An Altar Beyond Olympus for a Deity Predating Zeus

Geologists and archeologists from the University of Pennsylvania have found a site on Mount Lykaion, in the region of Greece called Arcadia, which they believe to be an altar to a god worshipped there before Zeus. Although many people think of ancient Greek deities as a part of "dead" religions, many 21st century neo-Pagans will find this new discovery very interesting. However, the actual worshipers of this deity, as well as his female counterpart, are going to be a mystery for some time. The worshipers of this god and goddess would have been prehistoric people, and, therefore, they left no written record.

The Times intended this as an "archeology" article. In fact, it appears on the Science page of the New York Times. Therefore, religion is not as much a part of the story as it is in some people's eyes. A pre-Greek deity is an exciting discovery for certain people in the neo-Pagan movement, as this is represents new information about pre-Christian religion which more neo-Paganism is based upon. However, because neo-Paganism is still not widely accepted as a religion, the writer and/or the editor may not have even considered the religious significance that this story may have for some people.

Even though I happen to be in a position to recognize the importance of this event to neo-Pagans, I do not necessarily think there was any reason for the authors to mention this in the article. The interested parties will no doubt know that they are interested, (in fact, this article has already shown up on the blog of at least one Pagan author) and most of the rest of the population either will not care, or will find reason to be derogatory. However, had a previously unknown Christian, or Jewish, or even Muslim site had been mentioned, the religious aspect would have featured prominently.

The author quotes David Gilman Romano of the University of Pennsylvania, Jack Davis, director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Ken Dowden, director of the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity at the University of Birmingham, England, all academics, and rightly so. At this stage, these scientists would have the most important things to say on the matter. The author also quotes Pausanias, a Greek traveler who wrote in the second century c.e. He refers to a sanctuary of Zeus in the approximate location. This quotation tells us nothing about the newly discovered deity, but it lends credence to the theory that the Temple of Zeus was on a pre-existing site, and also gives the reader a connection with the past. The author also quotes Jane Ellen Harrison, a British scholar from the early 1900s who talked about ritual sacrifice to Zeus in the age of Homer. There was quite a lot of interest in ancient religion during that time, and this is a fun reference for neo-Pagans, but not particularly useful to other readers of today. Many dramatic misconceptions passed as fact during that time. Today’s readers would have to ask themselves about the validity of the sacrifice story. The article also quoted Dr. Mary E. Voyatzis, Dr, Jack Davis, and Dr. Gullog Nordquist, all academics who had various opinions about the find.

It is very important to recognize that neo-Paganism is not the same as the ancient religion that worshiped the pre-Greek god. Neo-Paganism is largely rooted in the Victorian period and much expanded upon over the last 30 years. However, there is a conscious effort made to tie this new religion to the old, and that is why this story has religious significance.