A second, earlier temple was discovered on the foundations of the central one.
Buildings testifying to the antiquity of the cult of the sight of Artemis were revealed in the foundations of her temple, located near Amarynthos in Evia, during the last phase of the excavation carried out by Swiss and Greek archaeologists in the last several years.
Already in 2017, archaeologists brought to light the foundations of a monumental building in the heart of the sanctuary. The following excavations proved that it is the temple of the goddess Artemis, built towards the end of the 6th century BC.
Although the superstructure and decoration of this building, measuring about 39 x 11 m, have been almost destroyed, its foundations protected the walls of older buildings, the remains of which are preserved in excellent condition.
Excavations in 2023 completed the revelation of yet another temple dating back to the 7th century BC. Its length reaches 100 feet, adopting the symbolic measurement found in several temples of this period in the Helladic area, such as the nearby sanctuary of Apollo in Eretria.
The temple preserves a well-constructed wall with a pilaster on its eastern side, while its western side ends in an arch. The temple is built of rough bricks on a solid foundation of dry stone, proving that the ground was still swampy at its construction.
Along the inner wall, the temple was strengthened by pillars at regular intervals, which no doubt contributed to supporting a heavy tiled roof.
The altars of the goddess
One of the peculiarities of this temple is the significant number of constructions inside it. Several hearths used for altars were located in the centre of the nave. In addition, the horseshoe-shaped altar, which was originally thought to have stood outside the temple, occupies a space that can be characterised as a pronaos.
A thick layer of ash, rich in charred bones, testifies to the prolonged use of these structures. The possibility that some predate the temple cannot be ruled out: the first level of use of the horseshoe-shaped altar yielded pottery dating to the end of the 8th century BC.
As in previous years, this year as well, the excavation of the archaic temple brought to light rich offerings: Corinthian alabaster, Attic vases, ritual rites of local production, as well as jewellery made of precious materials (gold, silver, coral, amber), amulets from in the East, bronze and iron fittings.
The temple was partially destroyed, probably by fire, in the third quarter of the 6th century BC. Brick partitions were then placed to protect the centre of the cult space until the new temple was built towards the end of the 6th century.
Before the Archaic period
Below the levels of use of the first Archaic temple, dry stone walls are found, which belong to an elongated building of the same orientation, with configurations in its interior, whose exact dimensions and plan remain to be clarified.
In front of this building, strata older than the horseshoe altar yielded several Geometric period bronze figurines representing bulls and a ram, while a clay bull head of the Mycenaean period is impressive.
Outside the temple area, test cuts also revealed remains of buildings from the 9th and 8th centuries BC, testifying to the extent of the site at that time. Although the investigation of the earliest of these levels has only just begun, the first discoveries suggest that the cult had its roots in the centuries after the end of the Mycenaean period.
The prehistoric settlement on the hill of the Old Churches
Excavation sections on the hill of Paleokeklisi confirmed the existence of imposing walls of the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC), which undoubtedly belong to a fortification system of the prehistoric settlement, which extended on its slopes and top.
The remains of the following centuries have almost entirely disappeared due to soil erosion, except an early Late Bronze Age grave, which has been uncovered near the hilltop plateau and in which skeletons were found with their offerings.
Understanding the inclusion of the sanctuary in the ancient landscape
In parallel with the excavations of the sanctuary, a systematic surface survey is being carried out in the Sarandapotamou watershed that stretches between Amarynthos and the ancient city of Eretria.
This research aims to understand the inclusion of the sanctuary in the ancient landscape through the study of the evolution of the environment since antiquity, the distribution of rural settlements over the centuries, necropolises, quarries, agricultural land, as well as the ancient network communication, with an emphasis on the "Sacred Road" that connected Artemisio of Amarynthos with Eretria.
The excavation and research team
The excavation team brought together in 2023 more than 50 archaeologists, conservators, other specialists, workers and students from Switzerland, Greece and other countries.
The Amarynthos research program is a collaboration of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Evia of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the direction of Angeliki G. Simosi, Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Piraeus and the Islands, who was Head until the end of 2022 at the Ephorate of Antiquities of Evia, and Sylvian Fachard, Director of EASE and Professor at the University of Lausanne.
The field research is led by Olga Kyriazi (EFA Evia), Tobias Krapf, and Tamara Saggini (EASE).
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