Brauronia

Brauron

Βραυρών (Ancient Greek) Βραυρώνα (Greek)
View of the platform of the temple, looking south across the stoa.
Shown within Greece
Location	Vravrona, Attica, Greece
Region	Attica
Coordinates	37°55′34″N 23°59′37″E / 37.92611°N 23.99361°E / 37.92611; 23.99361Coordinates: 37°55′34″N 23°59′37″E / 37.92611°N 23.99361°E / 37.92611; 23.99361
Type	Sanctuary
History
Founded	8th century BCE
Abandoned	3rd century BCE
Periods	Archaic Greek to Hellenistic
Satellite of	Athens
Associated with	Pisistratus
Site notes
Condition	Ruined
Ownership	Public
Management	2nd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities
Public access	Yes
Website	Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism

The sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron (Hellenic: Βραυρών; or Βραυρώνα Vravrona or Vravronas) is an early sacred site on the eastern coast of Attica near the Aegean Sea in a small inlet. The inlet has silted up since ancient times, pushing the current shoreline farther from the site. A nearby hill, c. 24 m high and 220 m to the southeast, was inhabited during the Neolithic era, c. 2000 BCE, and flourished particularly from Middle Helladic to early Mycenaean times (2000–1600 BC) as a fortified site (acropolis). Occupation ceased in the LHIIIb period, and the acropolis was never significantly resettled after this time. There is a gap in the occupation of the site from LHIIIb until the 8th century BCE. Brauron was one of the twelve ancient settlements of Attica prior to the synoikismos of Theseus, who unified them with Athens.

The cult of Artemis Brauronia connected the coastal (rural) sanctuary at Brauron with another (urban) sanctuary on the acropolis in Athens, the Brauroneion, from which there was a procession every four years during the Arkteia festival. The tyrant Pisistratus was Brauronian by birth, and he is credited with transferring the cult to the Acropolis, thus establishing it on the statewide rather than local level. The sanctuary contained a small temple of Artemis, a unique stone bridge, cave shrines, a sacred spring, and a pi-shaped (Π) stoa that included dining rooms for ritual feasting. The unfortified site continued in use until tensions between the Athenians and the Macedonians the 3rd century BCE caused it to be abandoned. After that time, no archaeologically significant activity occurred at the site until the erection of a small church in the 6th century CE.

Votive dedications at the sanctuary include a number of statues of young children of both sexes, as well as many items pertaining to feminine life, such as jewelry boxes and mirrors. Large numbers of miniature kraters (krateriskoi) have been recovered from the site, many depicting young girls — either nude or clothed — racing or dancing. The Archaeological Museum of Brauron — located around a small hill 330 m to the ESE — contains an extensive and important collection of finds from the site throughout its period of use.