Peak sanctuaries are a type of shrine, a cult or ritual space associated with the Bronze Age Aegean, specifically Minoan society on Crete, between about 2000 and 1450 BC.
Peak sanctuaries are located on the highest local peak relative to settlements, and within three hours walking distance of an associated settlement. Built structures are minimal, consisting generally of a clay or stone altar or table in an open space. Artifacts recovered from peak sanctuaries include human and animal terracotta figurines, terracotta votive limbs (effigies of human body parts), and miniature pots.
Peak Sanctuaries and Archaeology
There are at least 25 cultic sites on Crete which are considered peak sanctuaries by archaeologists; others are found on the mainland and on other islands in the Aegean.
A current project led by A. Sarris and J. Driessen is using Geographic Information System to map the locations of peak sanctuaries, their sightlines and viewsheds. Recent careful consideration of the artifact assemblages at Cretan sanctuaries of all types has led researcher Camilla Briault to wonder if peak sanctuaries were significantly different from other kinds of sanctuaries on Crete. What separates a 'peak sanctuary' from any other kind of sanctuary is its location on the top of a mountain peak. Briault argues that cult activities associated with peak sanctuaries were also performed at other locations.
Peak Sanctuaries
Examples on Crete: Juktas, Petsophas, Traostalos, Vrysinas, Kophinas, Atsipadhes and PlagiaExamples off Crete: Agios Georgios on Kythera, Apollon Maleatas on the Argolid mainland, Troullos on Kea.
Sources
Briault, Camilla 2007 Making mountains out of molehills in the Bronze Age Aegean: visibility, ritual kits, and the idea of a peak sanctuary. World Archaeology 39(1):122-141.
Morris, Christine and Alan Peatfield. 2001. Feeling through the body: Gesture in Cretan Bronze Age religion. pp. 105-120 in Thinking through the Body: Archaeologies of Corporeality. Yannis Hamilakis, Mark Plucennik and Sarah Tarlow, editors. Springer: London.
Peatfield, Alan. 1994. The Atsipadhes Korakias Peak Sanctuary Project. Classics Ireland 1. Free online
Soetens, Steven, Sarris, Apostolos, and Topouzi, Sofia. 2001. Peak sanctuaries in the Minoan cultural landscape. 9th International Congress of Cretan Studies. Slow loading.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
