Abstract: The Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion was known in antiquity as the “birthplace of Zeus.”  Since 2004 the University of Arizona has fielded an excavation project at the remote sanctuary located high in the Arcadian mountains of Greece.  At the southern peak of the mountain is the ash altar of Zeus composed of the ash from the burned animal victims, mostly goat and sheep, directly on the bedrock of the mountain. Ritual use has been documented from as early as the 16th century B.C. during the early Mycenaean period, reflecting that this practice of offering burnt animal sacrifice began much earlier than previously known in the Greek world. This ritual continued at the site until the 2nd c. BC. Renewed excavation this past summer has yielded a stunning discovery amid the ash and burnt animal bones: a human skeleton, likely of an adolescent male, was found near the middle of the ash altar and at the highest part of the mountain peak.  The body is laid out in a simple grave of fieldstones, conceivably of the 11th c. BC. Although the skeleton has yet to be fully studied by a physical anthropologist, and the cause of death has yet to be determined, it is noteworthy that several ancient authors mention that human sacrifice was known to take place at Mt. Lykaion.  In this illustrated presentation we present our exciting new excavation results, look at the relevant ancient literary texts, and then take a broader view, considering the Judeo-Christian tradition of human sacrifice that may bear on this discovery.

(The AIA Tucson Society is co-sponsoring this lecture organized by the College of Humanities, Religious Studies and Classics Department and the School of Anthropology)