Sanctuaire de Zeus Atabyrios (mont Attavyros)

Rhodes (Embonas)

Attavyros is the highest summit of the island of Rhodes, south of the village of Embonas. A myth reported by Wikipedia says that the hero Althaemenes founded an altar to Zeus Atabyrios there, because it was the only point on the island from which Crete could be seen. This is a legend, but the ruins of the sanctuary are clearly visible near the summit. A study by the team of Rocco, Livadiotti and Triantaphyllidis (2017) presents this place as a known centre of worship, which attracted pilgrims from all over the ancient world. The Italian G. Jacopi made a first exploration there in 1927 and found numerous offerings, but the site long remained unpublished. From 2012 to 2015, the Archaeological Institute of Aegean Studies of Rhodes and the Polytechnic of Bari excavated there in three campaigns. They uncovered remains of the sanctuary and a later Byzantine village, and made it possible to propose a reconstruction of the Greek altar of Zeus. An annex is identified as a treasury with a banquet room, on the basis of comparisons. In sacred pits, numerous small bronze figurines were found, mostly bulls and piglets, linked to fertility. Offerings continue in other periods, with other animals and even insects.

Politecnico di Bari — Le sanctuaire de Zeus sur le mont Atabyros (notice de l'étude) ↗

Getting there: South of the village of Embonas, towards the summit of Attavyros. Access conditions (path, road, permission) have not been verified. Coordinates taken from Wikipedia (summit of the mountain): the sanctuary is near the summit.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound