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The hero Achilles was worshipped since the 6th century BC in many areas of Greece and beyond, particularly on the shores of the Black Sea. The cult was more widespread in the region of Olbia Pontica and on the small island of Leuke. The religious practices are not known in detail. Inscriptions refer to games in honour of Achilles, as well as to the relationship between the cult and the sea travellers. |
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Apollo was the most important patron god of colonisation and the Greek colonists always asked for the god’s blessing before attempting a new migration expedition. The oracles dedicated to Apollo were sufficient to meet the needs of Greek metropolises. The cult of Apollo is believed to have originated from Northern Greece or Asia Minor. Some of the common epithets of Apollo in the Black Sea are Delphinios, Iatros and Hyperborean. |
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Heracles was worshipped in the Black Sea predominantly in the Doric colonies Heraclea Pontica and Chersonesus Taurica. The cult of Heracles was not widespread in the Black Sea area, despite local variations, and remained essentially within the myth, never acquiring a general character. Heracles’ Doric character and his role as a demigod did not contribute to his integration into the prevailing Ionic traditions, nor the traditions of the indigenous tribes. |
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Τhe pantheon of the Black Sea includes deities worshipped on the eastern coasts, Scythia, Thrace and the colonies of Asia Minor coasts. Apart from Apollo’s cult, who seems to have been the central god of the pantheon, Artemis, Aphrodite, Demeter and the Daughter/Persephone, Athena, Dionysus and Zeus were also worshipped. The cults of Hermes, the Mother of the Gods, Boreas, the Dioscuri, the Kabeiroi, the Nymphs, Helios (Sun), Asclepius, Poseidon, Ares, Hestia, Nike, Tyche, Perseus, Heracles and... |
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