The Herainon of Argos
The Heraion of Argos was a sanctuary located in northeast of Argos, between the ancient cities of Mycenae and Midea, and was dedicated to the goddess Hera. It was first discovered and excavated in the 1830’s by T. Gordon. The sanctuary sits on top of a series of three artificial terraces at the base of Mt. Euboea, and overlooks the Argive Plain. The oldest part of the sanctuary is on the uppermost terrace, and consists of a temple and an altar. The upper level also has a retaining wall in the rear that dates back to the geometric era. The second level down supports a newer temple, where a statue of Herra was housed at one time. The lowest level consists of a covered walkway and another stepped retaining wall.
The Heraion of Argos was alleged by Greek tradition to be the place where Agamemnon was chosen to lead the Trojan expedition.1 The site was continually expanded on throughout the Classical era, and was used well into the Roman era. The sanctuary had dual purpose; aside from simply being a place to worship Herra, it was atypically built well outside (8 miles) of the urban area of Argos with the intention of cementing a claim to the areas within the Argive Plain.2 The polis of Argos sought to discourage neighboring Mycenae from making any incursions into the area, and laid a foundation for possible future expansion. However despite this tactic, there is evidence that the site may have in fact been occupied by the Mycenaeans at some point.3
Bibliography:
1). http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/artifact?name=Argive+Heraion&object=Site. Accessed Feb. 25, 2017
2). Hall, Jonathan M. "How Argive Was the "Argive" Heraion? The Political and Cultic Geography of the Argive Plain, 900-400 B. C." American Journal of Archaeology 99, no. 4 (1995): 577-613. doi:10.2307/506184.
3). Demakopoulou, K., and J. H. Crouwel. "Mycenaean Pictorial Pottery from the Argive Heraion." Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens 61, no. 4 (1992): 491-500. http://www.jstor.org.proxylib.csueastbay.edu/stable/148236.
