2 - Refitting the Local Horizon of Ancient Greek Religion (Including Some Remarks on the Sanctuary of Poseidon on Kalaureia)

Summary

Shaped by the confinement to place and a limited number of participants, the local horizon of Greek religion is typically circumscribed as subject to a smallness in importance and meaning; at best, it is viewed as a canvas for the projection of local idiosyncrasy. This chapter calls for a reassessment of the prevailing orthodoxy. In the first section, Hans Beck gauges the vectors that lent particular, culture-specific traits to the local as a source domain of ancient Greek belief and cult practice. The second part applies the findings to an exemplary case study, the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia. Contextualising the site in space and time, Beck argues that Kalaureia gained religious prominence as a satellite sanctuary of the city of Troizen. Kalaureia documents not only the merits of the local perspective, but exemplifies the role of the local as a feeder of religious practice and purpose.