Temple of Athena Alea

It served as the focal point of a significant area already from tenth century BCE,[1] and has provided evidence of contact with several nearby regions such as the Argolid and Laconia.

[3] The name of this hero is etymologically associated with the goddess Alea, and may be a genealogical retrojection to explain the origin of the temple in later history.

[7][8] The temple of Athena Alea at Tegea was an ancient and revered asylum, and the names of many persons are recorded who saved themselves by seeking refuge in it.

He goes onto mention iconographical representations of the Calydonian boar hunt and the local hero Telephos' fighting against Achilles on the plain of the Caycus.

Those in charge of the curiosities say that one of the boar's tusks has broken off; the remaining one is kept in the gardens of the emperor, in a sanctuary of Dionysus, and is about half a fathom long.

[15] The combination of myths on the exterior of the temple is interesting, and speaks of both local Tegean and Panhellenic importance, for example, the representation of the Calydonian Boar Hunt on the east pediment.

This myth is associated with Tegea through the role of the Arkadian heroine Atalanta and a set of additional Tegean heroes listed by Pausanias.

[17] According to Pausanias, the tusks of the boar were located within the temple until Augustus removed them,[18] and the decayed hide of the animal remained in the sanctuary until his days.

He begins by mentioning the present image of Athena at Tegea, which he states was from the district of the Manthurenses; among them she had surname of Hippia (Horse Goddess).

[21][22] Pausanias says that according to the local tradition, the altar of Athena Alea was made by the mythical hero Melampus, the son of Amythaon.

On the altar itself there was on one side representations of Rhea, the local nymph Oinoe, who was the nurse of Zeus and the mother of Pan in Tegean traditions.

[26] Pausanias also states that the priest of the temple of Athena Alea at Tegea was a boy, who held office only until reaching the age of puberty.

[34] Since then the Norwegian teams have led excavations at the sanctuary (the last one to date finished in 2004), as well as in the larger territory of the ancient city of Tegea.

Dugas, C.(1921), 'Le sanctuaire d'Aléa Athéna à Tégée avant le IVe siècle', Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique, 45, 335-435.

Meyer, H. (1824) Geschichte der bildenden Künste bei den Griechen: von ihrem Ursprunge bis zum höchsten Flor, Dresden: Whalter.