Brauron

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Statistics
Prefecture:	Attica
Metropolitan Area:	Athens
Municipality and Community:	Markopoulo Mesogeias
Location: Latitude: Longitude:	38.933 (38°56'00") N lat. 23.9933 (23°59'56") E long.
Population: (1991) - Total - Density - Rank	<br90
Elevation: -lowest: -centre:	Petalies Gulf 2 m (centre) southern part
Postal code:	19003
Area/distance code:	11-(00)30-22990-4
Car designation:	`Y` (prev.) `Z` pres.
Name of inhabitants:	Brauronian sing. -s pl.

Brauron (Ancient Greek Βραυρών; Modern Greek Βραυρώνα Vravrona or Vravronas) is an early sanctuary site on the east coast of Attica located between Markopoulo Mesogeias and Artemis (Loutsa). It was established as a fortified site during the Neolithic era, 2000-1600 BC, and flourished particularly from Middle Helladic to early Mycenaean times. 2000-1600 BC (Hellenic Ministry of Culture). Brauron was one of the twelve ancient settlements of Attica prior to the synoikismos of Theseus, who unified them with Athens. "This settlement was abandoned before the end of the Bronze Age, and in the Classical period only a sanctuary remained." (Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites)

Iphigeneia, a priestess of the goddess Artemis saved by divine intervention from becoming a surrogate sacrifice, arrived at Brauron, according to Euripides' version of the myth, from Asia Minor^[1] Her cult site, or heroon was the cave at Brauron. The goddess Artemis was a danger to be propitiated by women during child-birth and of the newborn: to her were dedicated the clothes of women who had successfully born a child;^[2] the garments of women who died in childbirth were dedicated to Iphigeneia at Brauron (Burkert 1985:151; ref. Glowacki).

At the isolated sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron, young Athenian girls approaching marriageable age formed groups consecrated for a time to Artemis as arktoi, she-bears,^[3] and spent their time in sacred dances, wearing honey-colored saffron robes ^[4]running races and making sacrifice, in the Arkteia. Vase paintings show that cultic nakedness was an element in these preparations for womanhood (Burkert 1985:263). An epigram in the Anthologia Graeca concerns the offerings of childish playthings a nubile young girl dedicates to Artemis on the eve of marriage; many such tokens have been recovered from the spring at Brauros.

The cave that functioned as the heroon of Iphigeneia

The Brauronia celebrated every four years involved a procession fropm Athens.

Among the fifth-century monuments are the big stoa of the interior courtyard, opening toward the temple of Aphrodite, the temple of Artemis, the temple of Iphigeneia, and the stone bridge over the Erasinos River (Hellenic Ministry of Culture).

In the second century AD Pausanias^[5] mentions an old wooden statue (xoanon) at Brauron. With the coming of Christianity, the sanctuary seems to have been largely abandoned, and the site was preserved from delapidation by the silting of the nearby Erasinos river; however, a Christian basilica was built in the sixth century on the other side of the valley, and reused some material from the sanctuary itself (Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites).

In 1948, Ioannes Papadimitriou, began excavating this site. Professor Ch. Bouras continued the restoration during the 1950s and 1960s.

1 Vravronas
2 Nearest places
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Vravronas

The modern Brauron, known as Vravronas, is a tiny settlement of Markopoulolocated nearly 1 km southeast of the archaeological site. It contains dozens of homes; the population in 1991 was 90. The urban area lies about 200 m northward and is linked with a road linking Markopoulo and Artemis (Loutsa).

[edit] Nearest places

Artemis (Loutsa), north
Limani Mesogeias (most known as Porto Rafti), south
Markopoulo Mesogeias, southwest

On November 24, 2005, heavy rains plundered the area and also flooded its monuments including the historic temple and the stone bridge on the riverside; no damages were reported, waters arrived from Kalyvia.

[edit] Notes

^ Iphigeneia in Tauris. Pausanias expressed his doubts of Euripides' twist on the myth.
^ The goddess is assimilated to Eileithyia in this aspect. A lost bronze by Praxiteles, formerly on the Acropolis, Athens, depicted Artemis Brauronia accepting garments dedicated at her sanctuary.(Perseus Sculpture Catalog).
^ For Artemis and one of her nymphs as a she-bear, see the myth of Callisto.
^ Suda, under "arktos ê Braurôniois".
^ Geography of Greece 1.33.1.