Description:
Rising 50 meters above the Sanctuary of Poseidon, the Rachi ridge is a prominent feature of the Isthmian landscape. Its defensible location and prospect over the Isthmus of Corinth made it a suitable place for habitation, production, and storage. This volume presents the final results of the University of Chicago excavations on the Rachi (1954-1956, 1989), providing important new information about life outside a Panhellenic sanctuary. At the summit of the ridge, a shrine, perhaps dedicated to Demeter, was in use from the 6th to 4th century BCE. Although no structure associated with the shrine is preserved, votive deposits in and around several bedrock depressions, along with other votive objects, comprise compelling evidence for cult activity. In the last quarter of the 4th century BCE, a settlement was established on the Rachi, with small houses marked out in a pre-arranged grid. The destruction and subsequent abandonment of the settlement in the early 2nd century BCE resulted in relatively undisturbed domestic contexts. Analysis of the architecture and finds suggests that the inhabitants manufactured and stored a variety of goods, including textiles, honey and beeswax, and olive oil. The numerous beam-and-lever olive presses are among the best preserved in Greece. In addition to explorations of the religion, society, and economy of the Rachi’s inhabitants, the volume catalogues the diverse artifacts uncovered in the excavations, including pottery, transport amphoras, lamps, coins, armor and weapons, and architectural materials. Contributors to the volume include H. B. Felleisen, L. Houghtalin, A. H. Jackson, and M. Lawall.

About the Author: Virginia Anderson-Stojanović was Professor Emerita of Fine Arts and Classics at Wilson College.