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Mount Athos before Christ: Sacred Summit of Zeus

Prior to its transformation into one of the most sacred hubs for Orthodox Christian monasticism, Mount Athos was inhabited by Ancient Greeks who practiced their ancestral polytheistic faith. Several villages and cities lined the peninsula where monasteries now stand, and upon the highest summit there stood a temple to Zeus, the father of the gods, along with a colossal statue. Both the statue and the temple were recorded to have still been standing all the way into the 5th century CE, as recorded by the Byzantine Christian lexicographer, Hesychius of Alexandria.

According to the oral tradition passed on by the monks of Athos, the statue was made of gold and ivory, similar to the colossal icon of Zeus crafted by Phidias at the Temple of Olympia-- one of the Seven Ancient Wonders. During festivals and celebrations, the statue would be carried down from the summit in procession.

The true fate of the statue is unknown, but according to at least one monk, it was hidden in a cave somewhere on the mountain.

(The summit of Athos as it stands today.)

#hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #hellenic paganism #paganblr #paganism #greek polytheism #religion #helpol #theoi #zeus deity #zeus worship #ancient history #mount athos #zeus temple #ancient greek history

olympia zeus tapınağının korint ritim sütunları.

atina greece

Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back thousands of years to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times.

CAIRO — Egyptian archaeologists unearthed the ruins of a temple for the ancient Greek god Zeus in the Sinai Peninsula, antiquities authorities said Monday.

The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said in a statement the temple ruins were found in the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in northwestern Sinai.

Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. There are also remains dating to the Christian and early Islamic periods.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said archaeologists excavated the temple ruins through its entrance gate, where two huge fallen granite columns were visible. The gate was destroyed in a powerful earthquake in ancient times, he said.

Waziri said the ruins were found between the Pelusium Fort and a memorial church at the site. Archaeologists found a set of granite blocks probably used to build a staircase for worshipers to reach the temple.

Excavations at the area date back to early 1900 when French Egyptologist Jean Clédat found ancient Greek inscriptions that showed the existence of the Zeus-Kasios temple but he didn't unearth it, according to the ministry.

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