Interpreting religious ritual in Magna Graecia: An analysis of the Archaic and Classical black glaze ceramics from the rural sanctuary at Pantanello (Metaponto)

This work presents new evidence for rituals practiced at the rural spring sanctuary of Pantanello in the territory of the Greek colony Metapontion. The site forms part of a dense and regularized pattern of sanctuaries located throughout the colonial territory which relates to the development of the land. The evidence for ritual practice is derived from an analysis of the most abundant ceramic ware from the sanctuary, Greek black glaze, which is considered together with previously published observations regarding the cult at Pantanello. The primary focus of the study is the period of the sixth and fifth centuries BCE; the fourth- and third-century phase of the site is discussed in more general terms. The ceramics are documented in terms of form and chronology and are analyzed according to distribution at the site and potential ritual function. The resultant data provide some modifications to earlier interpretations of the site, including evidence for a shift in cult practices between the early sixth century and the end of the sixth or beginning of the fifth century. Ritual activities documented by the ceramic remains focus upon libation and communal dining. The practice of piercing vessel bases is also discussed, with comparison to examples of the same practice from a nearby necropolis. The ritual functions of the Pantanello sanctuary are ultimately viewed in relation to theories of the location and function of non-urban sanctuaries in Magna Graecia. The characterization of the Pantanello ritual complex is evaluated in light of the views proposed by Francois de Polignac and Joseph Carter through a comparison of the site with two additional sanctuaries in the chora, San Biagio della Venella and Crucinia; comparisons are made both at the level of general ritual type and at the level of the ceramic remains. Neither view adequately explains both the differences noted between Pantanello and San Biagio and the similarities between Pantanello and Crucinia. It is suggested that a greater emphasis upon the specific characteristics of individual sanctuaries is required in studies of Greek sacred space, rather than attempts to determine how each site conformed to functional generalities.