The Rebellious Child: An Analysis of the Discontinuity of Religious Identity between Corcyra and Corinth during the Archaic Period.
Abstract
This thesis analyzes the continuity and discontinuity of religious identity between the Greek colony Corcyra and its mother city, Corinth, during the Greek Archaic period. The concept of social memory is used to interpret the significance of Corcyra’s religious iconography in relation to the hostile socio-political relationship of Corcyra and Corinth between c. 735 BCE and c. 500 BCE. The research explores the three major temples of the Archaic settlement and the major votive deposits. In combining influences from a multitude of styles, the Corcyraeans developed their own distinctive style. It is argued that Corcyra used religious iconography to distinguish itself from Corinth and solidify their identity as a Greek polis independent from its Corinthian origins.