Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
THE SAMOTHRACIAN MYSTERIES
The
religion of the Great Gods
revolved around a hierarchy of ancient Thracian fertility figures:
the Great Mother Axieros; a subordinate male deity known as Kadmilos; and the potent and
ominous twin demons the Kabiroi, originally the local heroes Dardanos and Aeton. When the
Aeolian colonists arrived (traditionally c.700 BC) they simply merged the resident deities with
their own - the Great Mother became Cybele, while her consort Hermes and the Kabiroi were
fused interchangeably with the
Dioskouroi
Castor and Pollux, patrons of seafarers. Around the
nucleus of a sacred precinct the newcomers made the beginnings of what is now the sanctuary.
Despite their long observance, the mysteries of the cult were never explicitly recorded, since
ancient writers feared incurring the wrath of the Kabiroi (who could reputedly brew up
sudden, deadly storms), but it has been established that two levels of initiation were involved.
Both ceremonies, in direct opposition to the elitism of Eleusis, were open to all, including
women and slaves. The lower level of initiation, or
myesis
, may, as is speculated at Eleusis, have
involved a ritual simulation of the life, death and rebirth cycle; in any case, it's known that it
ended with joyous feasting, and it can be conjectured, since so many clay torches have been
found, that it took place at night. The higher level of initiation, or
epopteia
, carried the unusual
requirement of a moral standard - the connection of theology with morality, so strong in the
later Judeo-Christian tradition, was rarely made by the early Greeks. This second level involved
a full confession followed by absolution and baptism in bull's blood.
The Anaktoron and Arsinoeion
he
Anaktoron
, or hall of initiation for the first level of the mysteries, dates in its
present form from Roman times. Its inner sanctum was marked by a warning stele,
now in the museum, and at the southeast corner you can make out the
Priestly
Quarters
, an antechamber where candidates for initiation donned white gowns. Next to
it is the
Arsinoeion
, the largest circular ancient building known in Greece, used for
libations and sacrifices. Within its rotunda are the fourth-century BC walls of a double
precinct where a rock altar, the earliest preserved ruin on the site, has been uncovered.
The Temenos and Hieron
A little further south, on the same side of the path, you come to the
Temenos
, a
rectangular area open to the sky where the feasting probably took place, and, edging its
rear corner, the conspicuous
Hieron
, the site's most immediately impressive structure.
Five columns and an architrave of the facade of this large Doric edifice, which hosted
the higher level of initiation, have been re-erected; dating in part from the fourth
century BC, it was heavily restored in Roman times. The stone steps have been replaced
by modern blocks, but Roman benches for spectators remain
in situ
, along with the
sacred stones where confession was heard.
The Nymphaeum (Fountain) of Nike and around
To the west of the path you can just discern the outline of the
theatre
, while just above
it, tucked under the ridge, is the
Nymphaeum (Fountain) of Nike
, over which the
Winged Victory
used to preside. West of the theatre, occupying a high terrace, are
remains of the main
stoa
; immediately north of this is an elaborate medieval
fortification made entirely of antique material.
Loutrá and the far east
With its running streams, giant plane trees and namesake hot springs,
LOUTRÁ
(aka
Thermá
), 6km east of Paleópoli, is a pleasant enough place to stay, although in late July
and August it gets packed, mainly with an incongruous mixture of foreign hippies and
elderly Greeks, here to take the sulphurous waters. Far more appealing than the grim
baths
themselves (June-Oct daily 8am-6pm; €5), the low waterfalls and rock pools of
Gría Váthra
are signposted 1.5km up the paved side road leading east from the main
