The treasuries of the Siphnians: myth, wealth and decline through the exam of archaeological evidence
During the Archaic period, Sifnos was one of the wealthiest communities in the Greek world. The island’s gold and silver mines not only captured the imagination of Greek writers such as Herodotus and Pausanias, but also made possible the construction of one of the earliest religious structures fabri...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Online |
| Language: | Portuguese |
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Universidade Estadual de Campinas
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://econtents.sbu.unicamp.br/inpec/index.php/phaos/article/view/9459 |
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| Summary: | During the Archaic period, Sifnos was one of the wealthiest communities in the Greek world. The island’s gold and silver mines not only captured the imagination of Greek writers such as Herodotus and Pausanias, but also made possible the construction of one of the earliest religious structures fabricated entirely out of marble: the Treasury of the Sifnians in Delphi. Although this magnificent monument has been a subject of continuous scholarly study and debate, little is known about the people who created it. The scant physical and literary evidence left by the Sifnians as well as a discourse that has emphasized the island’s insignificance after the Archaic period, has certainly hampered scholars from dedicating much attention to the island. This paper therefore attempts a more defined picture of the Sifnians by reevaluating ancient texts that discuss the wealth and decay of the island along with rare but important and thus far understudied archaeological, epigraphic and numismatic evidence that has survived on the island. |
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| ISSN: | 1676-3076 |
