Beginnings of a blog.

Beginnings

This blog will be on several ideas pertaining to Artemis within ancient Greek religion. While some of the content discussed require less of a focus on a particular deity, where applicable I wish to use Artemis as a way to better get to grips with particular aspects of the topics discussed in the ancient Greek religion module.

I have become interested in studying Artemis due to the multi- faceted nature she possesses. While all of the ancient Greek deities served multiple purposes, the particular interest I find with Artemis is how she was involved in the protection of the wild.

Each topic will express ideas discussed in the module to provide a well-rounded study.

Blog Posts

As highlighted above, there will be several topics of discussion within this page and each will receive its own blog post.

-What Do We Mean When We Say Ancient Greek Religion? *

-Artemis’ Position amongst Other Deities; how does Ancient Greek Polytheism Translate into Modern Study?

-Politics, Greek Religion and Artemis at Patrai

-Olympian and Chthonic Gods: Is Artemis a Chthonic Deity?

-The Mythology of Artemis; the Impact on Greek Society

-Greek Interaction and Representation of the Gods, Sparta and Artemis Orthia

*This posting is utilised solely in the blog, and not within the turnitin online submission. (A combined word count of 4380 words, excluding blog-only post and bibliography)

The finished blog will ultimately span across many topics of ancient Greek religion leading towards a considered series of posts on Artemis. 

Cropped image. © KAGAYA. http://www.wallcoo.net/paint/KAGAYA_STARRY_TALES/wallpapers/1600x1200/Kagaya_art_Gellery_ARTEMIS1.html

What Do We Mean When We Say Ancient Greek Religion?

What Do We Mean When We Say Ancient Greek Religion?

Ancient Greek religion is something entirely different to the prominently Christian conventions within the UK today. The religion of ancient Greece was a polytheistic religion and put importance on aspects of society by creating importance not on one God who was omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, but multiple gods who each had a role in controlling and protecting that aspect of civilisation. When looking at different gods from Hellenic polytheism, we can see how Athena was the goddess of wisdom, skill and crafts; as expressed above, Poseidon was controller of the seas yet also of horses; Artemis was concerned with crucial aspects of life including the coming of age of women but also male dominated aspects including war and hunting.[1]

Today, religion is more its own specialised area of culture, where we may choose to acknowledge it if we choose to. Atheism is acceptable and we may believe in what we wish to. Christianised religion today is not particularly embedded within society. This is different to Hellenic religion in that society and religion were entwined with each other. We know of this religion that matters were more public as opposed to individual akin to modern Christianity. A communal identity manifested itself around a deity or shared deities. The Greeks would create an identity for themselves based around particular deities to clarify who they were and what they stood for and this would differ from other regions of ancient Greece, who again, would represent themselves as worshipping their own particular deity or deities. The idea of patronage is one that we can certainly no longer relate to today. We have to study it with an open-mindedness or struggle to grasp the idea due to the perceptions we have of most modern religions that operate under the idea of a single God.

We have particular creation narratives for each deity, how they came to be and how they were to reflect whatever aspect of society they reached. These creation stories and successive myths of particular deities were communicated as an authoritative tradition and while we have written works from the ancient Greeks such as the Homeric hymns, and also the works of Hesiod to clarify what we know of the religion, the power of ancient Greek religion stems from the traditions of the polis which defined its culture and what it stood for, as opposed to today, where we put our power in scripture in the form of the Bible. Of course, myth is a study for which is vital in explaining how ancient Greek religion worked. ‘Real progress has been made in the last two decades or so in appreciating how myths gave a sense of identity to human groups, rooted them in a landscape, placed them in history, mapped out their interrelationships with other such groups.’[2] This summary by Robert Parker tells us how the belief in the myth helped explain to the ancient Greeks the meaning of certain elements of life and provided the societies with which they lived in a purpose and sense of communal identity.

The fascination with ancient Greek religion is that the elements that it is founded on, these of tradition, communal identity and the ideals portrayed in the literature we have are all unfamiliar to what we perceive religion to be in modern times. Current day religion is primarily based on the importance of scripture as portrayed not only in the Bible but also of particular importance in other religions such as Islam.

[1]Hornblower S & Spawforth A (eds.), (2004) The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilisation. Oxford University Press. P.590

[2]Parker R. (2011) ‘On Greek Religion’. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London. P.25

Artemis' Position Amongst Other Deities; How Does Ancient Greek Polytheism Translate Into Modern Study?

Artemis' Position Amongst Other Deities; How Does Ancient Greek Polytheism Translate Into Modern Study?

For this posting we will expand somewhat on the aspect of ancient Greek religion which is perhaps the most different from what we know of most modern religions. Polytheism, a religious term meaning to worship a pantheon of multiple gods, was fundamental to the way of life in this civilisation. The ancient Greeks lived their lives in a way that appeased not just the gods but also worshipped ancient Greek heroes such as Hercules and Achilles. The vast network of deities or those that received worship in this civilisation is staggering. Any google search of ‘list of Greek gods and goddesses’ brings up multiple websites containing sometimes hundreds of deities including Olympian and chthonic gods (more on this in a future post) and also heroes. Rituals as well as spectacles such as competitive games in honour of these deities were held in an attempt to receive favour. 

Each deity had a specific sphere which related to day to day activities of the Greeks and the success of these activities was placed on worship to divine beings. The question we can ask ourselves is how do we differentiate between divines? How to we tell apart one divine from another? Certain deities were largely linked to Earth in ways that certain other deities were lesser involved with nature. We can call this divide nature versus culture. For example, Demeter was the goddess of harvest and is the power that aids in crop growth. To worship Demeter was to put faith in her for a successful harvest. We can consider this a fairly natural goddess then? It is not so clear a divide as we see far harsher links to nature in Poseidon. Similarly, to worship Artemis was to aid in hunting but also safe progress in childbirth. 'The Homeric Artemis abandons the battlefield in humiliation, and the goddess evidently does not owe her military role to her own prowess as a warrior. She has a place, it has been suggested, because battle is the point of intersection between civilization and culture that she regularly, if in very different ways, patrols.'[1]

In order to properly differentiate between how this aspect of polytheism was organized, one must consider the question of whether we can highlight any aspects of Greek thought that fully allowed for the differentiation of the divines. We know of Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Artemis, Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Dionysus (arguably so for Dionysus, whom fairly often was replacement for Hestia) as being the twelve Olympic gods.

Image found at. https://mskellyconnolly.wikispaces.com/file/view/tree.jpg/61585570/708x337/tree.jp

Robert Parker poses an interesting idea towards Greek thought on the matter. ‘The distinction between the named gods of myth and the anonymous gods of daily discourse derives; it may be objected, not from a different belief about the nature of the gods but from the limitations of human perception.[2] His argument goes on to highlight that giving the gods a name allows for belief to spread, but that there is no logical way to link interventions in events that occur.  This is one particular insight by Parker that clearly shows modern perception as finding difficulty in the logic of Hellenic polytheism. Perhaps logic is the problem.

Today, we could account for the failure of a crop as being due to scientific factors such as poor weather, soil, lack of nutrients; these are logical suggestions as to the reason for a poor harvest. However, the intervention of Demeter in such matters was regarded as important enough to require sacrifice in order to progress. 

How much importance the Greeks put tradition down to their belief in the gods? Again, to use Parker as a reference for such an idea, ‘So much for the divine as manifested in the world of nature’[3] Up to this point, one can fully agree with Parkers appraisal of the Greek gods. This appraisal is essentially highlighting that the literature which all so often mentions the divines is a reflection of Greek religious thought but that actual manifestations were represented in the forms of objects or devices such as Demeter as grain and Dionysus as wine, also Zeus as the thunderbolt. 

This has meaning from the argument that the vast network of Greek gods and their identifiable traits derives from the possibility to then create a societal identity.  To help clarify this, Sparta commonly worshipped Artemis and as such was important to this region but Athens put critical belief on Athena as protector of their polis. This is just one problem modern scholarly seeks to study and address in connection with how ancient Greeks worshipped in a polytheistic manner there are several more yet to be discussed within this blog.

[1]Parker R (2005) Polytheism and Society at Athens. Oxford University Press.  P.400

[2] Scullion, S (Apr.1994) ‘Olympian and Chthonian’, Classical Antiquity. 13.1, University of California Press pp.75-76

[3]Parker, R (2011) On Greek Religion. Cornell University Press. Pp.66-67

Politics, Greek Religion and Artemis at Patrai

Politics, Greek Religion and Artemis at Patrai

Of all the study topics discussed in our classes for this module, the interaction between Hellenic religion and politics is undoubtedly a favourite.

Perhaps the most well-known of all the interactions between mortals and gods is that of Alexander, the great.  Alexander used the Greek hero Heracles to strengthen his lineage in a way akin to modern advertisement. As is well said in James S. Ruebel’s work, ‘The usurpation of myths and folktales for politic purposes is a phenomenon that is well attested during classical antiquity. The perseveration of heroic legends was probably motivated in part by social or political considerations, and the process continued into historical times.’ Further to this, ‘Alexander the Great made special efforts to associate himself with the hero Heracles; the emphasis on Heracles diminished as Alexander’s interest turned toward administration of a united Greek-Persian empire.’[1]

This tells us that Alexander used this link to Heracles for his benefit in ventures based within Greece. Yet, when he was to expand beyond the Greek world, attempting to take control in Persia, his usefulness of this hero would likely wain as the Persians wouldn’t respond to the Alexander/Heracles lineage like the Greeks would.  As this coin (below) highlights, the image likens Alexander to Heracles and also on the reverse has Zeus furthering Alexander’s link to divinity.

Silver Tetradrachm Brown University collection. Image courtesy of http://brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/publications/papers/alexander_coinage/alexander.html

‘It is quite clear the Alexander was alert to the value of propaganda of all kinds, not least the value of myth to solidify his hold on the minds of his subjects.’[2] Similar to this, those in power often used this religious affiliation with a deity to advance. One such example of this was the king of Athens Peisistratos, who enlisted the help of a visually impressive woman, one who stood beyond the capable height of any average Greek woman or man.  Her name was Phya and she represented Athena, patron goddess of Athens to procure favour from the city upon his return to the city (from exile). These events are shown in detail in Herodotus, Histories.

‘This woman they clothed in complete armour, and, instructing her as to the carriage which she was to maintain in order to beseem her part, they placed her in a chariot and drove to the city’[3]

This has striking resemblance to Artemis and in particular events of the festival of Artemis at Patrai, which began with a similar procession. The priestess of the procession was (in Pausanian, 7.18.12) to be last in the procession eventually to oversee the festivities. What holds most resemblance with the Phya incident at Athens is the fact she was riding in a chariot that was yoked, or coupled with deer. Just like the festival, the woman Phya (appearing as Athena) was also placed upon chariot, reflecting a closeness to the gods. We can say this has links to divine status and a subsequent reflection of power (in the case of Peisistratus).  How does Artemis fit into this? One of the most recognisable aspects of Artemis, both visual and literary is that of her chariot, golden in material, which was drawn by deer. The worshippers in the case of the festival at Patrai were honouring Artemis by using chariots drawn by deer to represent the stunning golden chariot of Artemis.

Image. Artemis drives a chariot drawn by horse sized hinds. Krater (450-425 BC) - http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/K6.10.html

As keenly stated by W.R Connor’s 1987 article ‘Tribes, Festivals and Processions: Civic Ceremonial and Political Manipulation in Archaic Greece’, it is noted that ‘Those who accept the story regularly treat it as manipulation of the masses by Pisistratus labelling it a ‘charade’ or ‘propaganda blatant to the point of absurdity.’[4] The way that I read into this assertion and its context regarding the Peisistratus procession is that it was done to mimic an actual religious procession. Just like how Alexander would resonate with the claim he was a predecessor of Heracles, Peisistratus is perhaps making a claim that he is right to rule the city of Athens and this is shown by Athena’s presence at his side riding back into the city to return home (just like Peisistratus).

[1]Ruebel J S (1991) ‘Politics and Folktale in the Classical World’ Asian Folklore Studies, Nanzan University 50.1 . p.5

[2]Ruebel J S (1991) ‘Politics and Folktale in the Classical World’ Asian Folklore Studies, Nanzan University 50.1 . p.11

[3]Herodotus, Histories. 1.60 (trans) George Rawlinson. Wandsworth editions. P. 26

[4] Connor W R (1987) ‘Tribes, Festivals and Processions; Civic Ceremonial and Political Manipulation in Archaic Greece’. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 107. The society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies P.42

Olympian and Chthonic gods: Is Artemis a Chthonic deity?

Olympian and Chthonic gods: Is Artemis a chthonic deity?

Are the ways in which we define the ancient Greek gods clear?  Can we notice traits that pose problem when differentiating between Olympian deities as opposed to the chthonian deities? These are questions that this blog post will look to address. Distinguishing a proper definition between Olympian and chthonian gods is a noticeably unfinished debate. Scott Scullion’s article ‘Olympian and Chthonian’ will be the primary scholarly reflection of my own ideas as I agree with much of what he says. However, I will also seek to show where my opinion on the dividing line between Olympian and chthonian rests.

Olympian offerings during worship took place in the daytime and consisted of a sharing of the sacrificed between the god and the mortal. Chthonic worship took an altogether different approach. The worshipped received everything; the worshipper, nothing. Scullion believes the sacrifices were ‘black victims’, which, one could take to mean human sacrifice as opposed to animal. It is also the opinion of Scullion that the distinction between these two is at its most prominent within the atmosphere of sacrifice.

Artemis and Apollo, Tondo of an Attic red-figure cup (470BC) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apollo_Artemis_Brygos_Louvre_G151.jpg

Hades and Persephone, Tondo of an Attic red-figured kylix

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Persephone_Hades_BM_Vase_E82.jpg

Of ancient Greek art, we notice little differentiation between the customs of Apollo and Artemis (top) and Persephone and Hades (bottom). Only in their appearance and familiar traits do we even know of who they are, little as to their nature of Olympian or chthonic is shown. Material objects and artistic representation, in fact, representation in general , has little way of communicating the difference between what we know as the Olympian gods and the chthonic gods. We can take this as being reflective of Greek thought that art was not necessarily inclined to perform such a role.

Perhaps then, as a way of appeasing the argument in a less general scope, it is better to consider where Artemis rests with regards to this matter of Olympian and chthonic gods rather than trying to place her within the confines of modern polytheistic study as attempted earlier. Similarly, it may be beneficial to attempt to place Artemis on the scale of the Olympian and chthonic binary based on parallels in role to what are typically chthonic deities.  Of course, we already know of Artemis that she held place within the typical Olympian pantheon of gods.


She was the goddess of the wilderness, as alluded to already; she also had a role to play in the conservation of the lands and also within the protection of women and childbirth. To use a term from ‘Artemis; Goddess of conservation’, ‘Artemis personified the wilderness. She loved forests and mountains and gave protection to defined areas of sacred space that functioned as wild areas and wildlife sanctuaries. Third, Artemis stood for ethical principles in hunting and land management.[1] This crucial aspect of land management as being one of Artemis’ roles happens to appeal within oneself to seek out how this differs (if, at all) to the roles that Demeter and Persephone had. Persephone had a role as the goddess of spring growth and Demeter had the role of crop harvest.

An extract from Scott Scullion (1994) ‘Olympian and Chthonian’ p.77

‘THE TRADITIONAL DISTINCTION QUESTIONED

Arthur Fairbanks commenced the modern debate in 1900, complaining that his contemporaries tended "to include the worship of the dead, of chthonic gods proper, and of heroes, together with all propitiatory and purificatory rites, under one heading, and to apply the term 'chthonic' to this whole group of divinities and to this entire type of worship." In Paul Stengel's work, for example, this approach has "the result that Apollo, Artemis, and indeed most of the Olympic divinities, come to be classed as at times chthonic gods.”’[2]

This whole section of Scullion’s study considers Arthur Fairbanks’ work mentioned in the passage above. It clearly highlights of Artemis’ potential link with chthonic gods. We can discuss the problems of Artemis and her overlap with chthonic elements now in classical literature.

Herodotus’ Histories mentions Artemis; 2.156. In this passage it highlights how in Egypt Demeter is in fact Isis and Apollo and Artemis are the children of Demeter. This is obviously in an Egyptian context but Herodotus himself is Greek yet, felt inclined to assert the notion of how Artemis and Demeter can be linked with regards to myth.  Further to this 4.33 of the same work highlights where Thracian and Paeonian women sacrifice to Artemis. They do so using wheat straw which is fundamentally Demeter’s sphere of activity with regards to crop harvest but yet again we know of the overlap of roles as Artemis is goddess of land management.

Persephone had a role in Locrian cult and myth similar to that of Artemis. ‘Her wedding had an important place in Locrian cult and myth and she was worshipped also as the protector of marriage and the women’s sphere, including the protection of children.'[3] Yet we know of Artemis from an earlier posting that she was involved just as importantly in her cultural sphere not just with the protection of women in childbirth but also of the protection of young women into womanhood.

It is such prominent similarities within these two goddesses, Persephone and Artemis, in multiple different sources both classical and scholarly, that lead me to believing in the difficulty of posing Olympian and chthonic gods as binary opposites. How can there be such binaries when the roles of Artemis and the roles of Demeter and Persephone so heavily overlap?

[1]Hughes J D (1990) ‘Artemis: Goddess of Conservation’, Forest & Conservation History 34.4. Forest History Society p.196

[2] Scullion S (1994) ‘Olympian and Chthonian’, Classical Antiquity 13.1. University of California Press. P. 77
[3] Hornblower S & Spawforth A, (eds.), (2004) The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilisation. Oxford University Press P.528.

The Mythology of Artemis; The Impact on Greek Society

The Mythology of Artemis; The impact on Greek Society

This post seeks to consider how the ancient Greeks experienced and worshipped the goddess Artemis through literature and myth. It will look to show, how the Greeks particularly held Artemis in high enough regard to have her oversee the wilderness to the point of, as mentioned previously, the conservation of the lands for Artemis’ favour. I believe importance rests in how Artemis had specific areas of land designated as sacred to her and as an idea expressed previously, I wish to show how the goddess would show anger at abuse of what was deemed her wildlife.

‘Artemis was a powerful figure in classical mythology, and her influence on ancient attitudes and practices was complex. But several aspects of her character moved those who worshipped her toward the same goal: conservation. First, Artemis was a formidable defender of wild animals and was believed to punish those who killed them boastfully or imprudently. Thus her effect on those who revered her was to inhibit the thoughtless destruction of wildlife. Second, Artemis personified the wilderness. She loved forests and mountains and gave protection to defined areas of sacred space that functioned as wild areas and wildlife sanctuaries. Third, Artemis stood for ethical principles in hunting and land management. By staying the hunter's hand and saving some sections of the landscape from habitat destruction, the worship of Artemis saved a significant portion of the Greek landscape from despoliation for several centuries. Finally, Artemis was a goddess of childbirth, child raising, and the induction of children into adolescence and adulthood. The initiation ceremonies of Artemis Brauronia held by the Athenians encouraged young people to love and respect wild animals.’[1]

We cannot better put the ways in which Artemis affected the Greeks in terms of daily life. There is also the Third Sacred War (356-346 BC) which was primarily caused over the mistreatment of sacred land. Sparta's involvement in this war was, perhaps, pursuing 'Artemisian' interests.[2]

'The war was caused by a large fine imposed in 357 BC on the Phocians by the Amphictyonic League (dominated at that moment by Thebes), for the offense of cultivating sacred land; refusing to pay,'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Sacred_war 

The importance of this is that the mistreatment of sacred land (The Spartans prominently worshipped Artemis) led to further action taken, eventually starting a war. This holds true of Artemis herself. Artemis has a fascinating dualism attached to her as hunter yet hunted. This serves purpose particularly within the myth of herself and Actaeon, somewhat representing the sacred aspect of both herself and her land.

The myth between the two tells of how Actaeon stumbled upon her whilst bathing in a spring and was punished for his infraction of awe and wonderment over her naked body by being turned into a stag and subsequently being killed by his own dogs. From the Euripides play Bacchae  ‘You recall the pitiful end of Actaeon, torn apart by the ravenous hounds he had reared, because he boasted that he was a greater hunter in the mountain glades than Artemis.' [3] 

The myth is also referenced in various interpretations within these classical works which shows how prominent the message projected was.

 

- Ovid Metamorphoses 3.138 onwards.

- Apollodorus 3.4.4

- Diodorus Siculus 4.81.4

 

My personal favourite of these interpretations is that of Apollodorus below.

‘Autonoe and Aristaeus had a son Actaeon, who was bred by Chiron to be a hunter and then afterwards was devoured on Cithaeron by his own dogs.47 He perished in that way, according to Acusilaus, because Zeus was angry at him for wooing Semele; but according to the more general opinion, it was because he saw Artemis bathing. And they say that the goddess at once transformed him into a deer, and drove mad the fifty dogs in his pack, which devoured him unwittingly. Actaeon being gone, the dogs sought their master howling lamentably, and in the search they came to the cave of Chiron, who fashioned an image of Actaeon, which soothed their grief.'[4]

Image. Artemis and Acteon by the Pan painter Greek red figure Krater (470 BC). Found at http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/ArtemisActaeon.html.

In the case of the myth and its various forms we can parallel Artemis’ beautiful body and the interaction between the two with the beautiful landscapes she protects, further providing experience of Artemis unto mortals by providing a message onto the Greeks that she is not to be mistreated (as her land). Of Artemis, her transference of worship into the real world of mortals stands more explicit perhaps than any of the other gods and the reflection of scholarly work provided to us by Hughes’ study of the conservation of her sacred lands shows us that it was very much prominent in Greek thought.

[1] Hughes, D J (Oct. 1990) ‘Artemis: Goddess of Conservation. Forest & Conservation History. Forest History Society 34.4 p.196

[2] Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History XVI . Chapter 26. 
[3] Euripides, Bacchae. 339-340

[4] Apollodorus The Library 3.4.4

Greek interaction and the representation of the gods: Sparta and Artemis Orthia

Greek interaction and the representation of the gods: Sparta and Artemis Orthia

 ‘Muse, sing of Artemis, sister of the Far-shooter, the virgin who delights in arrows, who was fostered with Apollo. She waters her horses from Meles deep in reeds, and swiftly drives her all-golden chariot through Smyrna to vine-clad Claros where Apollo, god of the silver bow, sits waiting for the far-shooting goddess who delights in arrows.
 

And so hail to you, Artemis, in my song and to all goddesses as well. Of you first I sing and with you I begin; now that I have begun with you, I will turn to another song.’[1]

This post wishes to assess how the Greek interacted and represented their gods in a worship situation and will focus on one particular shrine found within Sparta.

As a reflection of the importance to mortals, we have to look at what the hymn says. Phrases such as far-shooter, who delights in arrows, are all typical of how the Greeks would see of the abilities, the powers of the gods. That the Homeric hymns explore the power of the goddess is obvious. Can we correlate what we know within literature of the goddess Artemis to what we can find at the Shrine to Artemis Orthia?

Her role as protector of the wilds is captured perfectly within the Donald J. Hughes article, ‘Artemis Goddess of Conservation’. 'It is this scholarship which I wish to engage with to encapsulate how humanity sought to represent the gods. There is a notion within the work that the Greeks were considered enough to have a protector of the wild. As Hughes puts it ‘The ancient Greeks represented the spirit of conservation in the shape of a formidable protectress of animals and plants, the goddess Artemis.’[2]

Pinney’s article highlights how the Spartans, on the river Eurotas created an area of land sacred to Artemis Orthia.  ‘An altar was first erected in the ninth century, and was several times rebuilt. In the sixth century the whole level of the ground was raised by a layer of sand above the danger of river floods, and a temple was built.’ Further to this, ‘Tiny lead figurines roughly moulded on one side only were evidentally the cheapest form of offering. Over a hundred thousand of them had been found as early as 1909 on various Spartan sites, dating from the eighth to the second century B.C. The most important are the winged female figures probably meant for Artemis Orthia’.[3]

Image. Votive offering to Artemis Orthia (700-500 BC). Pinney M E (1925) ‘Votive gifts to Orthia’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 20.6. P.157

The offerings were of high quality, a consequence of further use of the sanctuary through Roman occupation of the area in the second century AD. The Romans were inspired,[4] and produced a small theatre over the existing temple, also to worship Artemis. This preserved the findings to present day. 'The buildings of the theatre seating had the fortunate by-product in that earlier remains were persevered under the later seating and early in the 20th century the site was excavated by the British School at Athens with remarkable results, revealing that in the early period, that is the eighth to second centuries BC, the artistic standards of the offerings made at the temple were very high indeed - as fine as anything found anywhere else in greece at that time[5]

Artemis Orthia comes from the goddess worshipped in this sanctuary. This was a similar local goddess by the name of Orthia. She, like Artemis was a deity of fertility, protection of the wild and mankind. The two were joined together somewhat as the Pan-Hellenic Artemis would have been known throughout Greece and so, as an Olympian, held control in worship at this sanctuary with the title Artemis Orthia.  We can grasp that findings of this site not only reflected the goddess as in the image above, with her connection to divinity and the wilds, but also in the image of nude figures. These nude females, it has been argued ‘represented Orthia’s role as a fertility goddess’.[6]

Terracotta figurines of nude females.

 Waugh N (2009) 'Visualising fertility at Artemis Orthia's site'  British School at Athens Studies  16. British School at Athens p.160

‘Lions and horses are actually among the most popular animal representations at the site and both appear with the goddess .The types of animal include those who fit the model as possible sacrificial substitutes: birds (especially popular in ivory), bulls and cattle, pigs and boars, rams and sheep, fish, hares and goats. Animals associated with the Panhellenic Artemis are also present. Deer are particularly popular after c. 500 BC and become the only animal image from this time to be represented in lead; bears and dogs also appear’[7]

What this then tells us of Artemis or Artemis Orthia is that she was worshipped very much as the reflection seen within literary works such as the Homeric hymns. Not only were offerings provided to her in the form of her role as protectress of the wilds as seen in the image from the Nicki Haugh article, we can now also understand how, due to the quality of the findings that her importance with regards to worship in this region of Sparta was paramount to the daily lives of the Greeks.

Image. Terracotta Figurines. Goddess with lions and horses. Waugh N (2009) 'Visualising fertility at Artemis Orthia's site'  British School at Athens Studies  16. British School at Athens p.165

[1] Homeric Hymn 9, To Artemis. http://www.theoi.com/Text/HomericHymns3.html#9

[2] Hughes, D J (Oct. 1990) ‘Artemis: Goddess of Conservation’. Forest & Conservation History. Forest History Society 34.4 p191.

[3] Pinney M E (1925) ‘Votive Gifts to Artemis Orthia’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 20.6 p.157

[4] Pinney M E (1925) ‘Votive Gifts to Artemis Orthia’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 20.6 p.158

[5] http://www.civilisation.org.uk/greece/artemis%20orthia.htm

[6] Waugh N (2009) ‘Visualising fertility at Artemis Orthia’s site’ British School at Athens Studies 16. British School at Athens p. 160

[7] Waugh N (2009) ‘Visualising fertility at Artemis Orthia’s site’ British School at Athens Studies 16. British School at Athens p. 164

Bibliography of Blog Posts

Bibliography

Post 1 - What Do We Mean When We Say Ancient Greek Religion?

-Hornblower S & Spawforth A (eds.), (2004) The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilisation. Oxford University Press.

-Parker R. (2011) On Greek Religion. Cornell University Press. Ithaca and London.

Post 2 – Artemis’ Position Amongst Other Deities; How Does Ancient Greek Polytheism Translate Into Modern Study?

-Parker R (2005) Polytheism and Society at Athens. Oxford University Press.

-Scullion, S (Apr.1994) ‘Olympian and Chthonian’, Classical Antiquity. April. 13.1, University of California.

Post 3 – Politics, Greek Religion and Artemis at Patrai

-Herodotus, Histories. 1.60 (Trans) George Rawlinson. Wandsworth editions.

-Connor W R (1987) ‘Tribes, Festivals and Processions; Civic Ceremonial and Political Manipulation in Archaic Greece’. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 107. The society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.

-Ruebel J S (1991) ‘Politics and Folktale in the Classical World’ Asian Folklore Studies, 50.1, Nanzan University.

Post 4 – Olympian and Chthonic gods: Is Artemis a Chthonic Deity?

-Hornblower S & Spawforth A (eds.), (2004) The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilisation. Oxford University Press. 

-Hughes J D (Oct.1990) ‘Artemis: Goddess of Conservation’, Forest & Conservation History, 34.4.  Forest History Society

-Scullion S (Apr.1994) ‘Olympian and Chthonian’, Classical Antiquity. 13.1. University of California Press.

Post 5 – The Mythology of Artemis; the Impact on Greek Society

-Apollodorus, The Library. 3.4.4

-Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History XVI . Chapter 26. 

-Euripides, Bacchae. 339-340

-Hughes J D (Oct. 1990) ‘Artemis: Goddess of Conservation’. Forest & Conservation History 34.4 Forest History Society

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Sacred_War

Post 6 – Greek Interaction and Representation of the gods: Sparta and Artemis Orthia

- Homeric Hymn 9, To Artemis - http://www.theoi.com/Text/HomericHymns3.html#9

- Hughes J D (Oct. 1990) ‘Artemis: Goddess of Conservation’. Forest & Conservation History 34.4 Forest History Society

-Pinney M E (Jun. 1925) ‘Votive Gifts to Artemis Orthia’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 20.6

-Waugh N (2009) ‘Visualising fertility at Artemis Orthia’s site’ , British School at Athens Studies Vol.16. British School at Athens.