Manon Sauvage-Cerisier

This thesis studies the cults celebrated in honour of the goddess Demeter in the Peloponnese from the Archaic period (8th century Before Christ) to the end of the Imperial period (5th century After Death). Its aim is to characterise the different figures of Demeter in the peninsula according to region, town, cult and population, by analysing the changes in the cult of Demeter over time and across geographical areas. In order to produce an exhaustive overview of the Demeter cults, this doctoral work takes into account all the available data: archaeological, literary, epigraphic and iconographic. The study is divided into five chapters. The first one provides an overview of the cults registered in the database while displaying the historical and archaeological evidences and reviewing the scientific publications available for each of them. The second chapter examines the topographical aspects of places of worship regarding urban, suburban and rural contexts as well as landscape features. The third chapter analyses the different categories of testimonies and their role within the identification of cult places process, in order to determine the existence of indicators specific to Demeter cults in the Peloponnese. The fourth chapter explores the equipment composing the sanctuaries. The fifth chapter is dedicated to the different forms of cult activity. This thesis aims to emphasize the contexts in which the various cults practised in honour of this divine figure were established in the Peloponnese, considering the landscapes, the sacred spaces, the equipment, the offerings, the ceremonies, the religious actors, the myths and the epiclesis. By comparing the ways in which the diverse communities of worshippers created a relationship with Demeter, we draw a portrait of her many Peloponnesian figures.