Location: 10 km (6 mi) Northeast of Markopoulo, Attica Map
Tel. 22990 27020
Site Open:
Open: 8:30am- 3pm Tue- Sun
Brauron is located 10 km (6 mi) Northeast of Markopoulo and 38
km East of Athens in the Attica region of Greece. Brauron site
once stood on the shores of the Aegean Sea, but the over time
the bay of the sea got silted and now the ancient cite is
situated inland.
Brauron Archaeological Site was
inhabited since Neolithic times. Local archaeological digs
revealed settlement dating back to circa 2000 BC. The city of
Brauron flourished during Middle Helladic and early Mycenaean
period (2000- 1600 BC). Over time Brauron Archaeological Site
became associated with the cult of Greek goddess of Artemis that
date back to the 8th century BC. Artemis was fought to help
pregnant women in childbirth. Before medical inventions this
process was very dangerous and often deadly to a woman and a
baby. The holiest place within the sanctuary was the sacred
spring of Artemis. Brauron site gave an ancient ritual a name of
Brauronia. It was held every four years. A long procession from
the Athens marched to Brauron. Young women aged 7 to 10 years
old "played the bear" for the Artemis. They were running,
dancing and serving the people. Their services became known as
arkteia from Greek word "arktos" or "bear". This was a sort of
act of passage into puberty, subsequent marriage and childbirth.
According to a legend Iphigeneia, daughter of Agamemnon and
Clytemnestra, brought the statue of Artemis and buried within
city limits. According to Greek legends the Persian invasion
caught the Greeks by surprise, so goddess reached down from
mount Olympus and took back her image in marble. Although many
historians agree that this legend is just a nice fairy. The
actual statue was carried off by the Persian armies to Susa
after they burned and destroyed much of the city in 480 BC.
Brauron Archaeological Site was subsequently rebuilt. The final
blow to Brauron Archaeological Site was dealt by a river
Erasinos that flood the region in the 3rd century BC forcing
many of its residents to flee to higher grounds. For the next
few centuries the site was a source of stones and marble. Only
in the 5th century AD Brauron Archaeological Site became
partially inhabited. A Christian basilica was added in the 6th
century just 500 meters (1/3 mile) West of the sanctuary site.
Currently Brauron archaeological site is still under ground.
According to insriptions and historian records the city still
has palaestra, gymnasium and other buildings still undiscovered.
Brauron Museum:
Open: 8:30am- 3pm Tue- Sun
Closed: Jan 1, Jan 6, Mar 25, Shrove Monday, Good Friday am, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, May 1, Dec 25- 26
Mythology and History
According to legend during the Trojan
campaign, the goddess Artemis demanded the sacrifice of Iphigenia to
let the Mycenaean fleet sail to Troy. At the time of the sacrifice,
Artemis saved Iphigenia and transported her to the land of the Bulls
on the shores of the Black Sea. Iphigenia returned from there to
Greece with the help of her brother Orestes. According to a
variation of the myth conveyed by Euripides, Iphigenia on her return
arrived in the area of Vravrona and became a priestess of Artemis.
The cult of Artemis in the area of Vravrona seems to have
started in the 8th century BC, while the temple was built in the 6th
century BC. In the following years there was a significant expansion
of the place of worship. This extension of the prehistoric Bravrona
took place in the times after the Mycenaean era and probably during
the Geometric times. From the ancient writers Herodotus, Euphoria
and Nonnus place Vravrona near the sea. Gradually, however, after
the Athenian wars with the Macedonians, the area began to decline
and seems to have been abandoned in the 2nd century BC, probably
after floods. In fact, the traveler Pausanias three centuries later,
mentions almost nothing about the area of Vravrona, except the
myth mentioned by Euripides about the return of Iphigenia. The last
references of the ancient place name "Vravron" are found during the
Byzantine times in the grammar Theognostos (9th century AD) and in
the dictionary of Souda (10th century AD)
Archaeological site
In 1945 the archaeologist Ioannis Papadimitriou made excavations in
the area. Excavations continued during the 1950s and 1960s and
uncovered most of the archaeological site. The most important sights
of the archeological site are the temple of Artemis, the P-shaped
portico, the sacred spring, the bridge over the Erasinos river, the
palaestra, the high school etc. The temple of Artemis is a small
temple in size, from which mainly its side is preserved. There is
doubt as to the shape of its façade, but it is believed to have been
six-column; The P-shaped portico surrounded a large courtyard on the
side of the temple. Around the gallery there were bases with small
statues. There was also a famous statue in the temple, which Xerxes
took and transported to Susa.
In 1961, two votive reliefs of
the classical period were unveiled in the temple of Brauronia
Artemis. One of them shows the goddess accepting the offer of votive
offerings from five men. Below the show begins a multi-line
inscription with a list of gifts to Artemis. This column, like
others, was used in the construction of the cobblestone road north
of the temple.
The condition of the archeological site today
For years the church has been handed over to the mercy of the
weather, with the result that even with a heavy rain it turns into a
lake. These problems arise from the bureaucracy but also from the
misunderstanding of the competent bodies to take responsibility for
the care of such an important archaeological monument.
The
current settlement
Today in the area of Vravrona there is a
modern small seaside settlement. The current settlement of Vravrona
has 41 inhabitants, according to the 2001 census. It has some
taverns and other shops near the beach of Vravrona, which receives
many visitors during the summer.
Protected location
Vravrona and its coastal marine zone is a protected habitat of
Natura 2000, with code GR3000004, with an area of 27.12 sq.km.