A finely chiseled ivory head with Egyptian features rests in the palm of my hand. This head mirrors the exotic offerings once presented to Artemis Amarysia. Today, we stand before a representation of a goddess deeply rooted in the history of Euboea.
The Amarysia Artemis Statue commemorates a deity venerated far beyond Athens. Artemis Amarysia wasn’t just a local goddess. She was a pan-Euboean figure. Her influence stretched from Eretria to Chalkis and Karystos.
Let’s journey back to the 6th century BC. This is when the Temple of Artemis Amarynthia was founded. Legend says Agamemnon himself established it. Callimachus tells us it was often called the temple of Artemis Kolainis. This means Hornless. The tale speaks of Agamemnon sacrificing a hornless ram made of wax.
Strabo described the sanctuary. He noted its importance to Eretria. A pillar stood in the temple. It declared their festal procession included 3,000 heavily armed soldiers. Also, 600 horsemen and 60 chariots joined.
The temple served as the heart of Artemis’s cult in Northern Greece. It was the destination for the annual procession from Eretria during the Amarysia festival. Pausanias noted the Amarysia celebrated in Athens. He believed it was no less splendid than the Euboian one. Aelian mentioned sacrifices of maimed animals to Artemis at Amarynthos.
Archaeologists sought the temple’s remains since the 19th century. Strabo’s description guided them. He placed it seven stadia from Eretria. Excavations since 2007 confirmed the site. It lies at the foot of Palaioekklisies hill. This is near Amarynthos. The remains reveal structures from the 6th century BC to the 2nd century BC. Discoveries included an underground fountain. Inscribed bases, sealed tiles, and coins bearing Artemis’s name also surfaced.
The sanctuary held significant political importance. Treaties were displayed here. One such treaty, between Eretria and Histiaia, dates to 400 BCE. Another, between Eretria and Styra, was found in 2017. A decree from Eretria, dating to around 300 BC, honored magistrates for military action. This stele marks the first discovery on the site mentioning Artemis associated with Amarynthos.
Honorific decrees from the 2nd century BCE reveal benefactors were memorialized. They erected two bronze statues. One stood in the city Gymnasium. The other in the Artemision. During this period, Artemis Amarysia’s effigy appeared on Eretrian coins.
The deity’s political role is further attested. A stele regulated a new competition to enhance the Artemisia festival. Artemis was designated as Metaxy and Phylake. This refers to a period of civil strife in Eretria. Artemis ensured the city’s salvation. The Eretrians celebrated her guardianship through musical events.
A 4th-century BCE inscription highlights another feature of the Artemisia. It confirms the sanctuary’s political importance. Opponents of the democratic regime faced a solemn curse. This curse was pronounced annually by priests and priestesses. It took place during the Dionysia and the Artemisia. The tithe on confiscated property was directed to Artemis Amarysia. This established her treasury as Eretria’s most important sacred fund.
Excavations at the sanctuary revealed a temple dating to the 7th century BC. It held surprises. Its floor-plan was apsidal. Its length reached 34 meters. This is equivalent to 100 feet in the Greek metric system. Hearths or altars were found inside the temple. Thick layers of ash and calcined bones marked sacrificial fires.
Exotic offerings came to light. A finely chiseled ivory head with Egyptian features stood out. Traces of fire suggest the temple was partially destroyed in the 6th century BC. It was later replaced. Remains from earlier periods include a building from the 9th or 8th century BC. Also, bronze animal figurines and a terracotta bull’s head from the late Bronze Age were discovered. The cult of Artemis at Amarynthos finds its roots in the site’s prehistory.
The sanctuary’s location was strategic. It sat at the foot of a hill occupied during the Bronze Age. Fortification walls date back to the 3rd millennium BC. The existence of Amarynthos in the Mycenaean period is attested in archives.
Archaeologists study how the sanctuary integrated into the ancient landscape. They examine the natural environment. They study the distribution of settlements. They investigate agricultural areas and cemeteries. They also explore the communications network. This includes a Sacred Way linking the sanctuary to Eretria.
So, as you gaze upon the Amarysia Artemis Statue, remember the echoes of ancient processions. Hear the hymns sung in her honor. See the gleam of bronze statues and the glint of coins bearing her image. Feel the weight of history. It is a history etched in stone and celebrated through the ages.