According to Pausanias, the goddess Nemesis was said to have brought her wrath upon the Persians during the Battle of Marathon, intervening to help the Greeks win the day and cementing her as an important deity for the area of Rhamnous. The Parian marble meant to erect a trophy of the Persian victory was instead used to make a cult statue of Nemesis (179).

The Greek goddess of vengeance, Nemesis is said by Pausanias to have been the mother of Helen of Troy by way of Zeus, though Leda would ultimately nurse and raise her (183). This mythic tale of Nemesis is particularly relevant to Rhamnous, though it is ultimately overshadowed by the goddess' connection to the more recent history of the Persian War.

The Sanctuary of Nemesis is located in Northeast Attica, five hundred meters to the south of the Rhamnous Deme. Standing at the end of a long processional way lined with funerary spaces, cult activity at the space seems to have begun by the beginning of the 6th century (Paga 112). The main temple of Nemesis rests upon an artificial terrace with a long wall (Goette 246).

Despite the sanctuary's distance from the city of Athens, it is likely that much of its funding came from the state (Miles 235). As such, its few unfinished surfaces such as those on the krepidoma are reflective of a loss of time and money (Miles 156). Work may have stopped as a result of the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War (Goette 246). Nonetheless, finishing touches, such as painting and other decorations, were placed in the most visible and importance areas (Miles 156). In addition, the Temple had six columns on either façade, twelve columns on each of its flanks, and two within each porch. Stylistically, the Temple is reminiscent of the Propylaia. This resonance seemingly indicates a construction date after 430 BCE, however, the decade following 440 BCE has also been put forward owing to the aforementioned Peloponnesian War (Miles 227, Goette 246)

In his description of the cult statue of Nemesis, Pausanius tells of a woman crafted from Parian marble with an apple branch and cup in either hand. On her head, he adds, was a crown decorated with deer and images of victory (Pausanias 179). Over one hundred fragments of the original cult statue survive. Nemesis stood dressed in a chiton with a kolpos and an apoptygma, resting her weight on her left leg, with a rolled himation fastened to her left hip and folded over her right shoulder (Brigger 74).

The cult statue's base was decorated with two pairs of males that flanked four female figures on the front of the base. On either side were three male figures and a horse (Lapatin 108). Pausanius posits that the front scene depicts Helen being lead to Nemesis by Leda (183). However, in the time since his work, evidence of the aforementioned fourth figure has been discovered, illuminating the statue's base in a new light (Lapatin 111). Though it is difficult to tell the original intention, this figure seems to be Clytemnestra. Her inclusion further associates the base with the idea of retribution and thus the goddess Nemesis herself (Lapatin 117-188).