The Temple of Artemis
Built in the late 6th century BCE, destroyed by the Persians, and rebuilt in the 420s BCE. A modest Doric building with four columns in the inner chamber and an adyton, a restricted back room, behind it.
8th c. BCE
worship begins at the sacred spring, and runs to the 3rd century BCE
The only one
known Classical-period stone bridge surviving anywhere in Greece
Every 4 years
the Arkteia festival, when girls served Artemis as arktoi, she-bears
A sanctuary, not a ruin field
Brauron was one of the twelve settlements of Attica before Theseus gathered them into Athens. It is a short drive inland from Rafina, and it is the most substantial ancient site anywhere near the port.
Schematic. Drawn from the recorded dimensions rather than surveyed, so treat the layout as indicative and the measurements as the reliable part.
What is still standing
More than most Attic sites, and one thing you cannot see anywhere else in the country.
The Π-shaped stoa
A colonnade wrapping three sides of a courtyard of 20 by 27 metres, containing nine dining rooms. Each still has the cuttings in the floor that positioned eleven dining couches, so you can count the places at a meal eaten 2,400 years ago.
The bridge, which is the rare thing
A Classical stone bridge roughly 9 metres wide, built post-and-lintel, with the ruts worn by cart wheels still visible in its surface. It is the only known example of a Classical-period bridge anywhere in Greece. Most visitors walk past it looking for columns. It is the single most unusual thing on the site.
The sacred spring
The reason the sanctuary is here at all. Worship focused on the spring from the 8th century BCE, before any of the stone buildings existed.
The museum, 330 m away
Holds what was dedicated here: votive offerings, statues of children, and the miniature kraters painted with girls running. Go after the site, not before.
Why it is not on the sea any more. The sanctuary sat on a small coastal inlet. That inlet has silted up since antiquity, so the shoreline today is further away than it was when the site was in use.
The little bears
The ritual that makes Brauron different from every other sanctuary in Attica.
Every four years, Athens sent its girls here. Those approaching marriageable age served Artemis as arktoi, she-bears, in a festival called the Arkteia. They wore saffron robes, performed sacred dances, ran races and made sacrifices.
We know how it looked because they left the evidence in the ground. The site produced quantities of krateriskoi, miniature mixing bowls painted with girls running, and the vase paintings record that some stages of the rite were performed nude. This was a coming-of-age passage: a period of service to the wild goddess before a girl could be handed over to a marriage.
The festival also tied this coastline to the city. Artemis had a second, urban sanctuary on the Acropolis, the Brauroneion, and every four years a procession travelled the 24.5 km between the two.
The other thread here is Iphigenia. In Euripides' Iphigenia in Tauris, Athena assigns her to this place, and the sanctuary is thought to have held a heroon, a hero-shrine, in her name.
Visiting from Rafina
Inland and south of the port, on the road down towards Porto Rafti. You need a car or a taxi.
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Where it is
On the east coast of Attica at 37°55′34″N 23°59′37″E, about 24.5 km from the Acropolis. The modern village of Vravrona, part of Markopoulo, sits about 1 km southeast of the archaeological site.
Site and museum
Both are open to visitors, and the museum is a 330 m walk from the site. Opening hours and tickets change by season, so check the Ministry of Culture before you set out.
Pair it with the coast
Porto Rafti is about 5 km south, which makes the obvious half-day: the sanctuary first while it is cool, then the bay and a beach afterwards.
Vravrona questions
What people ask before making the trip.
What is Vravrona?
Vravrona (Βραυρώνα), ancient Brauron, is the Sanctuary of Artemis on the east coast of Attica, a short drive inland from Rafina. Worship began at its sacred spring in the 8th century BCE and the site remained in use until the 3rd century BCE. It was one of the twelve settlements of Attica before Theseus unified them into Athens.
Is Vravrona the same as Brauron?
Yes. Brauron is the ancient Greek name, Vravrona the modern Greek one, and both refer to the same sanctuary. You will also see it written Βραυρώνα.
What can you actually see there?
The Doric Temple of Artemis, the Π-shaped stoa around a courtyard of 20 by 27 metres with its nine dining rooms, the sacred spring, and a Classical stone bridge about 9 m wide with cart-wheel ruts still visible. The bridge is the only known Classical-period bridge surviving in Greece.
What was the Arkteia festival?
A festival held every four years in which Athenian girls approaching marriageable age served Artemis as arktoi, "she-bears". They wore saffron robes and took part in dances, races and sacrifices. Miniature kraters found at the site show the girls running, and the vase paintings indicate some stages were performed nude. It was a coming-of-age rite before marriage.
Is there a museum?
Yes, about 330 m from the site. It holds the votive offerings dedicated at the sanctuary, including statues of children and the miniature kraters painted with young girls. Visit it after the site rather than before.
Can I combine Vravrona with Porto Rafti?
Yes, and it is the sensible plan. Porto Rafti is about 5 km south of Vravrona and directly on the road, so the sanctuary and a swim make a comfortable half-day from Rafina by car.
Why is the sanctuary not on the sea?
It was. The sanctuary stood on a small coastal inlet, and that inlet has silted up since antiquity, which has pushed the modern shoreline further from the site than it was in use.
