The Sanctuary of Apollo Hyperteleatas in Laconia: A Central Perioikic Cult in the Malea Peninsula

The aim of this article is to investigate the local religious habits of the perioikoi (dwellers around), the free populations living in small city-states (poleis) in Laconia and Messenia during the Archaic and Classical periods, when Laconia was under Spartan control. As a case study, I examine the sanctuary of Apollo Hyperteleatas, located beside the Molaoi Plain in the Malea Peninsula of Greece. The discussion considers the sanctuary of Apollo Hyperteleatas from a multimodal perspective, by looking at the bronze dedications and by placing the site in the setting of the Malea Peninsula. I argue that this cult site was of regional importance to the communities living in the Molaoi Plain and more widely in the Malea Peninsula. As a focal point in the religious life of the communities, the sanctuary contributed to a local identity that bonded people living in the area. The study of the sanctuary gives us a local perspective on perioikic cults and a broader view of Laconian religion.