Glossary Religion and cult
Altar
A raised structure or block on which offerings were burnt or laid for a god, the focus of ritual in a sanctuary.
In the open-air sanctuaries of Iron Age Cyprus the altar was the centre around which worshippers gathered and votives were set. At the rural sanctuary of Ayia Irini about 2,000 terracotta statues and statuettes were found in a semicircle around it, and in other sanctuaries limestone statues stood in rows facing it. Smaller incense altars of stone and clay are also common finds in sanctuaries. See the statues of ancient Cyprus.
Related terms
- Temenos
The sacred area of a sanctuary, marked off by a wall or boundary, inside which the altar, offerings and any cult buildings stood.
- Open-air sanctuary
A sanctuary laid out as an open walled court with an altar and offerings, the usual form of Cypriot cult place in the Iron Age.
- Libation
A ritual pouring of a liquid, such as wine, oil, milk or water, as an offering to a god or to the dead.