On the other hand, the god has a material presence in several Arcadian poleis either through the shape of a statue or that of a religious space with a sanctuary, a temple, and/or an altar. These myths are not all directly related to a cult of Poseidon Hippios himself. On the one hand, he is the protagonist of myths where he either abuses the grieving Demeter, or where his early childhood in the Arcadian mountains is recounted.

Evidence of the Cult of Poseidon: Myth and SitesĤ Poseidon’s presence in Arcadia takes two forms. Since we know that ancient Greek authors tended to understand and phrase natural phenomena through the framework of myths, the approach here will include a closer look at the blurred line between mythical discourses aiming to explain a natural occurrence, and the so-called scientific discourses aiming to describe and bring a rational explanation of the same natural phenomena. What seems to stand out is that these places are frequently subject to destructive floods, or are located in damp basins. Following the archaeological evidence and Pausanias’ account, one can notice common trends in the spaces in which Poseidon, and especially Poseidon Hippios, is present in Arcadia. As John Scheid and François de Polignac rightly wrote, “ la notion de paysage religieux naît de la constatation que le culte et les rites n’existent qu’en tant qu’ils sont ancrés dans l’espace, que ce soit de manière stable ou provisoire ” 5 : a different perspective emerges when going back to the topographical evidence for the myths and rituals related to Poseidon Hippios.

Arcadian atlas d