, attesting a possible open-air sanctuary in the area of Baggara. It is a unique example of rocky sculpture in Cyrene and it could be one of the best-preserved examples from the Greek world. Distinguishable by their topography, architectonic features and distance from the town, these rocky sanctuaries attest to a reciprocal osmosis between Greco-Roman and Libyan cultural, artistic and ritual elements. The levels of hybridisation and reciprocity vary from case to case and from period to period, suggesting different degrees of Greco-Roman impact, which seem to be, generally speaking, inversely proportional to the distance from Cyrene, giving space and voice to the cults and rites of the local tribes.
The limestone relief, discovered near the motel in New Shahat in 1984, is one of a group of votive reliefs of the later Hellenistic period (2nd-1st centuries BC). The group, from various Libyan sites, depict Libyan sanctuaries, and are of especial interest in reflecting the close relationship between the Greek and native populations of Cyrenaica. The new find is unusual in devoting a large space to two pastoral scenes. They represent an aspect of the cult of a deity, probably Demeter, who was believed to bestow the Libyan people with meat, milk, hair, wool and other products. With these earthly goods Demeter brought the promise of fertility. Women feature prominently in the relief, as in her cult.
Divinità greche e divinità libie in rilievi di età ellenistica
- Fabbricotti
Il Naiskos ‘di Lysanias’ riconsiderato
- Stucchi
II Santuario di Budrasc
- Ferri
Una divinità della Cirenaica: Aristeo
- Vitali
The Excavations at Cyrene: first campaign, 1910–1911
- Norton
La scultura libya in Cirenaica e la variabilità delle risposte al contatto culturale greco-romano
- Bacchielli
Aspetti dell'acculturazione dei Libyi di Cirenaica
- Bacchielli
Per un'iconografia di Libya in età romana
- Catani
Campagna di scavi a Cirene nell'estate del 1927
- Oliverio
Statuine fittili votive dalla χῶρα cirenea
- Pensabene