Ancient sacred sites in the Gulf of Naples: the sanctuary of Athena at Punta Campanella

In: Young Feltrinelli prize in the moral sciences

Abstract

"The geographical position between the gulfs of Naples and Salerno made pre-Roman Sorrento a fundamental point of passage. Around the inhabited centre, sacred sites or scattered settlements developed including the sanctuary of Athena on the extreme tip of the peninsula, near Punta Campanella. This book explores the historical development of the sanctuary from the 6th century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. Drawing on partly unpublished archaeological documentation and literary sources, the book provides useful elements for understanding the site and its relationship with the surrounding area. Sorrento and the Greek presence in the Gulf of Naples are linked to the sanctuary installation, perhaps first dedicated to the Sirens but surely after to Athena. Judging from literary sources, it was one of the best-known places of worship in ancient Italy. It was only in the 1980s that the discovery of an Oscan inscription with a dedication to Minerva made it possible to hypothesise the presence of a sanctuary near the Medieval tower at Punta Campanella. The analysis of the archaeological documentation known until now, the study of the new archaeological plans and of the material culture (ceramics) from the site make it possible to better understand the development and the importance of the sanctuary. This book, therefore, defines the historical and territorial development of the sanctuary of Athena, reconstructing the history of the territory of ancient Surrentum and above all of its most important sanctuary. The book will be of particular interest to archaeologists, ancient historians and historians of religion"--