Samothrace, Volume 7: The Rotunda of Arsinoe, Text and Plates

The Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace was a renowned center of religious life in the northern Aegean from the seventh century B.C. until the fourth century after Christ, and the mysteries practiced there rank in historical importance with those of Eleusis. From the beginning of Macedonian supremacy, Philip II and his successors embellished the Sanctuary with great buildings of innovative design for both pious and political ends. Volume 7 of this series focuses on the magnificent marble Rotunda dedicated by Queen Arsinoe II for cult purposes early in the third century B.C. The Rotunda is the largest closed, round building known from Greek architecture. In both its bold design and the engineering which that required, it embodies striking new ideas of the Hellenistic period. Provided with a new, pyramidal roof in the Early Imperial age, the Rotunda continued to dominate the Sanctuary throughout that era. The mass of pottery, coins, and other materials recovered from the filling of the Rotunda's foundations provide welcome contributions to the chronology and history of the Sanctuary.