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Tectonic Klippe Served the Needs of Cult Worship,
Sanctuary of Zeus, Mount Lykaion, Peloponnese, Greece

George H. Davis, Dept. of Geosciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA, gdavis@email.arizona.edu

ABSTRACT

Mount Lykaion is a rare, historical, cul-
tural phenomenon, namely a Late Bronze
Age through Hellenistic period (ca. 1500–
100 BC) mountaintop Zeus sanctuary,
built upon an unusual tectonic feature,
namely a thrust klippe. Recognition of this
klippe and its physical character provides
the framework for understanding the cou-
pling between the archaeology and geology
of the site. It appears that whenever there
were new requirements in the physical/
cultural expansion of the sanctuary, the
overall geologic characteristics of the
thrust klippe proved to be perfectly adapt-
able. The heart of this analysis consists
of detailed geological mapping, detailed
structural geologic analysis, and close
cross-disciplinary engagement with
archaeologists, classicists, and architects.

INTRODUCTION Figure 1. Location of the Sanctuary of Zeus, Mount Lykaion, Peloponnese, Greece.

In the second century AD, Pausanias residual worked blocks of built structures The critical geologic emphasis here is
authored an invaluable description of the and activity areas, including a hippodrome that Mount Lykaion is a thrust klippe.
Sanctuary of Zeus, Mount Lykaion, and stadium used for athletic games in Thrusting was achieved during tectonic
located at latitude 37° 23′ N, longitude ancient times (see Romano and Voyatzis, inversion of Jurassic to early Cenozoic
22° 00′ E, in the Peloponnese (Fig. 1). 2014, 2015). Pindos Basin stratigraphy (Degnan and
Pausanias’ accounts were originally writ- Robertson, 2006; Doutsos et al., 1993;
ten in Greek and are available in a number In 2004, I signed on as geologist for the Skourlis and Doutsos, 2003). The 3D expo-
of translations and commentaries, includ- Mount Lykaion Excavation and Survey sure of the thrust klippe has been achieved
ing Habicht (1999). Pausanias described Project, directed by David Gilman Romano through erosional exploitation of the active
the physical setting, built structures, ath- and Mary Voyatzis (see Acknowledgments). normal faults being produced by crustal-
letic games, and nature of the cult activity My objective was to evaluate, through stretching collapse of the Aegean region
taking place there in ancient times, calling detailed geologic mapping (Fig. 2), the (Cocard et al., 1999; Goldsworthy and
attention to the presence of two distinct ways in which the geology and archaeol- Jackson, 2000; Jackson, 1994; McClusky
though linked precincts (Romano and ogy of the sanctuary were interconnected. et al., 2000).
Voyatzis, 2014, 2015). The upper level of What became clear is that the geology of
the sanctuary resides on the summit of the sanctuary perfectly fulfills the inte- NATURE OF THRUST KLIPPEN
Agios Elias and includes an open-air ash grated pragmatic, athletic, spiritual, and
altar, which today is represented by an ritual requirements of the Zeus cult, which, Thrust klippen are remnant masses of
~2-m-thick blanket of bone ash surviving according to Romano and Voyatzis (2014, far-traveled thrust sheets, which through
from animal sacrifice going back as far as 2015), functioned between at least as far regional erosion become isolated from the
the Late Bronze Age, ca. 1500 BC. The back as 1500 BC to 100 BC. main sheets with which they were formerly
lower level comprises foundations and contiguous (Heim, 1922; Quereau, 1895;

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