The transformation of the sanctuary of Apollo Pythios at Gortyna in the Hellenistic period

Abstract. The Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios, first excavated in 1885 by F. Halbherr, is the object of a new research project started in 2012 the University of Padova and the Italian Archaeological School at Athens. The trial excavations recently carried out could not only confirm the construction phase of the Hellenistic period, but the intact stratigraphy and undisturbed deposits allowed a precise chronological definition. The remarkable changes of the Sanctuary, now with a Temple pronaos, on which international treaties where exposed, and the reconstruction of the heroon by the local kosmoi are fundamental not only for the sanctuary itself. In fact, the transformed sanctuary acted as a pivot in the urban transformations of this part of the city, that, after an apparently silent phase extended from the Late Archaic to the Late Classical period, in the height of the Hellenistic era it now seems to regain importance, perhaps in relation to the koinon ton Kretaieon. Data from the archaeological fieldwork will be presented in relation to the synchronic topographical situation of the neighboring constructions and an attempt to link these results with the historical and social background will be made.