 | ||
| Dodona | ||
| region | Epirus | |
|---|---|---|
| height | unknown | |
no value for height on Wikidata:  | ||
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
| ||
Dodona is an archaeological site in the region Ioannina in the greek province Epirus. It is within sight of the place Dodoni, Greek: Δωδώνηwhich lies at the foot of the Tomaros Mountains.
background
Already in the 3rd millennium BC, Dodona is one of the few sites of early Middle Bronze Age finds in the Epirus, one of the earliest Greek oracle sites arose in Dodona, where the mother earth deity Gaia was first worshiped. The Greek Zeus Naios was worshiped here when the Thesprotian Greeks settled in the early 2nd century; as a chthonic deity, the mother-earth cult was established with the worship of Dione continued: Places of worship were holy oaks and open holy precincts. From the rustling of the leaves of the holy oak and the cooing of the pigeons in their nests as well as their flight, the Dione priestesses tried to fathom the will of the gods. Originally, the holy Euch of Zeus was surrounded by a circle of brazen tripod cauldrons that were struck and made to sound, only later was a small temple built in the holy district, Temenos, consisting of an anteroom and cella. The prophetic tones then came from a child's statue holding a whip, the chains of which beat against a large bronze cauldron in the wind - since the wind was almost constant in Dodona, the "whip of the Kerkyräer" became an expression for people who were constantly chattering.
After contacts with colonists Mycenae and Corinth the holy place of Dodona arrived in the 4th / 5th centuries. Century under the rule of the most important tribe of Epirus, the Molossian. At the time of the Epirotian alliance and under King Pyrrhus, most of the buildings in the Holy District were built in the 3rd / 4th centuries. Century B.C.; temples of Dione, Aphrodite (also venerable as Dione's daughter), the chthonic deity Themis and Heracles as the mythical ancestor of the Macedonian royal family were built.
With the invasion of the Romans around 167/8 BC. the sanctuary was plundered and later rebuilt in a more modest setting, during the time of the Augustan peace construction work was resumed and the oracle was also consulted.
After Christianization in the 4th century. the importance of the oracle site declined, in 391/392 the holy oak was felled and Dodona became a Byzantine bishopric and a basilica was built; after barbarian invasions and earthquake damage, the place was in the 6th century. leave.
The place was identified by the British C. Lincoln in 1832 and in 1875 by K. Karapanos under the Ottomans the first archaeological investigations were carried out. The place has been systematically excavated since 1920 and the theater was reconstructed in 1959/60. The discussions about the importance of the buildings are far from over, the construction activity was also low, since Zeus with the holy oak was mainly worshiped in nature and temples were not built for a long time.
In the greek mythology Dodona has his place: Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, placed a branch of the sacred oak of the Oracle on the bow of his ship; In the Iliad it is reported how Achilles called Zeus of Dodona and in the Odyssey the hero Odysseus also comes to Dodona to ask the oracle whether he should return to his homeland Ithaca in recognition or in secret.
getting there
Dodona is on the highway 
Egnatia Odos east of Igoumenitsa and about 20 km before Ioannina, The exit is clearly marked with a brown signpost. The archaeological site is on the country road EO17 and is located east of the modern village of Δωδώνη.
mobility
- 1 Archaeological site of Dodoni, Dodoni 455 00. Tel.: 30 2651 082287. Open: 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.Price: 6 €.
The facility is a bit spacious, but quite flat and can be explored on foot.
Tourist Attractions
- 1 Theater (2). The ancient theater from the 3rd century. B.C. with very good acoustics, it offered space for around 17,000 people. It was built under King Pyrrhus for the Naia Festival, which takes place every four years. In Roman times, the first rows of seats were removed and replaced with stone slabs, so fights with wild animals could be carried out without endangering the audience.
- Next to the theater there was a 2 Stadium (3)
- The 3 Bouleuterion (4), the assembly building, was built on the hillside so that the councilors of the Epirot council could comfortably look down on the steps to the speaker during their meetings. A stoa, a pillared hall, was in front of the building.
- The 4 Prytaneion (6) was the seat of the priesthood of Dodona and later the Epirotian administration.
- 5 Temple of Aphrodite (8) and next door the Themis (10)
- 6 Zeus Temple (Sacred Building). The sanctuary of Zeus was the center of the cult. The foundation walls have been preserved or restored, an oak tree was planted in the original location. The original oracle tree stood in front of the temple, it only got inside the enclosure of the temple complex during the later renovations.
- 7 Temple of Dione (12), an older and a newer temple of Dione
- 8 Byzantine Basilica (16) with three apses; the Byzantine building was partly built over an older Herakles temple (14).
- 9 Acropolis (1). The size and location of the upper town are known, only minor excavations have been carried out and some house foundations and cisterns have been discovered.
activities
.jpg/600px-DODONA_theather_(Large).jpg)
- Visit to the archaeological site (approx. 60 min.)
shop
- At the ticket sales shop, guides in several languages and a few souvenirs are sold.
kitchen
- 1 Andromachi Dodoni is just outside the archaeological Terrain, beautiful terrace
Practical advice
trips
- Ioannina. One of the most beautiful cities in Greece located on the lake surrounded by high mountains.
- Zagori. The most impressive mountain landscape in Greece with the deepest gorge in Europe.
literature
- Dodona, Series of publications by the Ministry of Culture, 2001, ISBN 960-214-328-2 (Greek, English, German; available on site, approx. 6 €)
