Latest excavations at the recently rediscovered temple of Poseidon at Kleidi, Samikon, Greece, revealed that the building is larger than what archaeologists had previously assumed.
The long-lost temple of Poseidon in Peloponnese peninsula, an important religious site of the ancient Greek world, was only rediscovered in 2022, thanks to a collaborative research project between the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia and the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, under the direction of Dr. Birgitta Eder and Dr. Erofili Kolia.
Archaeologists had been searching for the location of the temple in the area’s marshlands for over a century before recent excavations could bear fruit.
Function of second room in Poseidon’s temple remains a mystery
The 2023 excavation period at Samikon, concluded at the end of September, made it apparent that the dimensions of the sanctuary are larger than the original estimate, based on the geophysical survey, had suggested.
Although the total length of the structure that was dedicated by the ancient Greeks to the almighty God of the Seas, is still estimated at about 28 metres, its width now seems to exceed 9 metres.
Experts were able to define that the discovery is a 6th century BC temple with two building phases.
“According to more recent evidence, it seems that this temple was a cult building within the famous sanctuary of Poseidon, which was an important religious centre of the Amphictyony of the cities of Triphylia,” the Athens Branch of the Austrian Archaeological Institute explains.
As the research project continues through to 2026, funded by the Gerda Henkel Stiftung and the Austrian Archaeological Institute at Athens, the team of experts will look to identify more evidence of the extent and form of the sanctuary.
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