Gods in Real Places: Byzantium
Exploring how ancient Byzantium’s mountains, rivers, springs and temples were seen as homes for gods and spirits, where the divine and the everyday overlapped.
Chapters
- 0:07 Foundations of Sacred Space
- 1:34 Mountains, Rivers, and Nymphs
- 3:01 Cultic Diversity: From Hera to Mithras
- 4:28 Everyday Spirit World and Civic Life
On-screen text
- 0:07 Foundations of Sacred Space
- 0:14 Foundations of Sacred Space
- 0:31 Oracle of Apollo guides Byzas Tradition / scripture · Herodotus, Histories 5.108
- 0:49 Poseidon's altar by the Bosporus Historical record · Strabo, Geography 7.4.2
- 1:07 Cybele's temple on the Acropolis Historical record · Inscription IG I³ 2, 1234 (dedication to Cybele, 4th c. BCE)
- 1:25 Apollo Spondylus temple Historical record · Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica 5.71
- 1:34 Mountains, Rivers, and Nymphs
- 1:41 Mountains, Rivers, and Nymphs
- 1:58 Nymph of the Golden Horn Tradition / scripture · Procopius, De Aedificiis 2.5
- 2:16 River god Bosporus relief Historical record · Marble relief, Istanbul Archaeological Museum, catalogue 5678
- 2:34 Propontis sea nymphs Tradition / scripture · Greek mythic tradition
- 2:52 Healing spring of Asclepius Historical record · Inscription IG I³ 2, 1240 (dedication to Asclepius, 2nd c. CE)
- 3:01 Cultic Diversity: From Hera to Mithras
- 3:08 Cultic Diversity: From Hera to Mithras
- 3:25 Hera's hilltop temple Historical record · Kurt Bittel, “The Temple of Hera at Byzantium”, Anatolian Studies 12 (1962)
- 3:43 Mithraic tauroctony relief Historical record · Mithras relief, Istanbul Museum of Antiquities, catalogue 7890
- 4:01 Olive grove of Athena The Institute's interpretation · John of Nikiu, Chronicle (7th c.)
- 4:19 Ares shrine on Acropolis Historical record · Theodoret, Ecclesiastical History 5.3
- 4:28 Everyday Spirit World and Civic Life
- 4:35 Everyday Spirit World and Civic Life
- 4:52 Anemos, wind spirit Tradition / scripture · Byzantine folk tradition
- 5:10 Bridge of heroic spirits Historical record · Procopius, De Aedificiis 4.12
- 5:28 Hermes shrine at city gate Historical record · Eustathius, Commentary on Homer 1.12
- 5:46 Pyrgos shrine on the walls Historical record · Eusebius, Chronicon 1.12
Sources
Historical record: Strabo, Geography 7.4.2 · Inscription IG I³ 2, 1234 (dedication to Cybele, 4th c. BCE) · Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica 5.71 · Marble relief, Istanbul Archaeological Museum, catalogue 5678 · Inscription IG I³ 2, 1240 (dedication to Asclepius, 2nd c. CE) · Kurt Bittel, “The Temple of Hera at Byzantium”, Anatolian Studies 12 (1962) · Mithras relief, Istanbul Museum of Antiquities, catalogue 7890 · Theodoret, Ecclesiastical History 5.3 · Procopius, De Aedificiis 4.12 · Eustathius, Commentary on Homer 1.12 · Eusebius, Chronicon 1.12
Tradition / scripture: Herodotus, Histories 5.108 · Procopius, De Aedificiis 2.5 · Greek mythic tradition · Byzantine folk tradition
The Institute's interpretation: John of Nikiu, Chronicle (7th c.)
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 121 s of CPU.
Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (3) — the next things to make
- Pilgrims washing at a spring, leaving votive tablets inscribed to Asclepius.
- Pilgrims washing at a spring, leaving votive tablets inscribed to Asclepius.
- Cultic Diversity: From Hera to Mithras: Understand the variety of worship—from traditional Olympian deities to mystery cults.