Dodona (Greek: Δωδώνη Dodoni) in Epirus in northwestern Greece, was a prehistoric oracle devoted to the Mother Goddess identified at other sites with Rhea or Gaia, but here called Dione and later, in historical times also to the Greek god Zeus^[1]. Sanctuary has multiple meanings A sanctuary is the consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Epirus (from Ionic Greek Ήπειρος - Ēpeiros, Doric Greek: Ἅπειρος - Apeiros, in Albanian Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion an Infallible authority usually spiritual in nature A mother goddess is a Goddess, often portrayed as the Earth Mother who serves as a general Fertility deity the bountiful embodiment of the Earth. Rhea ( ancient Greek) was the Titaness daughter of Uranus, the sky and Gaia, the earth in classical Greek mythology Gaia (ˈgeɪə or /ˈgaɪə/ (" land " or " Earth " from the Ancient Greek Γαîα also Gæa or Gea Dione in Greek mythology is a vague goddess presence who has her most concrete form in Book V of Homer 's Iliad as the mother of Aphrodite Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance God, as a male Deity, contrasts with female deities or " goddesses " Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology The shrine of Dodona was the oldest Hellenic oracle, according to the fifth-century historian Herodotus and in fact dates to pre-Hellenic times, perhaps as early as the second millennium BCE. An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion an Infallible authority usually spiritual in nature Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. Aristotle considered the region to have been the most ancient part of Greece and where the Hellenes originated^[2][3]. The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Priestesses and priests in the sacred grove interpreted the rustling of the oak (or beech) leaves to determine the correct actions to be taken. Greek oracles are often misconstrued as having predicted the future. The oracle was firstly under control of Thesprotians^[4] before it passed into the hands of Mollosians. The Thesprotians ( Greek: Θεσπρωτοί English: Thesprôti were an ancient Greek tribe of Thesprotis, akin to the Molossians The Molossians (Μολοσσοί English: Molossoi were an ancient Greek tribe that settled Epirus during Mycenaean times Earliest inscriptions date to ca. 550-500 BC^[5]

At Dodona, Zeus was worshipped as "Zeus Naios" or "Naos" (God of the spring cf. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology Naiads)^[6][7] ; there was a spring below the oak in the oracle - and "Zeus Bouleus" (Counsellor)^[8]. In Greek mythology, the Naiads or Naiades (Ναϊάδες from the Greek νάειν "to flow" and νἃμα "running water" Originally an oracle of the Mother Goddess, the oracle was shared by Dione (whose name, like "Zeus," simply means "deity") and Zeus. Many dedicatory inscriptions recovered from the site mention both "Dione" and "Zeus Naios. " Elsewhere in Classical Greece, Dione was relegated to a minor role by Classical times, being made into an aspect of Zeus's more usual consort, Hera, but never at Dodona^[9]. In the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hera (ˈhɪərə or /ˈhɛrə/ Greek) or Here ( in Ionic and Homer

When Homer wrote the Iliad (circa 750 BCE), no buildings were present, and the priests slept on the ground with ritually unwashed feet. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient Events and trends 756 BC — Founding of Cyzicus. 755 BC — Ashur-nirari V succeeds Ashur-Dan III as king of Assyria Not until the fourth century BCE, was a small stone temple to Zeus added to the site. The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. By the time Euripides mentioned Dodona (fragmentary play Melanippe), and Herodotus wrote about the oracle, priestesses had been restored. Euripides ( Ancient Greek:) (ca 480 BC–406 BC was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens (the other two being Aeschylus Though it never eclipsed the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, Dodona gained a reputation far beyond Greece. Delphi ( Greek,) ( pronounce and dialectal forms) is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western In Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica, a retelling of an older story of Jason and the Argonauts, Jason's ship, the "Argo", had the gift of prophecy, because it contained an oak timber spirited from Dodona. Rhodes (Ρόδος Ródos, ˈɾo̞ðo̞s Rodi ردوس Rodos; Ladino: Rodi or Rodes) is a Greek island Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological For other uses of this term see Argonaut. In Greek mythology, the Argonauts ( Ancient Greek:) were a band of heroes In Greek mythology, the Argo (Ἀργώ was the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcus to retrieve the

In the third century BCE, King Pyrrhus grandly rebuilt the Temple of Zeus, and added many other buildings and a festival featuring athletic games, musical contests, and drama enacted in a theatre. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC Pyrrhus (318-272 BC ( Greek: Πύρρος Aιακιδης Pyrros Aiakides was one of the most successful ancient Greek generals of the Hellenistic A wall was built around the oracle itself and the holy tree, as well as temples to Heracles and Dione. In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or

In 219 BCE, the Aetolians invaded and burned the temple to the ground. Events By place Egypt Following the defection of one of Ptolemy IV's best commanders Egypt's Syrian territories are Aetolia is a mountainous region of Greece on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth forming the eastern part of the modern prefecture of Aetolia-Acarnania Though King Philip V of Macedon rebuilt all the buildings bigger and better than before, and added a stadium for annual games, the oracle at Dodona never fully recovered. Philip V ( Greek Φίλιππος Ε΄) (238 BC - 179 BC was King of Macedon from 221 BC to 179 BC In 167 BCE, Dodona was once again destroyed and later rebuilt 31 BCE by Emperor Augustus. Year 31 BC was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was By the time the traveller Pausanias visited Dodona in the second century AD, the sacred grove had been reduced to a single oak (Description of Greece, I, xviii). Pausanias ( Greek:) was a Greek traveller and Geographer of the 2nd century CE, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Pilgrims still consulted the oracle until CE 391, when Christians cut down the holy tree. Events By Place Roman Empire All non- Christian temples in the Empire are closed as Theodosius establishes Christianity Though the surviving town was insignificant, the long-hallowed pagan site must have retained significance, for a Christian Bishop of Dodona attended the Council of Ephesus in CE 431. This article covers the Ecumenical council of 431 For the council of 449 see Second Council of Ephesus. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Aëtius pushes the Franks back across the Somme.

Archaeological excavations over more than a century have recovered artifacts as early as the Mycenaean^[10] era, many now at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, and some in the archaeological museum at nearby Ioannina. The National Archaeological Museum of Athens (Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety Ioannina (Ιωάννινα, often el Γιάννενα or el Γιάννινα / is a city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a metropolitan population of

Contents 1 Herodotus and the origins of Dodona 2 See also 3 References 4 Notes and further reading 5 External Links

Herodotus and the origins of Dodona

Herodotus^[11] (Histories 2:54-57) was told by priests at Egyptian Thebes in the 5th century BC "that two priestesses had been carried away from Thebes by Phoenicians; one, they said they had heard was taken away and sold in Libya, the other in Hellas; these women, they said, were the first founders of places of divination in the aforesaid countries. Thebes ( Thēbai) was a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean on the east bank of the river Nile ( The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC. A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities " The simplest analysis: Egypt, for Greeks and for Egyptians themselves was a spring of human culture of all but immeasurable antiquity. This mythic element says that the oracles at the oasis of Siwa in Libya and of Dodona in Epirus were equally old, but similarly transmitted by Phoenician culture, and that the seeresses — Herodotus does not say "sibyls" — were women. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun The word sibyl probably comes (via Latin) from the Greek word sibylla, meaning Prophetess (Other schools of thought suggest that the word

Herodotus follows with what he was told by the prophetesses, called peleiades ("doves") at Dodona:

"that two black doves had come flying from Thebes in Egypt, one to Libya and one to Dodona; the latter settled on an oak tree, and there uttered human speech, declaring that a place of divination from Zeus must be made there; the people of Dodona understood that the message was divine, and therefore established the oracular shrine. Peleiades ( Greek:, " Doves quot were the sacred women of Zeus and the Mother Goddess, Dione, at the Oracle at The dove which came to Libya told the Libyans (they say) to make an oracle of Ammon; this also is sacred to Zeus. Such was the story told by the Dodonaean priestesses, the eldest of whom was Promeneia and the next Timarete and the youngest Nicandra; and the rest of the servants of the temple at Dodona similarly held it true. "

In the simplest analysis, this was a confirmation of the oracle tradition in Egypt. An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion an Infallible authority usually spiritual in nature The element of the dove may be an attempt to account for a folk etymology applied to the archaic name of the sacred women that no longer made sense. Was the pel- element in their name actually connected with "black" or "muddy" root elements in names like "Peleus" or "Pelops"? Is that why the doves were black? Herodotus adds:

"But my own belief about it is this. If the Phoenicians did in fact carry away the sacred women and sell one in Libya and one in Hellas, then, in my opinion, the place where this woman was sold in what is now Hellas, but was formerly called Pelasgia, was Thesprotia; and then, being a slave there, she established a shrine of Zeus under an oak that was growing there; for it was reasonable that, as she had been a handmaid of the temple of Zeus at Thebes, she would remember that temple in the land to which she had come. The name Pelasgians (from Ancient Greek grc Πελασγοί Pelasgoí, singular Πελασγός Pelasgós) was used by some ancient Greek This article is about a place in Greece; For the taxonomic classification, see Thesprotia (genus Thesprotia (Θεσπρωτία After this, as soon as she understood the Greek language, she taught divination; and she said that her sister had been sold in Libya by the same Phoenicians who sold her.

"I expect that these women were called 'doves' by the people of Dodona because they spoke a strange language, and the people thought it like the cries of birds; then the woman spoke what they could understand, and that is why they say that the dove uttered human speech; as long as she spoke in a foreign tongue, they thought her voice was like the voice of a bird. For how could a dove utter the speech of men? The tale that the dove was black signifies that the woman was Egyptian. "

Thesprotia, on the coast west of Dodona, would have been available to the sea-going Phoenicians, whom Herodotus' readers would not have expected to have penetrated as far inland as Dodona. Christians will be particularly arrested by the doves as vehicles of divine spirit.

See also

• National Archaeological Museum of Athens

References

Notes and further reading

• Greek Religion and Society - by P. E. Easterling, John Victor Muir, 1985, ISBN 0521287855
• A History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity - by Anastasios-Phoivos Christidēs, Maria Arapopoulou, Maria Chritē, 2007, ISBN 0521833078
• Encyclopedia Of Ancient Greece - by Nigel Guy Wilson - 2006, ISBN 0415973341
• Greek Sanctuaries: New Approaches - by Nanno Marinatos, Robin Hägg - 1993, ISBN 0415053846

External Links

• The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs' capsule history of the oracle and theatre of Dodona.
• Hellenic Ministry of Culture's page on Dodona
• Harry Thurston Peck, Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), s. v. "Dodona"
• Dodona: Pathways to the Ancient World by Joe Stubenrauch
• C. E. Witcombe, "Sacred Places: Trees and the sacred"
• A.E. Housman, The Oracles

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic