Archaeological Sites
The Sanctuary of Poseidon and Amphitrite in Kionia, Tinos
The establishment of the Sanctuary of Poseidon and Amphitrite at Kionia, Tinos, 3 km west of Chora, is closely related to the development of the ancient city, Asty, of Tinos.
The first excavations at the sanctuary were carried out in 1902-1903 and 1905 by the Belgian excavators H. Demoulin and P. Graindor, members of the French Archaeological School. The French Archaeological School returned to explore the sanctuary in 1973-1978, when it completed its excavation work under the direction of R. Étienne, who also edited the final publication of the sanctuary. In recent years, the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades has been carrying out conservation and enhancement works at the archaeological site.
The discovery of the sanctuary in Kionia was significant because, of all the Cyclades, only Tinos has a sanctuary dedicated to the worship of Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite, the dominant gods of the sea according to Greek mythology.
The sanctuary was founded at the end of the 4th century BC, a fact that is linked to the building program organized by the Macedonian Royal Houses of the Antigonides and the Lagidae, who succeeded Alexander the Great, during their rule in the Cyclades. It quickly gained pan-Hellenic fame, culminating in the 3rd century BC, when it became a magnet for pilgrims from distant cities of Southern Italy, Asia Minor and Africa. The heyday of the Sanctuary continued during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC and is reflected in the work of the famous geographer of antiquity Strabo (1st century BC) (Geographica X, 5, 11), who makes special reference to the Sanctuary of Poseidon, saying that it is located in a large forest outside the city and is ‘worth seeing’. The Sanctuary of the Sea Gods gradually declined from the 1st century AD and onwards, until the middle of the 3rd century AD, when it was abandoned.
Epigraphic and historical testimonies inform us that Poseidon was worshipped as a miraculous physician, as was Amphitrite, who cured barren women. From the same sources we know that festivals were held in honour of the God, the ‘Posideia’ or ‘Posidonia’. This included contests with theatrical performances of tragedies, which were held in the ancient theatre of Tinos.
Among the buildings of the Sanctuary, the Temple, the Fountain, the Altar and the Great Stoa all stand out. Also notable are votive monuments such as the ‘Exedra of Nausion’ and Building D, a small temple dedicated to the worship of the Roman imperial family. The foundation of the Temple coincides with the earliest known period of use of the sanctuary (late 4th century BC-first quarter of the 3rd century BC). Initially, it was a simple rectangular building with a pronaos and a main chamber (cella). At the beginning of the 2nd century BC, it was replaced by a larger building with four marble Doric columns on each of its main faces (east and west). The ‘House of the God’ housed the over life-size statues of Poseidon and Amphitrite, works of the Athenian sculptor Telesinos. It was decorated with sculptural symbols and figures related to the worship of Poseidon, such as dolphins and hippocamps (sea monsters half horse and half fish or snake).
The Fountain of the Kionia (4th-3rd century BC) is a novel creation, the work of architects, probably, from Macedonia. The building has a Π-shaped plan. A characteristic feature are the two wings at the ends, which protrude and which functioned as fountains with clean drinking water that flowed through spouts in the shape of a lion’s head. The middle, recessed section with a semicircular marble exedra on the inside was intended for visitors to the Sanctuary so they could take their rest. The facade of the Fountain was adorned with a colonnade of slender marble Doric columns.
In the first decades of the 2nd century BC, the Sanctuary of Poseidon was the seat of the federation of the ‘Koinon of the Islanders’ after its reorganization by the Rhodians. This period of economic prosperity for Tinos is reflected in Kionia with the establishment of new imposing buildings at the end of the 2nd century BC, such as the Great Stoa, the Altar and the ‘Exedra of Nausion’.
The Great Stoa, whose length reached 170 m, is one of the largest known in the Cyclades. This impressive building constituted the monumental facade of the Sanctuary and at the same time a place to receive pilgrims. It had a double face with Doric colonnades, north and south. The building was decorated with dolphins and palmettes.
The Altar for performing sacrifices, in the area in front of the temple, was the epicentre of worship. It is a marble building of monumental proportions, in the shape of a Π. It had a frieze with relief decoration, such as bulls’ heads (bucrania), flowers, fruits, etc. The facade of the Altar was ornamented with sculptural groups depicting the struggle of Eros with his brother Anterotas, works of the sculptor Agasias from Ephesus.
The ‘Exedra of Nausion’ stood near the Altar. It is a monument, almost contemporary with the altar, dedicated to Poseidon by a prominent family of Tinos. On a semicircular marble pedestal were set five bronze statues, which thanks to inscriptions engraved on the pedestal are identifiable as particular individuals, members of the wealthy family of Nausios Chrysogenos.
A sample of the Sanctuary’s lustre at the beginning of the 1st century AD is Building D. The small rectangular building functioned as a temple dedicated to the worship of the Roman imperial family. This is indicated by the statues, among which stand out the bust of Agrippina the Elder and statues of the emperor Claudius, which were erected therein.
The old glory gradually fades in the centuries that follow, until the 3rd century AD, when the Sanctuary was abandoned. From this last phase, a few and partially researched architectural remains survive, which belong to bath-houses.
Towers are characteristic monuments of the Cycladic and especially of the Tinian countryside during the late Classical and Hellenistic periods (4th-3rd/2nd centuries BC). On Tinos, towers are known at sites such as Smovolo, Samandla, Kastri, Agioi Theodoroi, Agioi Anargyroi, Avdos, Ammonia, etc. The towers are rectangular or cylindrical in shape and are made of large, almost rectangular or trapezoidal stones set in almost equal courses. They are located in places that have a visual contact with wider expanse of land and sea. The towers were multi-purpose buildings. It is believed that they functioned as military installations, look-out posts, shelters for farmers in case of danger or as facilities (storerooms) to do with agricultural cultivation.
