The Birthplaces of Zeus: An Archaeological and Mythological Study

Abstract

Ancient Greek and Roman mythology identify three main sites as the birthplace of Zeus, two on Crete and one in the Peloponnese. Of these three sites, two have been identified securely and one has been tentatively identified. The sites are fundamentally different as the Cretan sites are caves on mountains while the Peloponnese site is a mountain top. Despite these differences, these sites all became associated with the same god’s birthplace. The sites have been studied and excavated separately but have not been compared to determine what the characteristics are that connect them. The levels of study and excavation vary from site to site which limits the efficacy of this study. There are, however, still some preliminary conclusions which can be drawn. This thesis looks at the sites, the ancient literary sources that discuss each in connection to the birth of Zeus, and votive offerings and other archaeological findings. All three sites were important both in literary context and in cult practice.