IL POLITEISMO A LYKOSOURA: DEI E FEDELI TRA I MONTI DELL’ARCADIA

Abstract

The article examines polytheism in Lykosoura. First the protagonists. Gods: the meaning of the presence of
four divine statues on the same plinth inside the cella is examined, their reciprocal relationships are studied
and their iconographic and cultic characteristics are discussed. Men: a second stage is dedicated to the study of
the faithful, who are involved in the ritual. The second tranche of the work is dedicated to the performance of
the local annual festival, of which a reconstructive sequence is proposed over two days, concluded by the predawn
illumination of the statues of Despoina and Demeter inside the cella. The study concludes by identifying
different times and frequentations between the lower plateau of the sanctuary and the hillside cults.