Ancient temple of Artemis discovered on island Euboea
Ancient temple of Artemis discovered
on island Euboea
Ancient civilizations held festivals in honor of Artemis the Greek goddess of the hunt She was worshipped as a protective goddess This 100-foot-long temple was located adjacent to another temple dedicated to Artemis Swiss archaeologists discovered the ancient Temple of Artemis at the foot of Mount Paleocleis near the fishing town of Amarinthos on the Greek island of Euboea A team of Swiss archaeologists unearthed a larger section of the building Some pottery even dates back to the temple itself The brick walls were reinforced to support the structure in the 6th century BC.possibly due to fire damage A 2,700-year-old temple with a horseshoe-shaped altar on the Greek island of Evia decorated with gold and silver ornaments and charred bone fragments has been uncovered Over 150 intact vessels have been discovered after more than a century of searching
Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports
Artifacts found with inscriptions indicate that this is the site of Artemis Amarinthos the end point of an annual procession for people from Eretria a once-thriving trading city 10 kilometers away Several hearths were also discovered in the newly discovered central area of the temple One of them contained an altar covered in ashes believed to be part of a stoa or terrace built near the temple In 2012 a moat was opened in Amarynthos Researchers searching for this sanctuary believed to be dedicated to Poseidon discovered several stone panels from older buildings and bronze statues of bulls and rams beneath the temple containing fragments of charred bone Read about the discovery of temples in the Peloponnese
An aerial view of the horseshoe-shaped altar located inside the temple / iamge credit : daysofart.gr
The goddess with whom the Greeks associated these characteristics most closely resembled Near Eastern and Egyptian gods and least closely resembled Greek gods Her torso and legs were encircled by slender columns from which the goddess's feet protruded Coins produced at Ephesus were also crowned in frescoes a feature of Cybele as the protector of the city From a Greek perspective Artemis of Ephesus was a prominent form of the goddess Artemis In Greek cult and mythology shrines temples and festivals of Artemis were found throughout Greece but Artemis of Ephesus was unique Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo the virgin goddess of the hunt Despite being a goddess of childbirth she was known for her virginity at Ephesus
