Category: iSamothrace
April 15-16, 2021: From the Vantage of Victory: The Sanctuary of the Great Gods and the Island of Samothrace Symposium
Click here to view the program for the 2021 Symposium. The virtual symposium, “From the Vantage of the Victory: The Sanctuary of the Great Gods and the Island of Samothrace,” held on April 15–16, 2021, marked the culmination of the NEH-supported research project centered on the Nike of Samothrace and the area of the sanctuary…
Archaeological Museum of Samothrace Reopens Hall A
The Archaeological Museum of Samothrace, which has been closed for renovations, reopens part of the museum to visitors on Saturday, August 8th, 2020. Hall A presents the full-scale reconstructions of major buildings in the center of the sanctuary, including the Rotunda of Arsinoe, the Hieron, and the Altar Court. The exhibition will include a video…
Why Did the Initiate Cross the Ravine? Understanding the Altar Court and Theater
By: Jess Paga The Sanctuary of the Great Gods at Samothrace is full of mysteries. Deep in the central sanctuary, however, snuggled up against the ravine, is a building that does not seem too mysterious at first glance – the Altar Court. It is a square building that had a beautiful marble façade with Doric…
Water Under the Bridge? Questions and Challenges in the Central Ravine
Water and the ancient sanctuary When it comes to major construction projects, the Classical world remembered attempts to control and channel water as keenly as more canonical architectural monuments. Archaic and Classical figures from the tyrant Polycrates to the Persian king Xerxes were either hailed for, or railed against, for the hubris of controlling water.…
2017 Dream Team – American Excavations Samothrace
Welcome back to the American Excavations Samothrace! In a time-honored tradition shown above, the excavation season began when the Director of the American Excavations Samothrace, Bonna Wescoat, led the team on a tour of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods noting important features of the site as well as its place in the history of…
February 24-25: Emory University and Université de Bordeaux Montaigne Partner University Fund Project on Ancient Greek Architecture
Keynote Lecture: “Avenues of Innovation and Communication in 3rd Century BC Greek Architecture” Professor Jacques des Courtils, Université de Bordeaux Montaigne Friday, February 24, 7:00 p.m. Reception to follow Classical architecture—one of ancient Greece’s most tangible and enduring contributions to world culture—was transmitted through the innovative designs forged in the tumultuous Hellenistic world and exploited…
Report on Summer 2016 Stoa Work
Our goals for summer 2016 Our main goal for “Team Stoa” this summer was to relocate and identify, map, rock-type, and record as many of the 2,400+ blocks listed in the Stoa database on filemaker. In the field, we used the block charts created in 1991 to aid in our quest to locate the actual…
Samothrace – “The Crust of the Earth”
Samothrace has a variety of rocks that were used by the ancient Greeks in their construction, including in the “Sanctuary of the Great Gods”. The origin of these rocks reflects the sometime violent history of the island. The southern margin is truncated by the long-active Anatolian Fault. Major earthquakes and vertical upheaval of the sea…
Archiving the Sanctuary of the Great Gods
As one of my research focuses this summer I have been working to organize and prepare the digital archive of the excavation and research history of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods at Samothrace. This project includes the collection and organization of various record types from the history of the project.
Perilous Plaster Pieces (Poem)
Sometime before, I had encountered you. I remember the years; it was just two. But now trouble you bring me, my great foe. Oh, here in Samothrace, you mock me so!