Experiencing Dodona: The Development of the Epirote Sanctuary from Archaic to Hellenistic Times

Abstract

This study concerns the sanctuary of Dodona and its role in the political context of Epirus. Located in a region that has received more interest in the last years, this book attempts to analyze the way the shrine evolved in connection with the political developments of its surrounding region. The study employs a diachronic perspective and emphasizes throughout that religion was a dynamic, not a static, phenomenon. The chronology of this research extends from the Archaic to Hellenistic periods. Its key novelty is that it offers an entirely new holistic approach to an ancient religious site by considering its polyfunctionality. At the same time that it presents a state-of-the-art analysis of the shrine of Dodona and contributes with a new theory concerning the function of some structures located in the sacred area, it also highlights the close connection between a settlement and its region. For this reason, the aim is to become a reference work that allows continuing the current trend of studies focused on Epirus, a territory traditionally considered as secondary.