April Kersten

Oxford Readings in Greek Religion, Chapter 7:

Greek Sanctuaries as Places of Refuge

By: Ulrich Sinn

I. "The right of sanctuaries to grant asylum is, indeed, counted as an exemplary feature of the Greek social order."

A. This is an area of Greek life not fully explored by scholars due to the lack of concrete evidence.

B. Private life:

1. Sought by girls trying to avoid a forced marriage

2. Orphans were placed with a guardian due efforts of sanctuaries

C. Public Life:

1. On diplomatic missions, officials placed themselves in sanctuaries to insure safety and gain a form of leverage.

II. The three types of asylum or asylia.

A. The type of specific protection offered by sanctuaries.

B. The ancient tradition of asylum.

1. Asylia: literally means prohibition against stealing

2. This simply guaranteed safe passage between the boundaries of city-states.

C. A type of asylia also protected sanctuaries.

1. Everything in sacred territories belongs to the gods.

2. This gives every sanctuary the status of asylon hieron (inviolable precinct).

III. Asylum and the right of Hiketeia

A. A person in trouble could seek protection in a sanctuary, but anonymous stay was not tolerated.

B. In order to receive the protection of a sanctuary, a person had to appear openly and explanation his reason for coming.

C. Hiketeia: was the rite by which the person seeking aid sat down on the altar holding a symbol identifying him as a suppliant

1. A male suppliant is a hiketes

2. A female suppliant is a hiketis

3. "He sat down in a sanctuary."

IV. The right of Hiketeia and the job of a priest.

A. The priest was the "legal advisor" of a suppliant.

B. His job was too:

1. Calm emotions

2. Hinder acts of revenge

3. Begin the process of criminal proceedings

C. "Rejecting a person begging for protection counted as a sacrilege."

D. Sanctuaries could be exposed to danger, especially when accepting suppliants seeking protection from political opponents.

E. "This burden in the priests was in fact the weak point in the system of sacred immunity."

1. At times priests disregarded this law of immunity.

a. There are tales of suppliants being forcibly driven out of sanctuaries, starved to death, and massacred.

b. Sometimes to get rid of an unwanted suppliant, the sanctuary would ask an oracle. The answer would always be easily interpreted unfavorably for the suppliant.

c. In Athens, a police station was placed at the entrance of the Acropolis to keep out unwanted suppliants.

V. Theories about the practice of asylum.

A. The present consensus is that "the protection afforded by sanctuaries was effective only in the early period, and that this institution had lost its effectiveness by the fifth century."

B. The stories of disregard for the rite of heketeia, "was recorded with misgivings and at the same time branded with sharp disapproval." While stories of successful heketeia are omitted because that was considered normal.

1. "Stories of the bad treatment of suppliants always have moralistic undertones."

2. Legends of gods punishing those who don't uphold asylum.

a. Kleomenes, the king of Sparta, who went mad supposedly for killing thousands of suppliants.

b. The town of Kelike was buried by an earthquake due to a crime committed against suppliants at the sanctuary of Poseidon.

3. These legends reveal that "the institution of hiketeia was deeply rooted in popular belief."

4. The public felt so deeply about hiketeia that it was often used to rally public emotion.

a. It was used to incite the city of Athens into battle against the evil Spartans who did not respect the rite. And vice versa.

5. Hiketeia is the main theme in many plots in drama, comedy, and erotic fare.

6. There is even a code of behavior for suppliants to aid in gaining the favor of uneasy priests.

a. This involved acting humble while giving the impression that one would commit suicide if aid were not offered.

b. This was very effective because for a suppliant to commit suicide in such conditions was a great disgrace for a priest.

VI. "How did the sanctuaries prepare for these continual claims on their hospitality?"

A. The rite of hiketeia was "a matter of practicing a cult."

B. Suppliants often either took part in cult practices or simply lived side by side with cult participants.

a. The story of the poet Alcaeus who was able to watch the ritual ring dances.

b. The boys of a Samian sanctuary who were almost starved that were simply invited to the cult ceremonial meals.

C. "The rule is laid down that participants in the cult and suppliants are to be separated for the duration of cult festival."--- and inscription from a sanctuary to Demeter dating to 92 BC.

VII. "Where exactly inside the sanctuary were all of these long term guests living?"

A. There seems to be an infrastructure designed to house both suppliants and the constant influx of pilgrims.

B. Sites such as Olympia reveal guesthouses, bath installations, and even shops.

C. Even though the areas designed to hold pilgrims and suppliants were separate from the main altar and sanctuary, these areas were still considered sacred.

D. Typically Greek sanctuaries were divided into smaller and larger precincts.

1. Divided by a large artificial terrace

2. The use of natural terrain placing the holiest site generally on the highest point

E. In Suppliants by Aeschylus, suppliants are told to go to stay in a grove in order to clear the altar.

1. bebelon alsos: profane grove

2. heiron alsos: Holy grove

VIII. Choosing the best sanctuary

A. Zeus Hikesios guaranteed the concept of asylum, but any sanctuary could offer this protection.

B. It was better for suppliants to try and seek asylum in the main sanctuaries of towns or districts.

1. It was less likely to be rejected by larger sanctuaries.

2. If one was a political refugee, then the authority of the entire town or district was behind the priest.

3. The facilities at larger sanctuaries were often more extensive.

C. Main Sanctuaries were often situated far outside towns.

1. These sanctuaries were often located in hard-to-reach locations offering better protection.

D. Often the location outside of town made these better sanctuaries because those seeking political asylum ran the risk of being threatened within a city.

Return to Main Page: CLST 4003H. Spring, 2002. Greek Religion Honors Colloquium