Petitioners slept within the sanctuary in order to acquire a healing dream or oracle from the god. It's actually described in Aristophanes' Wealth - humourously, of course - and this ritual sleeping is known as incubation.
Cryptoporticoes are thus called because they're underground - so, hidden. And often built where a piece of (civic or religious) ground has been levelled off on a slope, for obvious reasons. There's a lovely one in the agora in Thessaloniki where I spent a glorious half-hour out of the sun.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2011-01-22 06:38 pm (UTC)Petitioners slept within the sanctuary in order to acquire a healing dream or oracle from the god. It's actually described in Aristophanes' Wealth - humourously, of course - and this ritual sleeping is known as incubation.
Cryptoporticoes are thus called because they're underground - so, hidden. And often built where a piece of (civic or religious) ground has been levelled off on a slope, for obvious reasons. There's a lovely one in the agora in Thessaloniki where I spent a glorious half-hour out of the sun.