Arrephorion

Arrephorion
Madmedea. · CC BY-SA 2.0

A 5th-century BC building on the northwest edge of the Athenian Acropolis, identified by Wilhelm Dorpfeld in the 1920s as the residence of the Arrephoroi -- two aristocratic girls aged 7-11 chosen annually to serve Athena's cult. During the nocturnal Arrephoria festival, the girls carried mysterious sealed chests and descended via a secret stairway in the north wall. Only limestone foundations survive; the structure was deliberately reburied in 2006 to protect it for at least 120 years.

TypeMegalithic structures
Period1500 - 500 BC
CountryGreece
Coordinates37.9724° N, 23.7258° E

Related resources

More sites in Greece

Anakeion · Brauroneion · Erechtheion · Temple of Athena Nike · Acropolis of Athens · Chalkotheke · Parthenon · Altar of Athena Polias · Hekatompedon Temple · Temple of Roma and Augustus · Old Temple of Athena · Older Parthenon · Beulé Gate · Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus · Stoa of Eumenes · Eleusinion · Asclepieion of Athens · Odeon of Herodes Atticus · Choragic Monument of Thrasyllos · Gate of Athena Archegetis · Cave Sanctuaries of the Acropolis of Athens · Sanctuary of Pandion · Theatre of Dionysus · Aglaureion

All sites in Greece

Was this page useful?

Keep exploring

Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.

3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search