Sacrifices and Feasts: Secrets of an Ancient Temple in Macedonia

Archaeologists in North Macedonia have discovered an ancient Greek ritual complex over 2,300 years old. Finds include traces of sacrifices, ceremonial feasts, a vessel depicting Demeter, and fragments of an ornate dining couch.

During excavations in the Mlado Nagoričane area of North Macedonia, archaeologists uncovered an ancient Greek ritual complex over 2,300 years old. Among the finds are traces of a sacred enclosure (temenos), utility buildings with vessels for food and wine, animal bones, and a large vessel with a relief image of the goddess Demeter. Of particular interest is a fragment of a ceremonial dining couch (kline) with a relief leg and an appliqué of a deity holding a ritual phiale—similar items have previously been found only in wealthy Hellenistic tombs at Pella and Aegae. A section of wall separated the sacred zone from the settlement, confirming that the terrace was a strictly organized cult center. The findings indicate a developed religious life that united the community.