Aglaureion

The Aglaureion (Greek: Αγλαύρειο), or the Sanctuary of Aglauros, was an ancient sanctuary located in the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was dedicated to Aglauros, a Greek mythological figure who was the daughter of King Cecrops and the sister of Erysichthon, Pandrosus, and Herse. The sanctuary was believed to be the site where Aglauros had sacrificed herself to protect the city from invasion.^[1]

Discovery

In 1980, during excavations of the Peripatos, archaeologists found on the eastern slope of the Acropolis a honorary stele for Aglauros, dating to the 3rd century BC. It is believed the stele once stood as part of the peribolos of the Aglaureion. The stele is now held by the Acropolis Museum (inventory number Ακρ. 13372).^[1]^[2] The site had been incorrectly ascribed to other sanctuaries by archaeologists before.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Honorary decree for the priestess of Aglauros". Acropolis Museum. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
^ Dontas, George S. (1983). "The True Aglaurion". Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. 52 (1): 48–63. doi:10.2307/147737. ISSN 0018-098X.
^ Broneer, Oscar; Pease, M. Z. (1936). "The Cave on the East Slope of the Acropolis". Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. 5 (2): 247–272. doi:10.2307/146547. ISSN 0018-098X.