Building Catalog Name: Didyma, Archaic Temple of Apollo

History:

The earliest building phase at the temple site is represented by the fragmentary stretches of converging walls located within the Hellenistic adyton. These remains are interpreted as the foundations of a late geometric sekos or open enclosure, whose superstructure was of mudbrick, constructed ca. 700 B.C. In the early sixth century, a naiskos was built inside this sekos. The remains of this naiskos are interpreted as later than the exterior walls of the sekos, due to the use of a different construction technique (by Drerup 1964, 362-363 and Tuchelt 1970, 197-203). Drerup and Tuchelt therefore date the first naiskos to ca. 575 B.C. In ca. 540 B.C., a larger temple, the archaic temple (Temple II) was built; its adyton walls enclosed the entire late geometric sekos. Gruben 1963, 100-102 and Fehr 1972, 56-59 see the construction of the naiskos as contemporary with the archaic Temple II, at ca. 540 B.C. The archaic sanctuary and its oracle was under the control of a priestly tribe, the Branchidai, until it was destroyed by the Persians. Hdt. 6.19.2-3 attributes this destruction to Darius, in 494 B.C., while later writers, notably Strabo 14.1.5, attribute this destruction to Xerxes in 479 B.C. The earlier destruction date is generally accepted. After the Persian destruction, there is evidence of renewed building activity at the temple: anta capitals decorated with volutes in relief, and other architectural elements, may belong to altars erected in the adyton. This evidence may indicate that Didyma remained an active cult center throughout the fifth century B.C., although there is no evidence of oracular responses until the oracle was revived in ca. 331 B.C.

The walls of the late geometric sekos were 10.3 m. apart in the west, and 9.60 m. apart in the east. The surviving foundations of the archaic adyton walls measure ca. 33 m. in length by ca. 19.90 m. in width at the west. Width of pilasters of archaic adyton wall 3.00 - 3.50 m. Gruben's reconstruction proposes a crepidoma ca. 89 m. in length, with an interaxial intercolumniation of 4.36 m., and a restored column height of ca. 15.5 m. Tuchelt's reconstruction proposes a crepidoma ca. 72 m. in length, with an interaxial column spacing of 4.36 m. Fehr reconstructs a crepidoma ca. 72 m. long, with an interaxial intercolumniation of 3.27 m.

The late geometric sekos was most probably erected around the sacred spring, which was located near the rear of the adyton, in the vicinity of the archaic and later Hellenistic naiskos. Architectural remains from the archaic temple indicate that the lower column drums of the east facade were decorated with marble female figures in relief, of archaic East Greek style, and perhaps reflecting the influence of the archaic Artemision at Ephesos (see Berlin Sk 1721 and Sk 1748). Fragments of Ionic capitals with convex channels were found; these supported a marble architrave. The corners of the architraves were decorated with running gorgons accompanied by recumbent lions. In the late sixth century B.C., the temple received a bronze cult image of Apollo made by the sculptor Kanachos. This statue probably stood in the naiskos of the temple, and was transported to Ecbatana after the Persian destruction.

Wiegand and Knackfuss 1941, 121-129; Gruben 1963, 78-177; Drerup 1964, 333-355; Hahland 1964, 144-240; Drerup 1969, 59; Fehr 1972, 14-69; Tuchelt 1970, 203-205; Tuchelt 1971, 13-15; Voigtländer 1972, 93-112; Dinsmoor 1975, 133-134; Lawrence 1983, 166; Tuchelt 1984, 326-343 (Schneider); Tuchelt 1986b, 33-50; Fontenrose 1988, 8-15, 31-34.

See Also: Berlin Sk 1721 and Sk 1748

(Sarah Cormack)

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