Il monopteros del Santuario di Apollo a Hierapolis di Frigia. Ricerche sull'oracolo alfabetico

The Sanctuary of Apollo at Hierapolis in Phrygia is characterized by a complex ritual practice, in which a significant role was played by the consultation of a lot oracle. In 1963 an important epigraphic discovery revealed the existence of an alphabetic oracle of Apollo, worshipped whit the name of Kareios. Thanks to new archaeological research it is possible to reconstruct the architectural context of this famous text within the sanctuary and to focus the ritual action in the sacred space. Comparisons with the architectural devices for the lot draw found in the sanctuaries of Latium allow to identify the original place of the manteion in a round monopteros dated to the mid-1st century A.D. and aligned to the access of the seismic fault previously recognized as the Ploutonion. Finally, the examination of Microasiatic sanctuaries characterized by alphabetic oracles aims to place the specific case of Hierapolis within the Anatolian religious context, where the cleromantic phenomenon was particularly widespread between the 2nd and 3rd century A.D.