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