New Avenues of Architectural Research on Samothrace: The Stoa as a structure and a social space
Art and Archaeology Department, Princeton University Samuel Holzman
December 3, 2021 · 12:00 pm—1:30 pm · 161 East Pyne
Program in the Ancient World
The Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace, home to one of the ancient world’s most important mystery cults, overflows with innovative architecture of the early Hellenistic period. The sanctuary’s largest building, however, has long been overlooked. A new campaign of architectural fieldwork focused on the 100-meter-long Stoa has revealed a startling engineering innovation underneath this portico’s humble exterior: flat reliving arches, built centuries before their appearance in Rome, where this technology has generally been thought to originate. Graffiti and small finds paint a portrait of the Stoa not simply as the sanctuary’s biggest building, but as a primary gathering place for initiates, who traveled to Samothrace from all over the Mediterranean.
Samuel Holzman is an assistant professor of Greek Architectural History in the Department of Art and Archaeology and the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies. He leads the architectural research team of the American Excavations on Samothrace.
Pre-registration is required, and in-person attendance will be capped at 20 participants. Registrations will be confirmed via email on a first-come, first-served basis.
– All attendees must wear face coverings.
– Ability to social distance may not be possible.
– Princeton ID/Prox cards are required to enter the building.
