Lost Temple of Poseidon
After 2,600 years, thelost Temple of Poseidon has been found, and it is even bigger than expected.
It seemed obvious thatthere would be a temple dedicated to Poseidon, the ancient Greek god of water.But the temple was lost for a long time and re-discovered recently. The ruinswere found in Elis, Greece, and identified as the Temple of Poseidon ofSamikon, which was described by the ancient Greek geographer Strabo.Archeologists now say the temple is even larger than they thought.
Scientists had searchedfor the lost temple for over a century in the area’s marshlands and found it in2022. It sits in Samikon in the Peloponnese peninsula. It is hoped thediscovery would shed light on the political and economic importance of the 6thcentury BC amphictyony, which is an association of neighboring states to defenda common religious center. The temple formed the center of the town’s culturaland religious identity.
Excavations in 2023revealed more parts of the temple, indicating the size of the temple was largerthan initial investigations had predicted. The building now measures around 28meters long and over 9 meters wide. It has two interior rooms, a vestibule anda rear hall or shrine. The function of the two rooms is unclear. Some suggestit could be a double temple, where two deities were worshipped. Or one roomcould be a meeting room to discuss important matters.
This Archaic templeconsists of two main rooms. A central row of two columns was found in the firsthall supported a large roof covered with tiles. There may have also beensimilar columns in the second room. The ground plan of the temple is unusual,and archeologists know of no comparable buildings so far.
Research shows therewere two construction phases. In the second half of the 4th or firsthalf of the 3rd century BC, the original temple was remodeled. Aspart of the process, the old roof tiles were applied as a subfloor for the newfloor, where they served as insulation against groundwater and to stabilize thefloor. Where tiles are missing, the ground is damp and muddy. These datescorrespond to pottery found at the site, such as drinking cups and roof tiles.
The excavations arepart of a five-year project. Strabo, an ancient Greek geographer, had suggestedthe temple would be near the coast, in a grove of wild olive trees, withlagoons, coastal marches and swamps. Because of his writings, and technologicaladvancements, researchers found the temple 2,600 years after it was built.
The team wants to findout more about the sanctuary and its dimensions. Are other temple buildings,altars, houses, a processional route or treasuries still hidden under theearth?
