Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorCoskun, Altay
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-12 19:29:29 (GMT)
dc.date.available2022-10-12 19:29:29 (GMT)
dc.date.issued2020-12-01
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10012/18880
dc.description.abstractStrabo mentions a sanctuary of Leukothea, together with an Oracle of Phrixos, in the Moschike somewhere in Kolchis (11.2.17f. 498f.C). O. Lordkipanidze (1972) suggested a location in modern Vani at the confluence of the Sulori and Rioni (Phasis) Rivers. In contrast, D. Braund (1994) proposed an area farther to the east in the Lesser Caucasus (Moschian Mountains), southwest of Borjomi, in the valley of the upper Mtkvari River (Kyros). Both identifications are difficult to accept. First, Ino, the wife of the Theban king Athamas and stepmother of Phrixos, called Leukothea after her apotheosis, was a sea goddess. As such, her cult was widespread along the northern coast of the Mediterranean. Its only attested branch in the Black Sea region should therefore not be sought in the hinterland or far-away mountains. Second, Strabo’s indications do not point to a location east of the mouth of the Phasis, but rather south of it, where the westernmost foothills of the Lesser Caucasus reach the sea. Third, we can now contextualize Strabo’s historical references in detail: the sack of the sanctuary by Pharnakes II occurred after his defeat at Zela in Pontos by Caesar and before his final battle against Asandros near Pantikapaion. Since both battles occurred within no more than a month, Pharnakes had no time to march through the Kolchian hinterland, let alone to lay siege to its fortifications, when sailing back to Pantikapaion in August 47 BC. As a result, the Leukotheion most likely stood out as a landmark for sailors on their way from Trapezus to Phasis. The Mtsvane Kontskhi (‘Green Cape’), which is now covered by the Batumi Botanical Garden, might have been an ideal location, and the hills of Tsikhisdziri would offer a feasible alternative.en
dc.description.sponsorshipSocial Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada, Insight Grant (2017-2022)en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherFranz Steiner Verlagen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesGeographica Historica;43
dc.subjectLeukotheia, Phrixos, Kolchis, Moschike, Strabo, Mtsvane Kontskhi, Green Cape, Batumi Botanical Garden, Tsikhisdzirien
dc.titleSearching for the Sanctuary of Leukothea in Kolchisen
dc.typeBook Chapteren
dcterms.bibliographicCitationSearching for the Sanctuary of Leukothea in Kolchis. In: Altay Coşkun (ed.), Ethnic Constructs, Royal Dynasties and Historical Geography around the Black Sea Littoral, Stuttgart 2021, 287-318en
uws.contributor.affiliation1Faculty of Artsen
uws.contributor.affiliation2Classical Studiesen
uws.typeOfResourceTexten
uws.peerReviewStatusRevieweden
uws.scholarLevelFacultyen


Files in this item

Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record


UWSpace

University of Waterloo Library
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4883

All items in UWSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved.

DSpace software

Service outages