Sanctuary of Artemis Agrotera
The sanctuary of Artemis Agrotera is an ancient Greek temple in Athens . It was dedicated to the hunting goddess Artemis Agrotera . It is located on the east side of the Ilisos River, near the Kallirrhoë source and the Panathinaiko Stadium .
The temple was built in 449 BC. Built in Ionic order with four columns on two sides as a so-called amphiprostylos by the architect Kallikrates , to whom the similar, somewhat smaller Niketempel on the Acropolis goes back. In this sanctuary of Artemis , the goddess of hunting , the Athenians celebrated the anniversary of the Battle of Marathon every year on the 6th Boëdromion (mid-September) .
In the 5th century AD the temple was converted into a church and in the 17th century a dome was added. In 1778 it was torn down by the Ottoman commanders of Athens and the building material was used to reinforce the city walls.
The first excavations took place in 1897. The building researcher Ioannis Travlos discovered the surrounding wall of the sanctuary during road construction work in 1962. Although official bodies have repeatedly determined the great historical importance of the site, it is still privately owned and is in danger of decay. A citizens' initiative calls for excavations and the inclusion of the sanctuary in an archaeological protection zone.
Web links
- Temple of Artemis Agrotera in the Arachne archaeological database
- Citizens' initiative to preserve the temple
Coordinates: 37 ° 58 ′ 3.1 ″ N , 23 ° 44 ′ 7.7 ″ E