The Sanctuary of Artemis is a beautiful landmark, constructed of limestone in the V BC. Local inhabitants prayed not only to Artemis. Local inhabitants prayed not only to Artemis. It has also been used to praise Apollo, Dionysos, Leto, and Iphigenia.
The landmark’s territory comprised a miniature structure devoted to Artemis, the shrines, the Stoa of the Π-shape, and the canteens for ceremonies of different kinds. As the disagreement between Macedonia and Athens increased, it resulted in total abandonment of the landmark in III BC.
In 480 BC, it experienced the assault of the Persian troops that demolished it and stole the major relic, the cult statue.
The Temple of Artemis Vravrona is situated on the hilltop in Attica’s eastern shore, in the vicinity of the Erasinus river.
The construction enjoyed its “golden period” started at 700 BC, with the peak of its florescence in the late V BC and up to the IV BC.
Convenient positioning, ensuring a comfortable connection with Asia Minor as well as with Cyclades, played the major role in the appearance of the settlement.
In the Middle Helladic times and after (approx. 2000 – 1600 BC), the settlement housing the Sanctuary turned into a well-arranged, flourishing society. This fact is easily traced by the ruins of houses found in the area, as well as pieces of high-quality ceramics. The availability of the protective fencing and constructions demonstrates that the city suffered from attacks and constant threat to be invaded.
From 1600 to 1100 BC, it was a densely populated settlement. During the archeological dig in Lapoutsi, the researchers have found the carved graves. During the late Mycenaean period, its population started to steadily run down. Supposedly, the city turned out to be abandoned around 1300-900 B.C. Later, the survivors have returned here. However, they’ve settled 3 kilometers away from the old city. The Brauron settlement was set away from the seashores, hidden by low hills.
In the shrine, settlers worshipped Artemis, Apollo, Dionysos, Leto, and Iphigenia. There are rich tributes exhibited in the contemporary museum, made by people to worship Artemis.
The Sanctuary of Artemis Vravrona in Athens remained destroyed up to 1948 when Ioannis Papadimitriou started systematic excavations. From 1950 to 1960, the researchers have created the gallery of the Temple of Artemis.
In Attica region, this Sanctuary is considered to be one of the earliest and most honoured ones.
There are lots of valuable constructions here, including:
The Sanctuary is a valuable place in terms of study of the evolution of stoic building. It’s the 1st integrated construction with a typical layout of the Ionian Arcade, supplemented with numerous monuments, mainly in Asia Minor, during the Hellenistic period.
Twice a decade, the landmark hosted a celebration: the young girls from Athens who reached maturity dressed up in clothes of honey color, fell into groups, and spent those evenings dancing. Before wedding, they brought kids’ toys to Artemis.
Brauron sits 1 kilometer of the archaeological site. Thus, you need to catch the KTEL bus, running to Markopoulo from Vravrona, to get to the required destination. Then, change the KTEL bus for the city bus, going from the Ministry of National Defense to the endpoint in Loutsas. The landmark sits 1.500 meters from it.
