Lecture: "The Roman Sanctuary of Poseidon at Isthmia and the Roman Isthmian Games" by Karen Lawrence

• Event Date: Thursday, December 5, 2013
• Time: 5:30 pm (CST)
• Location: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
• Cost: Free Admission

• Talk

The speaker is a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of the Classics. The sanctuary of Poseidon at Isthmia, located at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, was the site of one of the most important Panhellenic athletic contests of the ancient Greeks. With a history that stretches back to the 11th century BCE, the sanctuary underwent many changes and alterations throughout its long life. One of the most dramatic periods at the sanctuary was the reinvigoration of the games after a hiatus in the late Hellenistic period when the games were moved to nearby Sikyon after the sack of Corinth by Mummius. When the games were returned to Isthmia and Corinthian control, the sanctuary underwent many changes to modernize the Isthmian Games and proclaim Corinth's role as a leading city of Roman Achaia.

This event is organized by the Central Illinois Society of the Archaeological Institute of America and hosted by the Spurlock Museum.