Elizaveta Boiko

Development of urban cult places in Sicily in the end of 6th - the beginning of 5th century BC

This dissertation examines the building activity of tyrannical regimes in the Greek poleis of Sicily, focusing on the ruling dynasties of the Pantarids, the Deinomenids, and the Emmenids. From the late sixth century BC onward, tyrannical regimes proliferated across the island, while individual poleis increasingly became integrated into larger political entities, often through conquest and territorial expansion.

The study argues that tyrants sought to establish stable and reciprocal relationships with the communities they governed, and that monumental architecture played a crucial role in this process. Ancient literary sources indicate that these rulers frequently reorganised populations: they relocated social groups, introduced new settlers, and founded, refounded, or destroyed cities. Through such interventions they reshaped the social and political structures of Sicilian poleis. Within this context, architecture functioned as a form of “social glue”, mediating relations between the tyrannical regime and the civic community.

Methodologically, the dissertation combines the critical analysis of written sources with architectural and visual analysis. Temple construction associated with the tyrannical dynasties is examined through typological analysis of architectural forms that may be connected with specific rulers or regimes. In addition, the visual programmes of monuments associated with the Pantarids, Deinomenids, and Emmenids are analysed in order to reconstruct the ideological messages embedded in architectural decoration and spatial programmes.

The study demonstrates that architectural production under Sicilian tyrannies possessed several distinctive features. Tyrannical regimes favoured monumental Doric architecture on an unusually large scale, diverging from contemporary developments in mainland Greece. While the standard size of temples elsewhere was declining, in Sicily the construction of medium-sized and smaller temples largely ceased. This tendency, together with the growing standardisation of temple plans, suggests the increasing monopolisation of large-scale building activity by the ruling elite. Doric architecture appears to have functioned as an “official” architectural language of the tyrannies, while Ionic elements largely disappeared from both monumental and minor architectural forms.

The dissertation also examines the relationship between architecture and cult practice. Many tyrants belonged to hereditary priestly families and, in some cases (the Deinomenids) promoted the consolidation of their own cults within the territories they controlled, although this pattern is not consistently attested across all Sicilian tyrannies.

Finally, the study analyses the visual and ideological programmes associated with monumental construction. Themes of triumph, both military and athletic, occupy a central place in the visual culture of these regimes. Many Sicilian tyrants were Olympic victors, and the celebration of victory became an important element of their political messaging. In particular, the Greek victory over Carthage in 480 BC emerged as a major ideological reference point and was commemorated through the construction of at least two monumental temples.

Despite the relatively rapid fall of the tyrannical regimes, the architectural model developed under their rule had a lasting impact. The standardised temple forms promoted by the architects of the tyrants became a canonical model that continued to be reproduced in the architecture of several Sicilian poleis throughout the fifth century BC. As a result, these monuments contributed to the formation of enduring and resonant relationships between the inhabitants of Sicilian cities and their poleis (poleis, not the tyrannical regimes).

 

Curriculum Vitae