Sanctuary of Apollo at Halieis

The Sanctuary of Apollo at Halieis is a now-submerged sanctuary complex built by the inhabitants of Halieis, a polis on the Argolid peninsula in the north-east Peloponnese, with evidence of activity as early as the 7th century BCE. By the abandonment of the city in the Hellenistic period, circa 300 BCE, the sanctuary consisted of at least two temples, probably both dedicated to Apollo and likely dating to the 7th and early 6th centuries BCE; a large open-air altar; a racecourse for footraces, one of the shortest in the Greek world, with a starting gate near the altar and seating along both sides; and another building of unidentified purpose, possibly containing living quarters for priests or competitors at the local games or dining quarters for religious festivals. It was excavated beginning in 1970 by a team from the University of Pennsylvania, led by Michael Jameson, as part of the excavations of the city of Halieis begun in 1962. A combination of dredges and pumps was used to clear silt and other debris away from the excavation site, and divers continued the excavation manually. Notable finds in the Sanctuary include a fragmentary marble statue of Apollo, circa 400 BCE; a large number of votive offerings, spanning the entire active phase of the sanctuary; and three large iron keys, presumably to the doors of the temple, one of which was inscribed with Apollo's name.