15 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A Glorious Temple, inside which Sacrifices Were Performed, was Found in the Sanctuary of Artemis Amarysia on Greek Island of Euboea

Archaeologists excavating at the Artemis Amarysia sanctuary in Amarynthos on the Greek island of Euboea have revealed new insight into the temple configuration.

Constructed circa 700 BC, the temple’s length—more than 100 feet in Greek metric units—was larger than anticipated. According to archaeologists, this “perfect” measurement is encountered on other monuments of the same period.

Archaeologists were surprised when they discovered that the temple’s floorplan was apsidal (with a semicircle apse at one end), which was unusual for the time period.

During antiquity, the sanctuary was the center of worship in dedication to Artemis (the goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and nature). Archaeologists found hearths or altars where animals were sacrificed to honor Artemis, in addition to layers of ash and calcined animal bones.

Apsidal wall of the archaic temple (7th-6th c. B.C.) Photo: Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece

Temple inside, stone platforms discovered were likely where animals were sacrificed by burning parts of them as offerings to Artemis. Holes in the roof allowed smoke from the fires to escape.

Archaeologists have discovered numerous ancient artifacts, including jewelry, tools, and pots, which were once offerings left by previous visitors, while excavating in the soil close to the temple. An ivory sculpture of an Egyptian person, illustrating how people from distant lands brought exotic gifts, was one particularly unusual discovery.

The sacrificial altar at the Artemis Amarynthos temple, Euboea. Photo: Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece
The sacrificial altar at the Artemis Amarynthos temple, Euboea. Photo: Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece

Evidence suggests the first temple was later partly burned down, then rebuilt smaller using mud bricks before an even bigger replacement was constructed around 500 BC.

The temple sits at the bottom of a hill occupied since Bronze Age times over 3,000 years ago. Deep holes dug by the archaeologists found older remains from 900-800 BC and even Bronze Age items like a terra cotta bull head dated to around 1200 BC, proving people had honored Artemis on this spot for thousands of years.

An ivory head recently found at the Artemis Amarynthos temple has Egyptian features. Photo: Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece
An ivory head recently found at the Artemis Amarynthos temple has Egyptian features. Photo: Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece

Documents retrieved from an old palace attest to the existence of a town named Amarynthos in the vicinity of the temple between 1500 and 1100 BC (Mycenaean period). Seeing landmarks from long ago probably increased the area’s religious significance.

After lots of digging and discoveries, archaeologists are now poring over their findings in labs.

Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece

Related Articles

Rare Ceremonial Knives Offering Discovered in the Great Basement of Tlatelolco, Mexico

27 May 2024

27 May 2024

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)  have unearthed a very special votive offering during excavations at...

Horse cemetery in Westminster revealed as likely resting place for elite imported animals

25 March 2024

25 March 2024

Archaeological analysis of a medieval horse cemetery discovered in London nearly 30 years ago has revealed the international scale of...

1400-year-old artifacts discovered in the ancient city of Uzuncaburç (Diocaesarea)

26 January 2022

26 January 2022

During the excavations carried out in a tower in the ancient city of Uzuncaburç (Diocaesarea) in Mersin province in the...

A massive Rune stone found under a kitchen floor in Denmark declared treasure

8 June 2023

8 June 2023

A couple in Denmark discovered a massive rune stone weighing approximately 900 kilograms during a home renovation project that planned...

An Etruscan Home Discovered in Corsica “First-Of-Its-Kind Find for the Island”

11 July 2024

11 July 2024

Archaeologists have discovered the first Etruscan domestic structure, dating to the 6th to 4th centuries BC, off the east coast...

Great Wall Castle Remains Found in China’s Shaanxi

8 June 2021

8 June 2021

The remains of a Great Wall castle dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were discovered in northwest China’s Shaanxi...

2,700-Year-Old Pre-Roman Iron Age necropolis Unearthed in Naples, Italy

8 May 2024

8 May 2024

An approximately 2,700-year-old Pre-Roman necropolis was discovered by archaeologists during excavations conducted in advance of a planned electric power plant...

Britain’s Oldest Prehistoric Circle Uncovered, Potential Blueprint for Stonehenge

10 March 2025

10 March 2025

Recent archaeological findings at the prehistoric funerary site of Flagstones in Dorset have unveiled that this remarkable circular enclosure, dating...

The Entire Genome Of 35,000-Year-Old Skull From Romania Sequenced “Peştera Muierii 1”

24 May 2021

24 May 2021

Researchers have successfully sequenced the whole genome from the skull of Peştera Muierii 1, women who lived in today’s Romania...

Poseidon Temple in Greece Larger than Previously Assumed

27 January 2024

27 January 2024

New excavations at Kleidi-Samikon in Greece’s Western Peloponnese show that the temple, discovered in 2022, is more monumental than previously...

Electoral inscriptions just discovered in Pompeii reveal clientelism in ancient Rome

29 September 2023

29 September 2023

Several electoral inscriptions, the ancient equivalent of today’s electoral posters and pamphlets, have appeared on the walls of the room...

A Rare Ancient Saber Discovered in Kyrgyzstan

5 August 2023

5 August 2023

An ancient saber (heavy military sword with a long cutting edge and, often, a curved blade) was found by three...

In the 1,900-year-old underground temple of Mithras religion in Zerzevan Castle, an area where participants of secret rituals stayed was unearthed

23 July 2024

23 July 2024

Excavations at the  Zerzevan Castle in Diyarbakır province in the southeastern part of Türkiye have uncovered an area where participants...

A prehistoric monument consisting of three round enclosures, one of which resembles a horseshoe, was discovered in France

7 April 2024

7 April 2024

Archaeologists from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) unearthed an unusual, prehistoric monument in the shape of...

Mass Grave of 150 Roman Legionaries Discovered in Vienna—First Direct Evidence of Ancient Combat on the Danube Limes

4 April 2025

4 April 2025

Archaeologists from the Vienna Museum have made a groundbreaking discovery on the outskirts of Vienna, unearthing the remains of approximately...