| Context: | Priene |
| Type: | Temple |
| Summary: | Temple, altar, and sacrificial pit situated within temenos enclosure north of city center, at foot of acropolis. |
| Date: | ca. 350 BC - ca. 300 BC |
| Dimensions: | Dimensions of temenos: width (interior) 17.75 m.; width (exterior) 19.35 m.; length (interior) 45.05 m. Width of doorway in east 1.60 m. Dimensions of temple: pronaos width 8.89 m.; pronaos depth 4.84 m.; greatest width of cella (east - west) 11.72 m; greatest depth of cella (north - south) 6.45 m. Height of podium within cella 1.23 m. Intercolumniation of pronaos columns 2.95 m. |
| Region: | Ionia |
| Period: | Hellenistic |
Architectural Order:
Doric: the columns of the pronaos of the temple are Doric, unfluted, and in antis.
Plan:
The rectangular temenos enclosure is oriented east-west, with an entrance in the east wall. The central court of the temenos was left free for cult activities. Against the rear (west) wall of the temenos stands the temple building, of unusual form: behind the east-facing pronaos is a cella which is wider than it is long, and which narrows towards the south. Two small rooms open off the cella to the north. The pronaos does not extend for the entire length of the cella, nor is the cella door centered between the columns of the pronaos. A door leads from the pronaos to the sacrificial pit in the south.
Date Description:
Statues and inscribed statue bases outside entrance to temenos; date of terracotta figurines found inside sanctuary.
History:
Construction of the sanctuary began sometime in the late fourth century B.C. Some features of the sanctuary are of Roman date and attest to continuity of use: the altar near the entrance is Roman, and later walls of uncertain purpose were built within the temenos.
Other Notes:
An altar of Roman date stood inside the temenos near the north wall. Outside the entrance were found two statue bases, one for a bronze statue and one for a marble statue. The latter is preserved, and depicts the priestess Nikeso, although the possibility that it represents Demeter herself is not to be discarded. The inscription is dated to ca. 300-250 B.C.
Other Bibliography: