The study of the concept of the sacred hearth and Greek goddess of the hearth and their association with the Prytaneion, its origins, and its development
Author
Çayır, Esra
Advisor
Morin, Jacques
Date
2006Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
This thesis examines the concept of the sacred hearth and also Hestia, the goddess of
the sacred hearth in Greece in association with the origins and developments of the
Prytaneion, which is connected to one of the most important civic institutions of the
Greek city-state. In the thesis, the meaning and functions of the Prytaneion are
defined in accordance with the literary and epigraphic sources. Some identified and
excavated examples are also described in the thesis. Related to the Prytaneion, the
monumental hearths in the Mycenaean palaces and examples of house architecture
from the Iron Age will be emphasized briefly to look at the possible cultic and
architectural origins of the Prytaneion.
Keywords
PrytaneionSacred hearth
Perpetual fire
Hestia
Goddess of the hearth
City-state
Civic institution
House
Domestic architecture