In spring 2019, the newsletter of the Fondation du Collège de France reported on the discovery of a major archaeological site at Amarynthos, on the island of Evia (Greece), the location of which had been made possible thanks to the deductions of Prof. Denis Knoepfler, former holder of the Chair of Epigraphy and History of Greek Cities (2003-2014). We won't go back over this aspect of the research here, except to point out that it has taken almost half a century of textual and field investigations since 1969 to make it clear that this sanctuary of Artemis known as Amarysia (an adjective derived from the very name Amarynthos in ancient times) was not located in the immediate vicinity of the city of Eretria - as the precious testimony of the geographer Strabo (at the time of Augustus) seemed to imply, but around 11 km from the city walls of this ancient town, excavated since 1964 by the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece, based at the University of Lausanne (ESAG).
The first milestone in the quest for the Artemisia of Amarynthos was the discovery in 2007 (following a survey carried out by members of the ESAG, with the agreement of the Greek Archaeological Service's higher authorities) of a massive foundation suggesting the existence of a large-scale building. Begun in 2012 and progressively extended, the exploration of this area did indeed show that it was a stoa or monumental portico from the late 4th century BC, which had been installed on top of older structures. The extension of the excavations onto new land - acquired thanks to financial support from the Swiss Confederation - enabled a new stage to be reached, with the discovery in 2017 of a deep well, whose double access staircase was made of marble blocks. Several of the blocks bore inscriptions proving that this was indeed the site of a sanctuary dedicated to Artemis, her brother the god Apollo and their mother Leto, a deity of foreign origin beloved of the great Zeus. These results, decisive for the future of the site, were the subject, in June 2018, of a communication in Paris before the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, where the two main people in charge of the excavation, Messrs. Karl Reber, then director of the ESAG, and Tobias Krapf, site manager, took turns to speak, after Prof. Pierre Ducrey (on behalf of the Foundation for the Swiss School of Greece and in the presence of His Excellency the Swiss Ambassador to France) had introduced the session and before Prof. Denis Knoepfler himself drew up an epigraphic and historical assessment of the work carried out at Amarynthos (see Comptes Rendus de l'AIBL 2018, p. 845-953, with a rich illustration).
But the adventure didn't stop there, as in the summer of 2019, two more major discoveries were made. On the one hand, the dismantling of the well stairs (in preparation for the restoration of this device) led to the extraction of a new batch of inscribed documents, including a decree of the city which, according to the inscription itself, was to be exhibited in the hieron ("sacred place") of Artemis at Amarynthos, in Amarunthoi : thus the last possible doubts about identification were removed. Secondly and more importantly, the extension of the excavation to the west revealed - beyond a foundation likely to be that of a monumental altar(bômos) - the ruined façade of a rather imposing edifice, which must have been the temple(naos) of the goddess. The hypothesis was confirmed during the two campaigns of 2020 and 2021 (carried out despite the difficulties associated with pandemic measures), with the unearthing, in the very foundations of the temple, of an extraordinary deposit containing over 500 precious objects: vases with figurative decoration from the workshops of Athens or local workshops at the end of the 6th century BCC., numerous terracotta figurines depicting the goddess, usually seated, gold jewelry and precious stones, not to mention a number of weapons offered to Artemis, including a large, remarkably well-preserved bronze shield. Tamara Saggini, a doctoral student at the University of Geneva, assisted by two veterans of Eretrian archaeology, Thierry Theurillat and Samuel Verdan, was entrusted with the task of carrying out this highly delicate operation, which the professor had the privilege of witnessing live. On the basis of a press release issued by the Greek Ministry of Culture, several daily newspapers - Greek and Swiss in particular - have already publicized the discovery of this treasure.
One final point: since 2021, Prof. Sylvian Fachard (University of Lausanne) has been in charge of research at Amarynthos, to which he has already given fresh impetus by inaugurating this very summer, with all current technological resources, a surface exploration of the surrounding country in order to locate, in particular, the route of the sacred way(hiéra hodos) which led from the city wall to the entrance of the sanctuary over a distance now assured of sixty (and not seven!) stadia. Back in 2008, at the invitation of the professor, this highly experienced archaeologist was able to successfully present the results of his investigations in the territory (chôra) of the city of Eretria to the public attending the epigraphy seminar at the Collège de France. All the more reason for members of our community to keep abreast of the latest developments in the excavation carried out at Amarynthos by the ESAG in close collaboration with the Greek Archaeological Service (Ephorate of Evia directed by Ms. Angéliki Simosi).
