The Cave of Euripides

The Cave of Euripides is a ten-chamber cave in Peristeria on Salamis Island, Greece, and the subject of archaeological investigation. Its name comes from its long reputation as the place where the playwright Euripides came for sanctuary to write his tragedies.

In the 1990s excavations were made under the direction of Yannos G. Lolos, Assistant Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Ioannina, Epirus, in collaboration with the Department of Palaeoanthropology of the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Discoveries

Finds dated from the late Neolithic onward, including pottery, stone implements and arrowheads; classical 5th century BC pottery; and Roman period pottery, figures, votive items and jewellery, generally suggesting its long-term use as a place of worship. The most notable discovery was a glazed skyphos dating from the late 5th century BC and inscribed with the partial name of Euripides. In combination with location details described by ancient sources such as Philochoros, Satyros and Aulus Gellius, this was interpreted as a votive offering to Euripides, and widely reported as confirmation of the site as his sanctuary.

References

* [http://users.otenet.gr/~sofras/cave.html The Cave of Euripides on Salamis] , 1996 expedition report, Yannos Lolos
* [http://www.greekembassy.org/Embassy/content/en/Article.aspx?office=1&folder=254&article=1453 Important Archaeological Sites, Aristotles' Lyceum And Cave Of Euripides, Found in Greece Archaeologists Say] , Embassy of Greece, Washington, DC, 14 January 1997
* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20913FD395C0C708DDDA80894DF494D81 Clay pot points to Cave of Euripides] , "New York Times", January 13, 1997