Christy (Balthis) Draheim | Emory University (original) (raw)

Papers by Christy (Balthis) Draheim

Research paper thumbnail of Built Altars and Religious Ritual in Hellenistic East Greece

Visualizing Rituals: Critical Analysis of Art and Ritual Practice, 2006

Greek religious ritual revolved around the performance of sacrifice, and thus the sacrificial alt... more Greek religious ritual revolved around the performance of sacrifice, and thus the sacrificial altar was the most important cultic structure in the sanctuary. 1 The sacrificial ritual was a transitory experience for both the participants and the audience, an experience in which their identity within society and in relation to the gods was reconstructed and reinforced through the shared experience of the slaughter and consumption of a domestic animal. In East Greece 2 during the Hellenistic period, this temporal ritual was concretized by the construction of permanent, monumental built altars which were architectonic in form and lavish in sculptural decoration. Three of these built altars, located at Magnesia, Priene, and Kos, represent a specific historical moment, during the late third and early second century BCE, in which we can recreate the performance of the sacrificial ritual through the preserved archaeological remains of the apparatus on and around which the sacrifice occurred. A close reading of these altars results in new questions concerning the central cultic ritual and its physical reenactment, as performed in a narrow chronological and geographical context, questions which suggest that religious ritual may have contained more fluidity than previously thought. 3 In addition, the archaeological evidence indicates that the movements of the audience were carefully controlled throughout the ritual, creating a series of 1

Talks by Christy (Balthis) Draheim

Research paper thumbnail of Monumental Built Altars in Western Asia Minor during the Hellenistic Period: Tradition and Innovation

Opening the Ancient World (Save Ancient Studies Alliance Virtual Conference), 2023

Research paper thumbnail of "At the Altar:  A Spectator's Experience of the Sacrificial Ritual in Hellenistic East Greece"

In the region of East Greece during the Hellenistic period, we witness the broad emergence of a l... more In the region of East Greece during the Hellenistic period, we witness the broad emergence of a luxurious type of built stone altar - monumental in scale, architectonic in form, and lavish in sculptural decoration. While the formal typology and political significance of these altars have been the subject of inquiry, their function as the site of the central cultic ritual - the sacrifice - repays investigation. In this paper, I examine the ways in which the position, design, and ornamentation of the built altar shaped the experience of the spectator during the performance of the sacrifice, using as examples the altars of Asklepios at Kos, Artemis Leukophryene at Magnesia, and Athena Polias at Priene.

Each altar's position, architectural form, and sculptural decoration were carefully planned to heighten the experience of the ritual. Marble pavements in front of the altars demarcated the space in which the audience stood. The architectural form of the altar promoted a tension between inclusion and exclusion. The height of the podium, the narrow entrance into the interior, and the colonnade surrounding the inner space created a boundary that separated the rituals observed by all from those reserved for a privileged few in the inner sanctum of the altar. Free-standing or high-relief sculptures of the gods adorned the exterior facades of all three altars. By means of these sculptures, the gods became permanent witnesses to the sacrificial ritual, accompanying the mortal audience assembled on the surrounding pavement.

Through the manipulation of physical movements, lines of visibility, and the perception of scale, the built altars of Hellenistic East Greece exploited the threshold between mortal and divine, thus amplifying the emotional impact on the spectator.

Research paper thumbnail of "Architectural Fragments in Selcuk from the Altar of Artemis at Ephesos"

Research paper thumbnail of "Built Altars and Religious Ritual in Hellenistic East Greece"

Conference Presentations by Christy (Balthis) Draheim

Research paper thumbnail of SASA Conference Schedule 2023

Here is the schedule for Save Ancient Studies Alliance "Opening the Ancient World" Conference, wh... more Here is the schedule for Save Ancient Studies Alliance "Opening the Ancient World" Conference, which will be held on July 23-24, 2023. I will be presenting a paper entitled "Monumental Built Altars in Western Asia Minor during the Hellenistic Period." It is a virtual conference, so please join us!

Research paper thumbnail of Built Altars and Religious Ritual in Hellenistic East Greece

Visualizing Rituals: Critical Analysis of Art and Ritual Practice, 2006

Greek religious ritual revolved around the performance of sacrifice, and thus the sacrificial alt... more Greek religious ritual revolved around the performance of sacrifice, and thus the sacrificial altar was the most important cultic structure in the sanctuary. 1 The sacrificial ritual was a transitory experience for both the participants and the audience, an experience in which their identity within society and in relation to the gods was reconstructed and reinforced through the shared experience of the slaughter and consumption of a domestic animal. In East Greece 2 during the Hellenistic period, this temporal ritual was concretized by the construction of permanent, monumental built altars which were architectonic in form and lavish in sculptural decoration. Three of these built altars, located at Magnesia, Priene, and Kos, represent a specific historical moment, during the late third and early second century BCE, in which we can recreate the performance of the sacrificial ritual through the preserved archaeological remains of the apparatus on and around which the sacrifice occurred. A close reading of these altars results in new questions concerning the central cultic ritual and its physical reenactment, as performed in a narrow chronological and geographical context, questions which suggest that religious ritual may have contained more fluidity than previously thought. 3 In addition, the archaeological evidence indicates that the movements of the audience were carefully controlled throughout the ritual, creating a series of 1

Research paper thumbnail of Monumental Built Altars in Western Asia Minor during the Hellenistic Period: Tradition and Innovation

Opening the Ancient World (Save Ancient Studies Alliance Virtual Conference), 2023

Research paper thumbnail of "At the Altar:  A Spectator's Experience of the Sacrificial Ritual in Hellenistic East Greece"

In the region of East Greece during the Hellenistic period, we witness the broad emergence of a l... more In the region of East Greece during the Hellenistic period, we witness the broad emergence of a luxurious type of built stone altar - monumental in scale, architectonic in form, and lavish in sculptural decoration. While the formal typology and political significance of these altars have been the subject of inquiry, their function as the site of the central cultic ritual - the sacrifice - repays investigation. In this paper, I examine the ways in which the position, design, and ornamentation of the built altar shaped the experience of the spectator during the performance of the sacrifice, using as examples the altars of Asklepios at Kos, Artemis Leukophryene at Magnesia, and Athena Polias at Priene.

Each altar's position, architectural form, and sculptural decoration were carefully planned to heighten the experience of the ritual. Marble pavements in front of the altars demarcated the space in which the audience stood. The architectural form of the altar promoted a tension between inclusion and exclusion. The height of the podium, the narrow entrance into the interior, and the colonnade surrounding the inner space created a boundary that separated the rituals observed by all from those reserved for a privileged few in the inner sanctum of the altar. Free-standing or high-relief sculptures of the gods adorned the exterior facades of all three altars. By means of these sculptures, the gods became permanent witnesses to the sacrificial ritual, accompanying the mortal audience assembled on the surrounding pavement.

Through the manipulation of physical movements, lines of visibility, and the perception of scale, the built altars of Hellenistic East Greece exploited the threshold between mortal and divine, thus amplifying the emotional impact on the spectator.

Research paper thumbnail of "Architectural Fragments in Selcuk from the Altar of Artemis at Ephesos"

Research paper thumbnail of "Built Altars and Religious Ritual in Hellenistic East Greece"

Research paper thumbnail of SASA Conference Schedule 2023

Here is the schedule for Save Ancient Studies Alliance "Opening the Ancient World" Conference, wh... more Here is the schedule for Save Ancient Studies Alliance "Opening the Ancient World" Conference, which will be held on July 23-24, 2023. I will be presenting a paper entitled "Monumental Built Altars in Western Asia Minor during the Hellenistic Period." It is a virtual conference, so please join us!