Giving to Artemis: Votive deposition at the sanctuary of Artemis Amarynthos (Euboea)

Conference item

Amarynthos was the site of an important sanctuary of Artemis, some 10 km away from the city of Eretria. The existence of this sanctuary had been known through classical authors and inscriptions as Eretria’s state treasury was kept at the sanctuary and a prestigious festival was organized there, but its location had eluded identification until very recently. A location at Amarynthos was suggested based on a new reading of Strabo’s text who mentioned the site’s location and archaeological surveys were initiated by the Swiss Archaeological School of Greece. Massive foundations were unearthed in 2007, suggesting the presence of a large public building complex, and in 2017 final evidence for the identification of the site was found in the form of terracotta tiles with the name of the goddess and stone inscriptions mentioning the triad Artemis, Apollo, and Leto. In 2017, these excavations also unearthed a well whose upper steps were built with re-used marble slabs from the Hellenistic period. This well contained 176 coins, ranging from the Hellenistic period (late third / early second century BC) to the late third century AD (AD 295-299). This paper will give a preliminary presentation of the material and compare it to the other coin finds made at the sanctuary, in order to better understand when and why these coins were deposited in this well.

Authors: Spoerri Butcher, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Koç University Press
• Host title: Third International Congress on the History of Money and Numismatics in the Mediterranean World - April 1–4, 2024 – Antalya: Proceedings
• Pages: 227-237
• Place of publication: İstanbul, Turkey
• Publication date: 2025-01-01
• Acceptance date: 2024-03-18
• Event title: Third International Congress on the History of Money and Numismatics in the Mediterranean World
• Event location: Antalya, Turkey
• Event website: https://akmed.ku.edu.tr/en/events/congresses-and-symposiums/?detail=true&id=943bd643-fcce-414f-9d0b-f54409028186
• Event start date: 2024-04-01
• Event end date: 2024-04-04
• ISBN: 9786258520286
• Language: English
• Keywords: ritual deposition; Amarynthos; Euboea; Artemis; sanctuary of Artemis; excavation coins