ORACLES ON FAULTS: A PROBABLE LOCATION OF A “LOST” ORACLE OF APOLLO NEAR OROVIAI (NORTHERN EUBOEA ISLAND, GREECE) VIEWED IN ITS GEOLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CONTEXT
Published:
Jan 1, 2010
Keywords:
Apollo Selinaios oracle geodynamics geomorphology Euboea (Evia)
Abstract
At a newly discovered archaeological site at Aghios Taxiarches in Northern Euboea, two votive inscribed stelae were found in 2001 together with hellenistic pottery next to ancient wall ruins on a steep and high rocky slope. Based on the inscriptions and the geographical location of the site we propose the hypothesis that this is quite probably the spot where the oracle of “Apollo Selinountios” (mentioned by Strabo) would stand in antiquity. The wall ruins of the site are found on a very steep bedrock escarpment of an active fault zone, next to a hanging valley, a high waterfall and a cave. The geomorphological and geological environment of the site is linked directly to the regional geodynamical context of Central Greece, a region of tectonic turmoil throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene, characterised by distinct landscapes produced by the activity of active fault zones, intense seismicity, and in part, volcanism and hydrothermal activity. The geomorphological and geological similarities of the Ag. Taxiarches site with those of the oracle at Delphi, seem to provide further support to the hypothesis that the former site can well be that of an ancient oracle, given the recently established connections between the geological environment at Delphi and Apollo’s oracle there. Definitive verification of our hypothesis can only be obtained by further, detailed archaeological study, whereas geological/geomorphological, geochemical, and geochronological studies would be necessary to clarify the connection that the cave lying next to the wall remains may had with the site’s function.
Article Details
- How to Cite
-
Mariolakos, I., Nikolopoulos, V., Bantekas, I., & Palyvos, N. (2010). ORACLES ON FAULTS: A PROBABLE LOCATION OF A “LOST” ORACLE OF APOLLO NEAR OROVIAI (NORTHERN EUBOEA ISLAND, GREECE) VIEWED IN ITS GEOLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CONTEXT. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece, 43(2), 829–844. https://doi.org/10.12681/bgsg.11249
- Section
- Geoarchaeology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Ambraseys, N.N. (1996). Material for the investigation of the seismicity of Central Greece. In S. Stiros & R.E. Jones (Eds). Archaeoseismology (pp. 23-36). Fitch Lab. Occas. Paper 7. British school at Athens.
Aronis, G., Panagiotidis, Gr., Monopolis, D. & Morikis, A. (1964). Geological map of Greece in 1:50.000 : Delphi sheet. Athens, Institute for Geology and Subsurface Research.
Birot, P. (1959). Geomorphologie de la region de Delphes. Bulletin de Correspondance Hellenique, 83, 258-274.
Bousquet, B. & Pechoux, P.Y. (1977). La seismicite du bassin Egeen pendant l’ Antiquite. Bull. Soc. Geol. France, (7) XIX (3), 679-684.
Broneer, O. (1962). The Isthmian victory crown. American Journal of Archaeology, 66, 259-263.
Burbank, D. W. & Anderson, R. S. (2001). Tectonic Geomorphology. Blackwell Science.
Bursian, C. (1872). Geographie von Griechenland. Band II, Leipzig.
Darmezin, L. (1999), Les affranchissements par consécration en Béotie et dans le monde grec hellénistique, Nancy.
De Boer, J. Z. & Hale, J. R. (2000). The geological origins of the oracle at Delphi, Greece. In W.G. McGuire, D. R. Griffiths, P. L. Hancock & I. S. Stewart (Eds). The Archaeology of Geological Catastrophes (pp. 399-412). Geological Society, Sp. Publ., 171, London.
De Boer, J. Z., Hale, J. R. & Chanton, J. (2001). New evidence for the geological origins of the ancient Delphic oracle (Greece). Geology, 29, 8, 707-710.
Fytikas, M., Innocenti, F., Manetti, P., Mazzuoli, R., Perccerillo, A. & Villari, L. (1984). Tertiary to Quaternary evolution of volcanism in the Aegean region. In J.E. Dixon & A.H.F. Robertson (Eds.). The geological evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean (pp. 687-699). Geol. Soc. London, Spec. Publ. 17, Blackwell Oxford.
Ganas, A. (1997). Fault segmentation and seismic hazard assessment in the gulf of Euboea rift, Central Greece. PhD dissertation, University of Reading.
Gebhard, E., (1993), The Evolution of a Pan-Hellenic Sanctuary: From Archaeology towards History at Isthmia, in N. Marinatos, R. Hägg (eds.) Greek Sanctuaries, New Approaches, 154-177.
Gioni-Stavropoulou, G. (1998). Hydrogeological study of Hydrogeological – Hydrochemical conbditions of the Loutra Aidipsou hydrorthermal field. Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration, report of project 9261904, 29 pp. (in Greek)
Hancock, P. L., Chalmers, R.M.L., Altunel, E. & Cakir, Z. (1999). Travitonics: using travertines in active fault studies. Journal of Structural Geology, 21, 903-916.
Higgins, M.D. & Higgins, R. (1996). A geological companion to Greece and the Aegean. London, Ducksworth and Co.
Jackson, J. (1994). Active tectonics of the Aegean region. Ann. Rev. Earth Plan. Sci., 22, 239-271.
Katsikatsos, G., Mettos, A. & Vidakis, M. (1984). Geological Map of Greece in 1:50.000: Istiea sheet. Athens, Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (IGME).
Katsikatsos, G., Kounis, G., Fytikas, M., Mettos, A. & Vidakis, M. (1980). Geological Map of Greece in 1:50.000: Limni sheet. Athens, Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration.
Kelepertsis, A., Tziritis, E., Kelepertsis, E., Leontakianakos, G., Pallas, K., 2009. Hydrogeochemical characteristics and genetic implications of Edipsos thermal springs, North Euboea, Greece. Central European Journal of Geosciences, 1(3), 241-250.
Kranis, H. (1999). Neotectonic activity of Fault zones in central – eastern Sterea Hellas (Lokris), PhD Dissertation, University of Athens (in Greek).
Kuhn, K.G.(1821-1833). Claudi.Galeni Opera Omnia, Vls. VI, XX, Lipsiae.
Kühn, J.H & Fleischer, U. (1989). Index Hippocraticus, Göttingen.
Lemeille, F. (1977). Etudes neotectoniques en Grece Centrale Nord-orientale et dans les Sporades du Nord (ile de Skyros). PhD Dissertation, Univ. Paris XI – Centre d’ Orsay.
Mariolakos, I. (2001). The geoenvironmental dimension of Greek mythology. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece, XXXIV/6, 2065-2086 (in Greek).
Mariolakos, I., Logos, E. & Lozios, S. (1989). Geological – Geotechnical – Neotectonic studies in archaeological sites (phase A). Project Report for the Ministry of Culture, Directorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Athens.
Mariolakos, I., Logos, E., Lozios, S. & Nasopoulou, S. (1991). Technicogeological observations in the ancient Delphi area (Greece). Proc. of the European school of climatology and natural hazards course (Lisbon, March 28- April 5, 1990). Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-general, Science, research and development publ. 12918, 273-283.
Μayer, L. (1986). Tectonic geomorphology of escarpments and mountain fronts. In R. E. Wallace (Ed.). Studies in Geophysics: Active Tectonics (pp. 125-135). National Academy Press, Washington D.C.
Mercier, J. L., Sorel, D., Vergely, P. & Simeakis, K. (1989). Extensional tectonic regimes in the Aegean basins during the Cenozoic. Basin Research, 2, 49-71.
Mettos, A., Rondogianni, Th., Ioakim, Ch. & Papadakis, I. (1992). Evolution geodynamique et reconstruction paleoenvironnementale des basins neogenes-quaternaires de la Grece centrale. Paleontologia i Evolucio, 24-25, 393-402.
Nikolopoulos, V., 2005. Manteio tou Apollonos stis Rovies Euvoias. Etaireia Evoikon Spoudon, Archeion Evoikon Meleton, ΛΕ/2003-204, 9-18. (in Greek).
Palyvos, N., Bantekas, I. & Kranis, H. (2006). Transverse fault zones of subtle geomorphic signature in Northern Evia island (Central Greece extensional province) : An introduction to the Quaternary Nileas Graben. Geomorphology, 76, 363-374.
Papaioannou, J., Makropoulos, K. & Kouskouna, V. (1994). Revision of some historical earthquakes in central Greece. Proc. Of the XXIV European Seismological Comission general assembly, Athens, Sep. 19-24 1994, 1711-1713.
Papanastassiou D., Latoussakis J. & Stavrakakis, G. (2001). A revised catalog of earthquakes in the broader area of Greece for the period 1950-2000. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece, XXXIV (4), 1563-1566.
Parke, H. W. (1939). A History of the Delphic Oracle, Oxford, 6-7.
Parke, H. W. (1967). Greek Oracles, London, 93-94.
Pechoux, P.-Y. (1992). Aux origins des paysages de Delphes. In J. F., Bommelaer (Ed.). Delphes (pp. 1-38), Univ. Strasbourg II, publ. 12.
Philip, H. (1974). Etude neotectonique des rivages egeens en Locride et Eubee nord-occidentale (Grece). PhD Dissertation, Acad. De Montpelier.
Piccardi, L. (2000). Active faulting at Delphi, Greece: Seismotectonic remarks and a hypothesis for the geologic environment of a myth. Geology, 28, 7, 651-654.
Ragavis, A. (1888). Lexikon tis Ellinikis Archaiologias, Αthens.
Roberts, S. & Jackson, J. (1991). Active normal faults in central Greece: an overview. Geol. Soc. of London Sp. Publ. 56, 125-142.
Rondogianni, Th. (1984). Etude neotectonique des rivages occidentaux du canal d’Atalanti (Grèce centrale). PhD Dissertation, Universite de Paris Sud, Centre d’ Orsay.
Sackett L. H., Hankey V., Howell R.J., Jacobsen T. W. & Popham M. R., (1966). Prehistoric Euboea: Contributions toward a Survey. Ann. of the Brit. Sch. at Athens, 71 (25), 39 - 46.
Sakellariou, D., Rousakis, G., Kaberi, H., Kapsimalis, V., Georgiou, P., Kanellopoulos, Th., Lykousis, V., 2007. Tectono-sedimentary structure and Late Quaternary evolution of the North Evia Gulf basin, Central Greece: preliminary results. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece, XXXX, 451-462.
Sfetsos, C. S. (1988). Inventory of thermal and mineral springs of Greece (III Continental Greece). Hydrological and Hydrogeological investigations, No. 39, IGME, Athens.
Van Andel, T.H. & Perissoratis, C. (2006). Late Quaternary depositional history of the North Evvoikos Gulf, Aegean Sea, Greece. Marine Geology 232, 157-172 .
