Excavation and study work was continued by the University of Pennsylvania expedition under the direction of Professor Donald White from late June to early September 1976 in the Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone at Wadi Bel Gadir, Cyrene (Shahat). With the help of a grant from the Society for Libyan Studies, I was able to begin my study of the votive and portrait sculpture excavated in the sanctuary and to travel to sites and museums in the Cyrenaica and Tripolitania for comparanda research. The 1976 season proved to be a fruitful one, not only for examination of sculpture from previous seasons, but also for acquisition of several fine pieces from new excavation. One life size marble female of Grosse Herkulanerin type (known from 1974) was unearthed and brought to the Casa Parisi sculpture yard, a new overlife size marble female (perhaps representing a priestess) and two underlife size marble peplophoroi of good workmanship were among the major pieces excavated. The two portrait finds were a fine marble female head in a Faustina the Elder hairstyle and a small limestone male head with Alexander the Great overtones. There were several statuettes found, including one of Demeter with her daughter Persephone seated in her lap which has parallels in both Eleusis and the Athenian Agora.
Recent work in the Wadi bel Gadir in the southern chora region of Cyrene, in particular the discovery of two temple precincts by the Italian Mission (Missione Archeologica a Cirene della Università degli Studi di Urbino) as well as an intensive topographic survey by the newly reconstituted University of Pennsylvania Expedition (now the Cyrenaica Archaeological Project) is providing important information about urban development to the west and southwest of the city of Cyrene. This paper offers an overview of the previous work in the area and some thoughts on the potential implications of the recent discoveries by the Italian Mission led by Professor Mario Luni and the Cyrenaican Archaeological Project (CAP) directed by Professor Susan Kane.
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