Glossary Religion and cult
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.
Greek sanctuaries of the same centuries were usually built around a monumental temple. Most Cypriot sanctuaries of the Cypro-Geometric to Cypro-Classical periods were open courts with an altar, perhaps a small roofed shrine, and rows of votive statues. Ayia Irini and Golgoi follow this pattern. The terracotta ring-dance groups with a known find-spot all come from such sanctuaries. See architecture.
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.
- Altar
A raised structure or block on which offerings were burnt or laid for a god, the focus of ritual in a sanctuary.
- Extra-urban sanctuary
A sanctuary set in the countryside away from the main town, often on a boundary or route within a kingdom's territory.