María del Mar Gabaldón Martínez
For the ancient Greeks the rituals that followed all military confrontations carried a special religious and symbolic meaning. These rituals included the erection on the battlefield of a trophy consisting of a wooden frame dressed with the weapons of the enemy and also the ritual offering and exhibition of part of the spoils of war at certain sites of worship. The presence of weapons at sanctuaries is, therefore, a clear indication of the ritual and symbolic value attributed to weapons. In this work, the author investigates the finds of all types of weapons found in areas of Greece devoted to worship. As well as the archaeological evidence, the author explores the epigraphic documents and classical sources providing information related to the Greek practice of dedicating weapons to the gods. Chapter One is a brief introduction to the religious and ritual aspects of war in the ancient Greek world. Chapter Two deals with the subject of the Greek trophy (tropaion) as a victory ritual involving the presence of weapons, and Chapter Three analyses the presence of elements of military equipment elements at sites of worship, including a catalogue of the sanctuaries.
