Description
Book SynopsisThe geographical position between the gulfs of Naples and Salerno made pre-Roman Sorrento a fundamental point of passage. Around the inhabited centre, sacred sites or scattered settlements developed, including the sanctuary of Athena on the extreme tip of the peninsula near Punta Campanella. This book explores the historical development of the sanctuary from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD. Drawing on partly unpublished archaeological documentation and literary sources, the book provides useful elements for understanding the site and its relationship with the surrounding area. Sorrento and the Greek presence in the Gulf of Naples are linked to the sanctuary installation, perhaps first dedicated to the Sirens but surely after to Athena. Judging from literary sources, it was one of the best-known places of worship in ancient Italy. It was only in the 1980s that the discovery of an Oscan inscription with a dedication to Minerva made it possible to hypothesise the presence of a
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 2. History of the excavations and the research 3. The Sorrentine Peninsula based on archaeological sources 4. Access to the sanctuary: the Via Minervia 5. Punta Campanella: the archaeological record 6. Analysis of the context: the sanctuary of Athena 7. Chronological phases and clues to the nature of the cult 8. Conclusions
