New Edition of the Building Reports of Didyma

The monumental temple dedicated to Apollo in the sanctuary of Didyma, Asia Minor, was built over a period lasting more than five centuries from ca. 300 B.C. to ca. 200 AD. The sheer size of this construction makes it among the most prominent temples in the Greek world. Its construction is organized in the impressive plan with rows of 120 columns surrounding the central courtyard, which comprises the smaller, proper temple. The Temple has been relatively well preserved, which gives us a good impression of how it originally appeared, how it was constructed, and which challenges the original architects faced. As a particular stroke of luck, the administration of the sanctuary decided around 230 B.C. to publish annual reports on the progress of building activities concerning the temple. They are carved as inscriptions into large steles from stone and they continued until ca. 100 B.C. The intention was to inform visitors of the sanctuary as well as the citizens of the nearby city Miletus about the building activities. Fortunately, many of these reports have been preserved even if sometimes only partially. Recent excavations carried out by the German Archaeological Institution have also led to the discovery of newly uncovered inscriptions. The project approaches the material from two sides: On the one hand, a new edition of the texts concerning the building reports will be generated, containing all relevant inscriptions <U+2012> both those which have been known for more than a century, as well as those which have only recently been unearthed. The texts will be translated and annotated. On the other hand, starting from the textual evidence, we will explore and rewrite the temples building history using the methods of archaeological research. The texts and building elements give insights into many different issues of life and work in the ancient world. It is possible to determine who was involved in the construction site, how work was organized and how long the construction progress took. Moreover, they reveal the history of more than 2000 years ago: political events, wars and economic crises which have all left their mark on the building and its ancient documentation. The projects aim is to understand the ancient world in a better way by researching one of the most fascinating temples of antiquity and, at the same time, disclosing what its construction can reveal about ancient history.

No additional funding sources recorded.