The Temple of Artemis Brauron
the journey that inspired the Artemis Mapping Project
Many summers ago (2010) I arrived in Athens for the first time beginning an epic 6 week Mediterranean journey with my mother. It was self-funded and completely driven by my need to stand in as many of the locations I discussed, analyzed, and pondered over for years as I wrote my dissertation. At the top of my list was the sanctuary at Vravrona (ancient Brauron Βραυρών).
Brauron is a picturesque and fertile valley situated in the south Euboean Gulf, where the Erasinos River flows into the narrow, marshy bay. The site, originally the religious center of the ancient deme of Philaidae, became one of the most significant sanctuaries in Attica. The initial human settlement dates back to the Neolithic period and the Early Bronze Age (3500-2000 BCE). By the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BCE), the settlement had evolved into a thriving community, with continued habitation into the Late Bronze Age or Mycenaean period.
The sanctuary of Vravron was excavated by John Papadimitriou in 1948. Unfortunately, he died suddenly in 1963 and the excavation project took another 40 years to become public. While much of the archaeological findings have been cataloged, it appears that only a small sample has been published of the "hundreds and hundreds of krateriskoi found all over the sanctuary" at Vravron. Artemis of Vravron, also known as the Taurian Artemis is mystical, and her worship was orgiastic and connected, at least in early times, with human sacrifices. According to Greek legend, there was in Tauris a goddess, whom the Greeks identified with their own Artemis, and to whom all strangers that were thrown off the coast of Tauris, were sacrificed. (Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 36.).
After asking the hotel rep, who patiently watched me deflate with disappointment as he informed me no tours went to the site, then checking my travel book for details, which was basically two lines about the ancient location, I realized this was an Artemis adventure that I was meant to travel on my own.
My mother, who continues to practice a strict Eastern European ‘hoverparent’ technique, refused to let me travel from Athens to Vravrona 'all alone'. So, we took a bus, and a subway, and another bus, and finally, after much hand signalling, pointing at the guide book and my very broken Greek, we were unceremoniously dropped off in one of the best beach towns in Greece.
It took a minute to stop looking at the wonder that was the beach bar culture of the town and remind myself the temple was built in what used to be a port, so a modern party city made perfect sense. Of course I saw no temple, nor any "temple of Artemis" signs or directions. So we used the time old trusted method of 'ask somebody'. Although the locals we approached in the numerous bars strewn across the beach front had very little idea or interest in our quest, the bartenders and fruit vendors were more than happy to point us towards the main highway and say "keep walking that way, it’s about 2kms or so". Two kms later, the heat and sun bearing down on our backs, my mother stops to ask another vendor selling seashell bracelets for directions. She smiles at my mother and repeats the local mantra, "Keep going, about 2kms or so". Approximately 8kms later, dehydrated and almost completely discouraged we arrive at the first sign we've seen so far.
Although excited at the prospect of arriving, it seemed as though the task of "2kms or so" was still upon us. Concerned for my poor dehydrated mother I suggested we turn around. "It's too far, we can come back another day, there's no where to get water around here, how are we gonna make it back" were all my reasons for giving up. My mother looked at me with that ‘didiactuallygivebirthtothisperson’ look and told me that under no circumstances whatsoever had I talked her ear off for 5 years about this temple and was now going to give up when it seemed we were only "2kms away".
Fine. We continued beating the hot pavement until finally we arrived at the entrance booth to the temple ruins! We must've been a sight because as soon as the woman sitting in the booth saw us she rushed outside with two bottles of water and a plastic chair for my mother. I gratefully accepted her kindness and looked around the open site. The remains of the temple walls were as scarce as many of the other locations we had traveled to. But at least a small structure of what used to be the courtyard remains was still upright.
After walking around the site enjoying the fresh water and the open, calm feel of the ruins, I walked back to the booth where my mother and the attendant had become fast friends. I knew there had to be a site museum somewhere near the ruins as Papadimitriou claimed he found hundreds of artifacts when they first started digging in the early 1940s.
I hoped I could take pictures of his findings and maybe one day use them for my own work. I also suspected that the site predated the Greek Artemis and may have been connected to an early mother goddess or water goddess cult.
Walking back to the entrance booth, I imagined all the ways the water used to be right outside the temple property. Although I knew how far away the sea was now, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath hoping to smell the salt of an ancient port and the the sounds of an archaic worship.
"It's beautiful here isn't it?" the attendant smiled at me like she too shared my daydreams.
"Yes," I smiled back like kindred spirits. "Can you tell me where the site museum is from here? I haven't seen a sign, and it's not on the site map."
"Ah yes," she pulled off the wall of her booth and pointed to what we could see of the paved highway which brought my mother and I here, "You gotta keep going on that road, it's not far of a walk from here, about 2kms or so."
_______________________________________
If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more about my Artemis Mapping Project or be a member of the Artemis Learning Centre we’d love to have you join us!
**Temple of Brauron Gallery: Tomb of Iphigenia, The Sacred Family (Zeus, Leto, Artemis and Apollo), Offerings for Artemis, other Artemis the Huntress artifacts. For more photos of ancient site follow me @ artemisexpert on all social media apps
So great to read the whole “origin” story in its entirety!!
I know this is an older post but I just found it in the bottom of my inbox. Brauron is on my bucket list and I hope to see it someday! I'll remember to bring plenty of water and that it's only 2 kms or so. ;)