Brauron

Overview

Located on the east coast of Attika at the mouth of the river Erasinos, Brauron (modern-day Vraona) is the site of the Sanctuary of Artemis. According to Philochorus, it was one of the twelve cities united by Theseus. Human settlement appears from the Neolithic period onwards, both on the acropolis and at the Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia below it. Brauron is attributed as the home of Peisistratus, a tyrant in Athens from 546-528 BCE. The prehistoric site includes an acropolis, a sanctuary, a temple, and a stoa. Due to the marshy land around the river Erasinos, the site flooded in the early 3rd century, leading to its abandonment (to which we can attribute its preservation).

The Architecture

Plan of the Site

The site includes the acropolis and the sanctuary. On the crescent-shaped acropolis, there are early, middle, and late Helladic remains. On the northern slope, there are defensive walls from the Bronze Age. There is a Doric temple at the foot of the acropolis and The Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia is located below the acropolis. North of the temple, a banquet building with a peristyle and 10 kline was added in 420 BCE and a stoa was later built onto it.

Sanctuary of Artemis

The sanctuary and rituals that occurred there, according to mythology, was said to have been founded as atonement for the killing of a bear that had belonged to the sanctuary because it had attacked a young girl. The arkteia ritual was practiced both here and at the Sanctuary of Artemis Munichia in the Piraeus. In the arkteia, the arktoi, young girls between the ages of 5 and 10, performed dances in saffron robes, to "become" bears.

The Stoa

The large Doric stoa (or a covered and partially walled portico) was 96 feet long and had columns that were 12 feet high. There were 7 rooms on the north side and 3 rooms on the west side. Inside the rooms were beds and sandstone tables with marble plaques. There were two porticos. The great portico and its rooms may have been the residence of the young girls while they participated in the rituals at Brauron, suggested by the portrait statuettes of young girls found outside the rooms.

The Stoa: Reconstructions & Plans

This carousel of images displays the plans and reconstructions of various details within the stoa.

History of Brauron

The prehistoric site of Brauron prospered from about 3500 to 1300 BCE, with archaeological findings suggesting that its height was between 2000 and 1600 BCE. The earliest traces of settlement date to the Neolithic period. When Brauron's aristocratic families relocated to Athens, the people living in Brauron moved into nearby villages. Despite this, the town remained well-known for the Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia during the classical Greek era and served as the headquarters for her cult. Since the Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia also had associations with Iphigenia (see "Ritual Activity at Brauron"), Brauron is mentioned in Euripides famous play. the Oresteia ("the holy stairs of Brauron"). Brauron appears to have been abandoned around 1300 BCE (during the Mycenaean period) and there are no signs of human habitation beyond that time, although it continued to be utilized for its ritual purposes. A flood caused by the Erasinos in 300-400 BCE caused a great deal of destruction in Brauron, indicated to us by an Athenian decree that mentions most of the buildings requiring reconstruction. Presumably, this reconstruction never occurred since the mud from the flooding was never removed. But it did provide for the preservation of pieces of the stoa as well as some artwork.

Ritual Activity at Brauron

Artemis Brauronia was worshipped at the sanctuary here as the goddess of fertility and procreation. She was responsible for birth, children, young girls, and the safe transition from childhood to adulthood. She also had power over life and death for both humans and animals. The priestess with which Artemis was identified at Brauron was Iphigenia, who herself was originally worshipped by the people of prehistoric Brauron as the personification of the mother goddess before she later became associated with Artemis (and became known as the daughter of Agamemnon and sister of Orestes in Greek mythology). In addition to Artemis, other gods were worshipped at this sanctuary: her mother Leto, her brother Apollo, and Dionysus were all worshipped here.

The ritual of the arkteia was practiced at the Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia. The name of this ritual comes from the Greek word arktos, which means bear. During the festival of Brauronia, which occurred every five years, the young daughters of aristocratic families (arktoi) dressed up in saffron-colored robes and participated in a procession as basket-carriers (caniphores) and as priestesses, sacrificing animals to Artemis. They also participated in a rite called mysterion, in which the young girls "played the bear."

There was also a temple to Artemis Brauronia located at the foot of the acropolis. The temple was 66 feet in length, 33.5 feet in width, and had a prodomos, a cella, and an adyton. Inside, the temple had three naves. Only the south and east walls remain- the rest of the temple is lost to time. Though the altar was not found, it was probably located to the east of the temple where there was a terrace wall, layers of ash, and votive gifts.

Archaeological Findings

Provided below are some examples of artifacts found at Brauron. At the site of Brauron there were several types of findings. Many of the findings are votive in nature, offered as gifts to the goddess Artemis (see "pendent," "votive relief," "votive sculptures"). Inscriptions in the Temple of Artemis Brauronia list offerings made, as well as the names of women who made dedications after they had children. Additionally, a large number of vases were found at Brauron, and their rich paintings provide evidence for the nature of ritual activity occurring here (see "vessel"). Mycenaean chamber tombs east of the acropolis also contained many precious grave goods made of bonze and gold, and thousands of objects associated with the private lives of women were found on a hillside beneath the northwest corner of the temple. Statuettes depicting the participants of the arkteia were also found here, especially in the stoa (see "statuette of a seated girl" and "statuette of a young girl").

Pendent (repousse; gold), from the Artemis shrine at Brauron, Attica.

"Relief of the gods," (from left to right) Zeus, Leto, Apollo, Artemis, 400 BCE

Vessel (volute krater; red-figure; enhanced with polychromy), ca. 410-400 BCE

Votive relief, found in the sanctuary of Artemis of Brauron, Archaeological Museum of Brauron, 340 BCE

Votive sculptures, girls and boy found in the sanctuary of Artemis of Brauron, Archaeological Museum of Brauron

Statuette of a seated girl, Greek (Attic), Hellenistic Period, 330/320 BCE

Statuette of a young girl, marble, represents one of the "bears," 400-300 BCE

Bibliography

Information

  • Lohmann, Hans (Bochum). ‘Brauron’. In Brill’s New Pauly, edited by Hubert Cancik and, Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, and English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry.

  • Morillo, Susana Reboreda. "Childhood and Motherhood in Ancient Greece: An Iconographic Look." In Motherhood and Infancies in the Mediterranean in Antiquity, edited by Romero Margarita Sánchez and López Rosa Mª Cid, 135-50. Oxford; Philadelphia: Oxbow Books, 2018.

  • Neilsen, Inge. “The Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia. Can Architecture and Iconography Help to Locate the Settings of the Rituals?” In From Artemis to Diana: the Goddess of Man and Beast, edited by Tobias Fischer-Hansen and Birte Poulsen, 83–116. Museum Tusculanum, 2009.

  • Osborne, Robin. "Brauron." Oxford Classical Dictionary. 22 Dec. 2015.

  • Papadimitriou, John. "The Sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron." Scientific American 208, no. 6 (1963): 110-23.

Images

  • Archive for Research on Archetypal Symbolism, aras.org, Image: from Pinsent.* [JF 5753]

  • William L. MacDonald, Data and image from William L. MacDonald Collection, Princeton University, Department of Art and Archaeology

  • Image and original data provided by Bryn Mawr College, Boura, C. He anastelosis tes stoas tes Brauronos. (Athens, 1967); Figure 1

  • Image and original data provided by Canyonlights World Art Slides and Image Bank.

  • Image and original data provided by Bryn Mawr College, Boura, C. He anastelosis tes stoas tes Brauronos. (Athens, 1967); Figure 76

  • Archive for Research on Archetypal Symbolism, aras.org, Image: from Syria.* [EA 94/60]

  • Inge Neilsen, "The Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia"

  • Susana Reboreda Morillo, "Childhood and Motherhood in Ancient Greece: An Iconographic Look."

  • Image and original data provided by Bryn Mawr College, Boura, C. He anastelosis tes stoas tes Brauronos. (Athens, 1967); Figure 39