Rhamnous
Walls, Warfare, and Way of Life
Overview
Introduction
Rhamnous was the northernmost deme in Attica located between the Gulf of Euboea and Mount Pentele, proximal to Marathon. Rhamnous’s origins can be traced to as early as the Neolithic period and then through to the classical period where it began its function as a garrison. (Paga 112). Rhamnous’s close relation to the water gained the deme more importance during 412 BCE when the Spartans took control over Dekeleia, a deme of Attica next to Rhamnous, and with it went Athens prime access for docking ships and supplies. Due to the proximity, Rhamnous became the next northern port and the location for transportation and resting for ships as well as an entry point for shipments of grain (Garland 160). Much of the demes architecture became tailored to a defensive purpose demonstrated through Rhamnous's huge, fortifying walls. Despite the military presence, the deme was still very much a civilian place and many structures like sanctuaries, temples, houses, and funerary areas arose within and outside the walls.
Layout
The layout of Rhamnous can be broken down into two major sections: inside and outside the walls. The 800 meter long circuit walls adorned with towers for watch, created a barrier between the interior of the deme and everything else (Noreña and Papazarkadas 71). The citadel housed both soldiers and civilians alike along with important spaces such as a theatre, homes, market places, and monuments. Outside the wall, about 500 meters south was a sanctuary dedicated to Nemesis. Connecting the deme to the sanctuary was a pathway lined with burials (Paga 112).
1.)fort walls
2.)citadel
3.)road connecting deme to Sanctuary of Nemesis
Timeline of Important Events
The Walls
The walls of Rhamnous are one of the most obvious and important structures still standing today and clearly allude to its defensive function. The walls suggest more than just a military purpose though. As described in From Document to History: Epigraphic Insights into the Greco-Roman World, the author suggests that walls have the power to demonstrate wealth, technology, social history, and politics and Rhamnous is a perfect example (Noreña and Papazarkadas 70).
The walls themselves are about 800 meters and were made of limestone and red traychte with 10 towers dispersed throughout it. The main entrance to the walls actually varied depending on the time: in the classical period, the entrance was located on the south gate. During the hellensitic time, the point of entry was moved to the east gate (Noreña and Papazarkadas 77).
The east gate was also an area for displaying messages. It held a decree for Rhamnousian Archandros as well as a panel dedicated to Demeter and Kore. Scattered throughout are inscriptions into the very rocks themselves with three names, Phanokles, Apollonides, and Nikon (Noreña and Papazarkadas 78). These names actually represent the people who took care of the walls over the years.
The construction itself alludes to the fact that the walls had to be built multiple times since its origins. The varying masonry styles of the walls suggest at least six different building phases and maintenance periods (Noreña and Papazarkadas 80).
The City Center
Rhamnous Theatre
The theatre of Rhamnous, located in the interior of the city walls, has very little remains left making it very difficult to differentiate this location as a theatre. Some of the more notable features lying around are the lines of stones in the ground known as proedria. Inscriptions on said stones dedicating them to Dionysos emphasize this location as a theatre (Paga 361). The inscriptions read "Dedicated to Dionysus by the priest of the Hero Archegetes and crowned by the council and deme members and soldiers" (Petrakos 50). The theatre also acted as a public place and agora for people to meet.
Another piece of archeological evidence that has been found in this area is the top portion of a pillar made from white marble. On this pillar are inscriptions dedicating the piece by the tribe Akamantis (McLeod 121).
Amphiareion
The amphiareion is a small sanctuary located northwest of the gate to the fortress. Part of the sanctuary housed a temple called oikos which stored a cult statue as well as a portico. The Amphiareion was first dedicated to Hero Physician Aristomachos, but was then replaced by Amphiaraus and is believed to function as a hospital for the soldiers of the garrison (Petrakos 53).
Other
The interior of the walls housed more than just a theatre and amphiareion. There were a multiude of other buildings including houses when citizens first walked through the south gate as well as a gymnasium nearby (Petrakos 50). Surrounding this area are a few different sanctuaries including the sanctuary of Dionysus and hero Archegetes (Petrakos 51).
The Funerary Road
The funerary pathway connecting the deme of Rhamnous and the Sanctuary of Nemesis can be looked at in two ways: the North Road and the South Road. The North Road describes the road going in the direction of the sanctuary to the deme and the South Road describes the opposite direction. Tombs and corresponding steles and statues made from local white marble extend down both roads for about a mile in roughly a straight line (Garland 160/161). The tombs themselves are very informative to the many individuals, soldiers, and families who lived in Rhamnous with many of the tombs and enclosures having inscriptions of the names of the families buried there. Below are some examples of the many funerary dedications:
Funerary Naiskos of Diogeiton
Funerary Relief from Menestides tomb
Funerary Enclosure of Athenodoros and Dromokles
Grave Stele from Euphranor tomb
Diogeiton: The tomb of Diogeiton is found on the North Road and has a combination of two funerary naiskoi stele, ionic columns, and statues of women as seen above. Its dimensions are approximately 6.5 m by 4.16m and seems to have been constructured around the 4th century (Petrakos 39).
Menestides: The tomb of Menestides is found on the South road and its demensions are approximately 7.5 meters long and 1.7 meters high and is dated to approximately 380-370 BCE (Petrakos 12). Some of the inscriptions found on the tomb describe the people buried beneath the enclosure such as "Menestheus son of Mestides, Menesthenes son of Menestides, and Nausiptolemi(i) wife of Menestides" (Petrakos 12).
Athenodoros and Dromkles: The tomb for Athenodors and Dromokles is found on the North Road and is dedicated to two brothers. Its most prominent feature is the three grave steles placed around the funerary enclosure (Petrakos 43).
Euphranor: The tomb of Euphranor is also on the South road just north of the Menestides tomb. The image above depcites the grave stele dated to around 330 BCE with dimensions of approximately 7.9m long and 3.6m high (Petrakos 12). Similar to the Menestides, inscriptions on the stele describe the people buried here. One such inscription that is very interesting states "Here lies the fortunate Euphranor, son of euphron, who was a hundred and five years when he died" (Petrakos 13).
Beyond these four examples, there are many more funerary enclosures including tomb of Mnesikrateia, tomb of Pytharchos, and the tomb of Hierokles. This is all to suggest that there were many people living in Rhamous and the funerary road was the dedicated spot for families to bury their dead. .
Bibliography
Buisseret, David. The Oxford Companion to World Exploration. Oxford University Press, 2007. 10.1093/acref/9780195149227.001.0001.
Camp, John M. The Archeology of Athens. Yale University Press, 2001, pp. 301-304. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.wm.edu/lib/cwm/reader.action?docID=3420295
Garland, R. S. J. “The First Catalogue of Attica Peribolos Tombs.” The Annual of the British School at Athens, vol. 77, 1982, pp. 125-176.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/30102784.pdfrefreqid=excelsior%3A3cb72186f5c8e7b1999e89a5e9115b15.
McLeod, Wallace E. “An Ephib Dedication from Rhamnous.” Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, vol. 28, no. 2, 1959, pp. 121-126. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/147127.pdf?ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A97e9cfad136ec91a4bf46debac603326.
Noreña, Carlos F., and Papazarkadas, Nikolaos. From Document to History: Epigraphic Insights into the Greco-Roman World, edited by Carlos F. Noreña, Nikolaos Papazarkadas, vol. 12. E-book, Brill Studies in Greek and Roman Epigraphy, 2019, pp. 70-84. https://brill-com.proxy.wm.edu/view/title/39191.
Paga, Jessica. “Deme Theaters in Attica and the Trittys System.” Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, vol. 79, no. 3, 2010, pp. 351-384. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40981054.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A6fe8c6e1435577f78f6739012d593290.
Paga, Jessica. “The Monumental Definition of Attica in the Early Democratic Period.” Autopsy in Athens: Recent Archaeological Research on Athens and Attica, edited by Margaret M. Miles, Oxbow Books, 2015, pp. 108-125.
Petrakos, Vasileios. Rhamnous, edited by Evangelia Kypraious and Diana Zafiropoulou, translated by William W. Phelps, Athens, 1991.
Squire, Michael. “Embodying the Dead on Classical Attic Grave-Stelai.” Art History, vol. 41, no. 3, 2018, pp. 518-545. 10.1111/1467-8365.12386
Image Citations
"Acharnae." Accessed April 27, 2021. http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Greece/Geo/en/Acharnae.html
Camp, John M. Rhamnous, plan of the sanctuary of Nemesis, acropolis, and fortress/deme site by the sea. The Archeology of Athens, Yale University Press, 2001, pp. 302. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.wm.edu/lib/cwm/reader.action?docID=3420295
Fafalis, Yorgos. Funerary relief from the Menestides tomb depicting five members of the family. Rhamnous by Vasileios Petrakos, Athens, 1991, pp. 11.
Fafalis, Yorgos. The great grave stele from the Euphranor tomb. Rhamnous by Vasileios Petrakos, Athens, 1991, pp. 12.
Fafalis, Yorgos. The large funerary naiskos in the enclosure of Diogeiton of Rhamnous, in the Ionic style, as restored. Rhamnous by Vasileios Petrakos, Athens, 1991, pp. 36.
Fafalis, Yorgos. Funerary enclosure of the brothers Athenodoros and Dromokeles, reconstructed, on the North Road. Rhamnous by Vasileios Petrakos, Athens, 1991, pp. 42.
Harrington, J. M. “Southern gate of the fortified site.” Accessed April 27, 2021.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhamnous#/media/File:Rhamnous-5.jpg
Harrington, J. M. Accessed April 27, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhamnous#/media/File:Rhamnous-1.jpg
Iliakis, Costas, et al. Restoration of the fortress of Rhamnous. Rhamnous by Vasileios Petrakos, Athens, 1991, pp. 45.
Iliakis, Costas, et al. Restoration of the east part of the sanctuary of Amphiaraus. Rhamnous by Vasileios Petrakos, Athens, 1991, pp. 52.
Paga, Jessica. Rhamnous, view of theatral area from cavea, looking south toward proedria and orchestra. Deme Theaters in Attica and the Trittys Systems by Jessica Paga, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2010, pp. 364.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40981054.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A6fe8c6e1435577f78f6739012d593290