Naxos Iria sanctuary at Livadi

It is regarded the official sanctuary of the island urban centre during the archaic period. The cult goes back to Mycenaean times (1300 B.C.). It was a timeless cult centre of Dionysus in the antiquity and Agios Georgios afterwards. The cult in a temple, which replaced the earlier form of worshiping the gods in the open air, is distinguished in four phases: a) 800 B.C.: a single-aisled temple constructed of wood and bricks, b) 730 B.C.: an elongated four-aisled hall, c) early 7th century B.C.: a three-aisled temple that is an early form of tetrastyle portico and d) 580-570 B.C.: the earliest stone Ionic prostyle temple is constructed. The quadrilateral Stoic edifice found to surround the temple has been identified to a ceremonial dining hall and gives important information about the history of the dining ritual in sanctuaries.

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