Papers by Margherita Bonanno
Archeologia classica, 2008
... Sarcofagi di Ostia. Autores: Margherita Bonanno Aravantinos; Localización: Archeologia classi... more ... Sarcofagi di Ostia. Autores: Margherita Bonanno Aravantinos; Localización: Archeologia classica, ISSN 0391-8165, Vol. 59, Nº. 9, 2008 , págs. 147-182. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. Acceso de usuarios registrados Usuario. Contraseña. Entrar. Mi Dialnet. ...
Diana Gorostidi Pi y Anna Gutiérrez Garcia-M. (eds.), Tituli-Imagines-Marmora. Materia y prestigio en mármol. Homenaje a Isabel Rodà de Llanza, Anejos de AEspA XCV, Madrid, CSIC, pp. 289-299., 2022
A sarcophagus fragment in the Archaeological collection of the Johns Hopkins University is decora... more A sarcophagus fragment in the Archaeological collection of the Johns Hopkins University is decorated with a man armed with a spear and figures arranged on two registers. In the catalog entry of the collection (1984) the representations were judged difficult to identify and it was suggested to link the armed man to a mythological subject and the scenes on the two registers to an outdoor banquet scene. The
re-examination of the identified iconographies and the parallels now allow us to interpret the representations with certainty. The male figure with a spear participates in a realistic hunt and the figures arranged on the two registers are engaged in athletic competitions; in particular those on the upper register in the pancration. For the first time, scenes of athletic competitions appear arranged on two registers on the front of a sarcophagus decorated with a central figure pertaining to another theme.
The technical-stylistic performance of the figures and the hairstyle of the
woman, depicted between two tree trunks, allow us to date the fragment
to around the middle of the third century AD.
J. M. Noguera Celdrán – L. Ruiz Molina (edd.), Escultura romana en Hispania IX (Yakka. Revista de estudios yeclanos, 22), Yecla-Murcia (ISBN 978-84-17865-49-8), 2020
The paper focuses on a male portrait in the Archaeological Museum of Thebes (inv. 1326). The head... more The paper focuses on a male portrait in the Archaeological Museum of Thebes (inv. 1326). The head was discovered in 1970 in a rescue excavation carried out in the plot of Vassilios Tzápalis at Atalánti, the ancient Opous. The portrait, made of parian (?) marble, yet identified probably as Tiberius, follows at the front the hairstyle of the Alcudia type of Octavianus and is a “veristic” work from an Athenian workshop. The head, assigned in the last decades of the 1st century B.C. - first decade of the 1st century A.D., belongs to a statue erected in honor of an important man of the polis, probably represents a member of the Roman local élite who cannot be identified at the moment.
Patricia Lulof, Ilaria Manzini & Carlo Rescigno (edd.), Deliciae Fictiles V. Networks and Workshops. Architectural Terracottas and Decorative Roof Systems in Italy and Beyond, Oxford, 2019
Terrecotte architettoniche dal santuario urbano di Marzabotto-elisAbettA goVi AbstrActs bibliogrA... more Terrecotte architettoniche dal santuario urbano di Marzabotto-elisAbettA goVi AbstrActs bibliogrAphy colour plAtes CONTENTS PER AUTHOR Ambrosini, lAurA-Produzione di lastre di rivestimento con fregi dorici a Palestrina in età ellenistica AVernA, AndreA-Markers di cantiere e segni di numerazione nei rivestimenti architettonici del Tempio B di Himera bAcci, flAVio-Antefisse e lastre populoniesi: idee e maestranze itineranti alla luce delle nuove acquisizioni bAlzAnelli, gretA-Terrecotte architettoniche dalla Passoliera (Caulonia): una prima sintesi dei dati bAsile, lucA-Decorazioni architettoniche fittili in Daunia tra V e IV sec. a.C.: modelli di riferimento e circolazione dei prodotti bellelli, Vincenzo-Le terrecotte architettoniche del santuario del Manganello (Cerveteri) bernArd, seth-The Status and Mobility of Coroplasts and Building Workers in the Epigraphy of Central Italy, 300-50 BC bonAnno, mArgheritA, AlessAndrA ghelli, ilAriA mArinelli, mArcellA pisAni, giuliA rocco-Lastre di decorazione architettonica dalla villa cd. delle 'Terme degli Stucchi dipinti', Roma cAmpAnile, idA, ilAriA cAngiAno-Le terrecotte architettoniche del Tempio della Pace: il prodotto di una fabbrica templare pestana cArlucci, clAudiA-I 'tetti anomali' della fase di mezzo. Elementi decorativi tra la fine del VI e gli inizi del V secolo a.C. e oltre cAVAllAro, bArbArA-Rivestimenti fittili sicelioti dalla Sicilia orientale: esempi di terrecotte architettoniche da Paternò (CT) cinquAntAquAttro, teresA elenA, mAriA mAddAlenA sicA-Saepinum: architettura sacra, decorazione architettonica e forme di ritualità ciurcinA, concettA-Terrecotte architettoniche da Kasmenai: revisione e nuovi dati conti, mAriA clArA-I tetti monumentali e le officine di Selinunte nel VI secolo a.C.: apporti esterni, creazioni locali, ricezione e trasmissione di modelli crAwford-brown, sophie-Mixing Traditions: The Architectural Terracottas from Minturnae dAnner, peter-Überlegungen zur Entstehung der Akrotere in Kleinasien, Griechenland und Italien demmA, filippo, frAncesco belfiori-Il santuario romano di Monte Rinaldo nel Piceno: architettura, decorazione e culto di gioVAnni, dAriA-'Vari tipi di cassette' dall'Athenaion di Siracusa di stefAno, gioVAnni-Camarina (Sicilia). Un nuovo frammento di kalypter hegemon dal santuario urbano. Architettura dei tetti e produzioni locali in età arcaica diellA, cosimo dAmiAno, emAnuele pio guidA-Le terrecotte architettoniche di Canne Fontanella: nuove acquisizioni diosono, frAncescA, giuliA d'Angelo-Nemi in contesto. La decorazione fittile delle diverse fasi del tempio di Diana tra vecchie collezioni e nuovi dati stratigrafici ducAtelli,VAleriA-Frammenti di terrecotte architettoniche tardo-arcaiche dall'arx di Gabii edlund-berry, ingrid-Baltzar Cronstrand and Arvid Andrén: Networks of Architectural Terracottas between Italy, Sweden, and Norway fAbbri, mArco-Le lastre architettoniche dall'edificio tripartito di Gabii frese, sAmAnthA, igor pAppone, VAlentinA Vecchio-Per il corpus delle terrecotte architettoniche di Poseidonia fusco, ugo, desiré di giuliomAriA-Prime considerazioni sulle terrecotte architettoniche presso il santuario di Campetti, area sud-ovest, a Veio (RM) gAtti, sAndrA-Terrecotte architettoniche dall'acropoli di Anagnia germAnà bozzA, giAncArlo-Alcune osservazioni sulle terrecotte architettoniche nei monumenti dei Dinomenidi CONTENTS giroldini, pierluigi-Le decorazioni architettoniche da Figline Valdarno (FI): dal modello aristocratico all'attività di botteghe cittadine? goVi, elisAbettA-Terrecotte architettoniche dal santuario urbano di Marzabotto grAffeo, Vincenzo, pAtriciA lulof-Il frontone in terracotta di Larisa sull'Hermos grillo, eleonorA-'Nuove' antefisse da Locri Epizefiri: sileni, paniskoi e altri soggetti inediti hübner, gerhild-Zu einem klassischen Dach in Thermos (Ätolien): Überlegungen zu Dachform und Bauzugehörigkeit känel, rudolf-Der sog. THVMA-Meister. Beobachtungen zur Aktivität eines griechischen Koroplasten in Fregellae kästner, Volker-Fragments of Etruscan Terracotta Pinakes in the Berliner Antikensammlung lentini, mAriA costAnzA, JAri pAkkAnen-Temple B in the SouthWest Sanctuary of Naxos in Sicily liberAtore, dAnielA-Le terrecotte architettoniche di Colle San Giorgio (TE): nuovi dati sul frontone liVi, VAlentinA-Il santuario della dea Marica in età romana. Un contributo dallo studio delle terrecotte architettoniche mAncA di mores, giuseppinA-Circolazione di modelli e quadri simbolici in Sardegna: le terrecotte architettoniche del tempio del Sardus Pater ad Antas mAniscAlco, lAurA-Deliciae sedes: elementi fittili e un seggio ricostruito dal Tesmophorion di San Francesco Bisconti a Morgantina mAssA-pAirAult, frAnçoise-hélène-Osservazioni su un fregio fittile da Cerveteri (Museo Gregoriano Etrusco 14129) mAstelloni, mAriA AmAliA, mArcellA di bellA, AngelA bAldAnzA, giuseppe sAbAtino-Terrecotte architettoniche di Lipari: note su influssi formali e dati tecnici da analisi sperimentali mAstrocinque, Attilio, chiArA mAriA mArchetti, con contributo di fiAmmettA soriAno-Studi preliminari sulle terrecotte architettoniche dalla domus cd. 'del Mitreo' sulla Civita di Tarquinia (VT). Campagne 2016-2017 dell'Università degli studi di Verona meyers, gretchen, Ann steiner, ziqin ni, stAnley mertzmAn-Roof Tile Production in a Diverse Craft Industry: New Geochemical Evidence from Poggio Colla monterosso, giuseppinA-Terrecotte architettoniche da Leontinoi: il santuario extraurbano di Scala Portazza öncü, emre-Manufacturing Techniques and Production Processes of the Terracotta Roof Materials of Larisa (Buruncuk-Turkey) pAllonetti, mArco-Cuma, Capua, Pompei. La mobilità artigianale e la circolazione di matrici pAnellA, clementinA, cArlo rescigno-Roma. Tetti di terracotta dalle pendici nord-orientali del Palatino pAnVini, rosAlbA-Gela: per una definizione dei sistemi decorativi dei tetti e delle botteghe di produzione tra gli inizi del VI e gli inizi del V sec. a.C. petropoulos, nikos-The terracotta roof of the late Archaic temple at Trapeza (Achaea): a preliminary presentation rAcAno, silViA-Le terrecotte architettoniche del tempietto di San Faustino di Perugia rheeder, AnnAlize-The production of terracotta roofs at Akragas, Sicily sAntostefAno, AntonellA-Tra sapere tecnico e sperimentazione: la fabbrica di Gela attraverso l'analisi di terrecotte architettoniche da due aree santuariali scAtozzA höricht, luciA AmAliA-Un sistema di rivestimento fittile condiviso a Pitecusa, Cuma e Pompei nel primo Ellenismo serritellA, AntoniA, mAriA luigiA rizzo, cristinA cAsAlnuoVo, christiAn siAni-Poseidonia: nuovi dati dal santuario urbano meridionale smith, christopher-Architectural Terracottas and the Historian stopponi, simonettA-Terrecotte architettoniche di prima fase dal Fanum Voltumnae sudAno, fAbrizio, eleonorA grillo-La riscoperta del tempio ionico del Cófino di Hipponion: nuovi materiali e antiche questioni CONTENTS tAliAno grAsso, ArmAndo, dAmiAno pisArrA-Alla periferia dell'impero. Terrecotte architettoniche dalla chora sibarita tschörch, henry-Bildmotive im alten Orient und in Griechenland. Die Frage der Inspiration in Bezug auf die frühen figürlichen Architektur-Terrakotten in Mittelitalien VArrAz, Alexis-Moule et module. Approche technique et technologique des terres cuites architecturales archaïque de Mégara Hyblaea wAgner, nAtAlie-Dall'artigianato arcaico alle produzioni ellenistiche.
A. Russo Tagliente - F. Guarneri (a cura di), Santuari mediterranei tra oriente e occidente. Interazioni e contatti culturali, Atti del Convegno Internazionale, Civitavecchia – Roma 2014, Roma, 2016
Anatomia di un santuario. Alle radici materiali degli scambi religiosi mediterranei……………………………………... more Anatomia di un santuario. Alle radici materiali degli scambi religiosi mediterranei……………………………………………………………………………………. 3 LUCIO FIORINI, Il santuario emporico di Gravisca: nuovi dati dalle recenti campagne di scavo……………………………………………………………………………………………… 23 MARIA BONGHI JOVINO, Tarquinia. Il santuario dell'Ara della Regina: nuove scoperte e processi di interazione…………………………………………………………………………... 33 GIOVANNA BAGNASCO GIANNI-MASSIMO CULTRARO-GIULIO MAURO FACCHETTI, Tarquinia, contatti egeo-anatolici, nuovi apporti……………………………………………. 37 LUCIANA DRAGO-CLAUDIA ANTONETTI-STEFANIA DE VIDO-FILIPPO AVILIA, 'Culti aniconici' in santuari etruschi e greci tra Tirreno ed Egeo………………………………... 47 PAOLA AURINO-GELTRUDE BIZZARRO-IRENE BRAGANTINI-LORENZO COSTANTINI-MARCELLA MANCUSI-DIANA SAVELLA-MONICA STANZIONE, Il santuario settentrionale di Pontecagnano: gli spazi votivi e le offerte alimentari………………….. 59 MARIJKE GNADE, Il santuario di Satricum. Connessioni mediterranee riflesse nei suoi depositi votivi……………………………………………………………………………………... 73 MADDALENA BASSANI-FRANCESCA GHEDINI, Santuari e acque curative: un primo censimento nella penisola italica………………………………………………………………. 81 GIORGIA DI PAOLA-EDOARDO VANNI, Paesaggi sacri di frontiera e mobilità: alcuni spunti dall'Etruria settentrionale costiera……………………………………………………………. 93 NUCCIA NEGRONI CATACCHIO-MASSIMO CARDOSA-MARCO ROMEO PITONE, L'Etruria delle origini: il processo di formazione dei grandi santuari………………………………..
The necropolises of Ostia and Porto have yielded a very great number of sarcophagi. Few of them a... more The necropolises of Ostia and Porto have yielded a very great number of sarcophagi. Few of them are of Attic and Microasiatic production, while from the typological and decorative point of view the bulk belongs to the repertory of urban production covering a considerable chronological span, from the 1st to the late 4th century AD. On the evidence of the iconographic, technical and stylistic peculiarities many of the sarcophagi can be attributed to the production of the local workshop. Actually, the sarcophagi published in the series of volumes of the Corpus Die Antiken Sarkophagreliefs or in the later contributions offer a picture of the finds from Ostia and Porto that remains only partial. Illustrating the present state of knowledge of this class of material, the author presents a number of unpublished sarcophagi decorated with Dionysiac and marine themes, with hunting and grape-harvest scenes, with erotes, garlands and single myths. In particular, analysis is made of some unpublished fragments from sarcophagi depicting the myths of Penteus and the Seven against Thebes – subjects that are rare in Roman funerary sculpture, highlighting the preferences of the workshop and clients of Ostia.
Figurines de terre cuite en Méditerranée grecque et romaine, 2015
Phytochemistry Letters, 2018
For the first time, plant pigments were detected in Roman frescoes. Indeed, only sporadic papers ... more For the first time, plant pigments were detected in Roman frescoes. Indeed, only sporadic papers proved the application of natural hues in ancient paintings and none of them relative to Roman art. Therefore, eight differently coloured fragments of Julio-Claudian wall paintings, collected from Terme degli Stucchi Dipinti archaeological site (Rome, Italy), were subjected to GC-MS analysis, obtaining detailed chemical profiles. Vegetal dyes (ie. Indigotin, Neronine, Alizarin) or colourless metabolites ascribable to plant species (ie. Basella rubra, Sesanum radiatum, Lamium purpureum) were detected. Plant waxes, oils (ie. Brassicaceae) and resins (ie. Pinaceae) were found to be preferred as binders or protective coatings instead of animal glues (ie. collagen, egg). Several natural molecules, typically associated to plant organisms (ie. Lamiaceae and Citrus species), were also identified. These data suggest the predominant role of plant extracts in ancient art and increase the knowledge about organic materials of Roman frescoes, facilitating modern restorers' activities.
Culti orientali tra scavo e collezionismo, 2008
The paper considers archaeological findings related to oriental cults in ancient Boetia increasin... more The paper considers archaeological findings related to oriental cults in ancient Boetia increasing the knowledge of their diffusion, till now mainly founded on literary and epigraphic sources. Particular attention has been paid to evidences regarding the cults of ...
La tragedia greca e latina, le testimonianze …, 2009
Citazione: Bonanno, M., & Pisani, M.(2009). La tomba 10 del settore sud della necropoli nord-orie... more Citazione: Bonanno, M., & Pisani, M.(2009). La tomba 10 del settore sud della necropoli nord-orientale di Tebe. In La tragedia greca e latina, le testimonianze archeologiche e iconografiche.(pp. 403-431). Roma: Università degli studi di Roma Tre.
Archeologia Classica, 2008
... Sarcofagi di Ostia. Autores: Margherita Bonanno Aravantinos; Localización: Archeologia classi... more ... Sarcofagi di Ostia. Autores: Margherita Bonanno Aravantinos; Localización: Archeologia classica, ISSN 0391-8165, Vol. 59, Nº. 9, 2008 , págs. 147-182. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. Acceso de usuarios registrados Usuario. Contraseña. Entrar. Mi Dialnet. ...
in Lorenzo Cariddi, Cirene e l’acqua. Ricerche e documenti sulla gestione delle risorse idriche in città e nella chora. MONOGRAFIE DI ARCHEOLOGIA LIBICA XLVIII, 2020
A. Russo Tagliente-F. Guarneri (a cura di), SANTUARI MEDITERRANEI TRA ORIENTE E OCCIDENTE. Interazioni e contatti culturali. Atti del Convegno Internazionale, Civitavecchia – Roma 2014 , Roma , 2016
Anatomia di un santuario. Alle radici materiali degli scambi religiosi mediterranei……………………………………... more Anatomia di un santuario. Alle radici materiali degli scambi religiosi mediterranei……………………………………………………………………………………. 3 LUCIO FIORINI, Il santuario emporico di Gravisca: nuovi dati dalle recenti campagne di scavo……………………………………………………………………………………………… 23 MARIA BONGHI JOVINO, Tarquinia. Il santuario dell'Ara della Regina: nuove scoperte e processi di interazione…………………………………………………………………………... 33 GIOVANNA BAGNASCO GIANNI-MASSIMO CULTRARO-GIULIO MAURO FACCHETTI, Tarquinia, contatti egeo-anatolici, nuovi apporti……………………………………………. 37 LUCIANA DRAGO-CLAUDIA ANTONETTI-STEFANIA DE VIDO-FILIPPO AVILIA, 'Culti aniconici' in santuari etruschi e greci tra Tirreno ed Egeo………………………………... 47 PAOLA AURINO-GELTRUDE BIZZARRO-IRENE BRAGANTINI-LORENZO COSTANTINI-MARCELLA MANCUSI-DIANA SAVELLA-MONICA STANZIONE, Il santuario settentrionale di Pontecagnano: gli spazi votivi e le offerte alimentari………………….. 59 MARIJKE GNADE, Il santuario di Satricum. Connessioni mediterranee riflesse nei suoi depositi votivi……………………………………………………………………………………... 73 MADDALENA BASSANI-FRANCESCA GHEDINI, Santuari e acque curative: un primo censimento nella penisola italica………………………………………………………………. 81 GIORGIA DI PAOLA-EDOARDO VANNI, Paesaggi sacri di frontiera e mobilità: alcuni spunti dall'Etruria settentrionale costiera……………………………………………………………. 93 NUCCIA NEGRONI CATACCHIO-MASSIMO CARDOSA-MARCO ROMEO PITONE, L'Etruria delle origini: il processo di formazione dei grandi santuari………………………………..
A norma della legge sul diritto d'autore e del codice civile è vietata la riproduzione di questo ... more A norma della legge sul diritto d'autore e del codice civile è vietata la riproduzione di questo libro o di parte di esso con qualsiasi mezzo, elettronico, meccanico, per mezzo di fotocopie, microfilm, registratori o altro. Le fotocopie per uso personale del lettore possono tuttavia essere effettuate, ma solo nei limiti del 15% del volume e dietro pagamento alla SIAE del compenso previsto dall'art. 68, commi 4 e 5 della legge 22 aprile 1941 n. 633. Ogni riproduzione per finalità diverse da quelle per uso personale deve essere autorizzata specificatamente dagli autori o dall'editore.
Actes of XVIII th International Congressof Classical Archaeology. Centre and periphery in the Ancient world.
Funerary sculpture of the Classical Period discovered so far in the ancient Boeotian town of Thes... more Funerary sculpture of the Classical Period discovered so far in the ancient Boeotian town of Thespiae remains still only partially studied and published. This paper traces back the research status of this important class of funerary monuments. The almost exclusive use of local limestone for the working out of the stelai as well as their figurative repertory are examined. A piece of stele is published here, which as the Berlin one dedicated to Polyxena, represents a female figure holding a statuette in her hand. The significance of similar representations is finally discussed.
in A. Γιαννικουρή (A. Giannikouri A) (ed.), Κοροπλαστική και μικροτεχνία στον αιγαιακό χώρο από τους γεωμετρικούς χρόνους έως και τη ρωμαϊκή περίοδο : Διεθνές συνέδριο στη μνήμη της Ιούς Ζερβουδάκη, Ρόδος, 26-29 Νοεμβρίου 2009 . vol. II, p. 45-68,, Jul 2014
Terracotta Votive offerings in a rural Sanctuary of Orchomenos, Boeotia.
A recent excavation at ... more Terracotta Votive offerings in a rural Sanctuary of Orchomenos, Boeotia.
A recent excavation at Orchomenos, between the River Kephisos and the rugged slope of mount Akontio, brought to light the remains of an unknown rural sanctuary, as well as abundant terracotta objects and evidence for continuity of cult from the Archaic into the Hellenistic period (7th-3rd c. BC). From the votive offerings and the other excavation data, it is deduced that festivals were celebrated in honour of female deities of nature, fertility and fecundity, very possibly of the Graces (Chares) in combination perhaps with the Oceanids and nymphs, as well as with the thesmophorai goddesses Demeter and Kore. According to many ancient textual testimonies, the cult of the Graces was the oldest and most popular in Orchomenos, while the celebration of the thesmophoreia should be considered certain in a city so rich in cereal production and stock-raising.
Last, from the kind, the provenance and the alternation of the copious terracotta votive offerings(all kinds of figurines, miniature vases and lamps), the development of the rural sanctuary and its cult during the Archaic and especially the Classical period can be traced. Study of these finds sheds light on many new and unknown facets of the history of Orchomenos, from the founding of the sanctuary until is abandonment or rather its transfer to another place in the city, perhaps near the theatre, where inter alia contexts in music and poetry, known as the Charitesia, were held in Roman times.
In: N. Papazarkadas (ed.) , The Epigraphy and History of Boeotia. New Finds, New Prospects , p. 252-310, , Jul 1, 2014
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Papers by Margherita Bonanno
re-examination of the identified iconographies and the parallels now allow us to interpret the representations with certainty. The male figure with a spear participates in a realistic hunt and the figures arranged on the two registers are engaged in athletic competitions; in particular those on the upper register in the pancration. For the first time, scenes of athletic competitions appear arranged on two registers on the front of a sarcophagus decorated with a central figure pertaining to another theme.
The technical-stylistic performance of the figures and the hairstyle of the
woman, depicted between two tree trunks, allow us to date the fragment
to around the middle of the third century AD.
A recent excavation at Orchomenos, between the River Kephisos and the rugged slope of mount Akontio, brought to light the remains of an unknown rural sanctuary, as well as abundant terracotta objects and evidence for continuity of cult from the Archaic into the Hellenistic period (7th-3rd c. BC). From the votive offerings and the other excavation data, it is deduced that festivals were celebrated in honour of female deities of nature, fertility and fecundity, very possibly of the Graces (Chares) in combination perhaps with the Oceanids and nymphs, as well as with the thesmophorai goddesses Demeter and Kore. According to many ancient textual testimonies, the cult of the Graces was the oldest and most popular in Orchomenos, while the celebration of the thesmophoreia should be considered certain in a city so rich in cereal production and stock-raising.
Last, from the kind, the provenance and the alternation of the copious terracotta votive offerings(all kinds of figurines, miniature vases and lamps), the development of the rural sanctuary and its cult during the Archaic and especially the Classical period can be traced. Study of these finds sheds light on many new and unknown facets of the history of Orchomenos, from the founding of the sanctuary until is abandonment or rather its transfer to another place in the city, perhaps near the theatre, where inter alia contexts in music and poetry, known as the Charitesia, were held in Roman times.
re-examination of the identified iconographies and the parallels now allow us to interpret the representations with certainty. The male figure with a spear participates in a realistic hunt and the figures arranged on the two registers are engaged in athletic competitions; in particular those on the upper register in the pancration. For the first time, scenes of athletic competitions appear arranged on two registers on the front of a sarcophagus decorated with a central figure pertaining to another theme.
The technical-stylistic performance of the figures and the hairstyle of the
woman, depicted between two tree trunks, allow us to date the fragment
to around the middle of the third century AD.
A recent excavation at Orchomenos, between the River Kephisos and the rugged slope of mount Akontio, brought to light the remains of an unknown rural sanctuary, as well as abundant terracotta objects and evidence for continuity of cult from the Archaic into the Hellenistic period (7th-3rd c. BC). From the votive offerings and the other excavation data, it is deduced that festivals were celebrated in honour of female deities of nature, fertility and fecundity, very possibly of the Graces (Chares) in combination perhaps with the Oceanids and nymphs, as well as with the thesmophorai goddesses Demeter and Kore. According to many ancient textual testimonies, the cult of the Graces was the oldest and most popular in Orchomenos, while the celebration of the thesmophoreia should be considered certain in a city so rich in cereal production and stock-raising.
Last, from the kind, the provenance and the alternation of the copious terracotta votive offerings(all kinds of figurines, miniature vases and lamps), the development of the rural sanctuary and its cult during the Archaic and especially the Classical period can be traced. Study of these finds sheds light on many new and unknown facets of the history of Orchomenos, from the founding of the sanctuary until is abandonment or rather its transfer to another place in the city, perhaps near the theatre, where inter alia contexts in music and poetry, known as the Charitesia, were held in Roman times.