The Discovery of the Artemision at Amarynthos: Between Disaster, Luck, and Strategy (20 min)

Presenters

Sylvian Fachard, University of Lausanne

Abstract

The 2007 discovery of the sanctuary of Artemis Amarysia at Amarynthos, one of Euboea’s major sanctuaries, can be considered one of the most impressive discoveries of the past decade in Greece and the most significant Euboean site to be discovered since Lefkandi. Mentioned in inscriptions and ancient texts, intensively searched for by archaeologists and ancient historians, including the American School of Classical Studies at the end of the 19th century, the artemision at Amarynthos was nowhere to be found. Worse, following some encouraging epigraphical discoveries made at the beginning of the 20th century, no tangible, direct traces of the shrine were collected afterward, despite an intense wave of modern construction in the area of the modern town of Amarynthos. Did the ancient shrine disappear under the alluvia of the Sarandapotamos River or, worse, under the concrete foundations of summer villas?

In 2003, the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece launched a new research program to locate the Artemision. Geophysical survey and coring targeted one promising area for excavation. The latter unearthed a prehistoric settlement but revealed no trace of the ancient shrine. In 2006, however, the chance discovery of a marble block during the construction of a modern villa would mark a dramatic turnaround, eventually leading to the discovery of the artemision.

In 2023, after over a decade of excavation, the Swiss-Greek mission (a cooperation between the Ephorate of Euboea and the Swiss School) uncovered the most significant religious space known in Euboea. If some remains have suffered the ravage of time and modernity, others were miraculously preserved. But what if the sanctuary had been discovered in the 19th century by ancient travelers or excavated in the early 20th century? Would our understanding of the shrine be different?

Through the lens of serendipity in the artemision’s rediscovery, this paper will reflect on the evolution of excavation techniques, methodology, and research agendas in Greek archaeology.