The Amphiareion in Oropos; the oracle of your dreams

The Amphiareion is one of Attica’s most beautiful archaeological sites, but it remains relatively unknown to most people. Walking through the archaeological site, with its pine trees and wild orchids in full bloom at this time of year, is a peaceful experience, interrupted only by the playful chirpings of birds. However, thousands of people visited the oracle at its peak in the 4th century BC.

It was founded in the latter half of the fifth century BC in response to a prophecy that the declining Amphiareion of Thebes should be relocated to Oropos. Here, near the Mavrodilesi, or Charadra, ravine in what is now known as Kalamo, people worshipped Amphiaraus, the chthonic god who could heal body and mind with his prophetic and therapeutic powers. Pilgrims sacrificed rams to the god, hung offerings (small statues and miniatures of body parts) on the altar or glued them with wax to his statue, dropped coins in the sacred spring, and slept at the sanctuary in the hope of being healed of their ailments, because ancient beliefs held that the god’s treatment or counsel would come to them in their dreams.

On one bank of the ravine, you can see the ruins of the official buildings (temple, theatre, altars, stoa, bathhouses), and on the other, what remains of the settlement, including the ruins of a guesthouse, taverns, and the agora. Some of the more impressive pieces of the Amphiareion are the clepsydra, one of two known ancient monumental water clocks, and the five marble seats that still stand today in the 2nd-century BC theater.

Rhamnous, an unforgettable outing

Comfortable shoes and a hat are required because a visit to the archaeological site of Rhamnous, north of Aghia Marina, is not a simple affair, as it is one of Attica’s largest and most important archaeological sites, despite its relative obscurity. This is where the ancient city of the same name once thrived, at a strategic location that allowed for unimpeded shipping in the Evian Gulf and facilitated trade. Rhamnous also housed the most important sanctuary of Nemesis, the chthonic goddess of retribution.

The route to the archaeological site is approximately 1.5 kilometers long and follows a rough path with a spectacular view of the Evian Gulf. The site is well-preserved. Archaeologists believe that the region’s flora and fauna, as well as its settlement, have remained largely unchanged since antiquity.

Unexpected encounters at the Sanctuary of the Egyptian Gods in Brexiza

Isis and Serapis, the Sphinx, symbols of the ancient Egyptian god Horus, oil lamps with depictions of Egyptian deities, statues depicted with their left foot forward and arms held close to the body, the famous knot of Isis (a pleated robe with the characteristic knot), and a pharaoh’s costume with an Egyptian cobra headdress are some of the surprises awaiting visitors at the small archaeological site of Brexiza in Nea Makri.

There aren’t many similar sanctuaries in Greece, so this is a rare chance to see cast replicas of the original and get a peek inside a sanctuary dedicated to the Egyptian gods. The orator, sophist and patron of Athens Herodes Atticus built his sanctuary and bathhouse here in AD 160. Originally from Marathon, Herodes Atticus appears to have modelled his work after Emperor Hadrian’s Serapeum (his villa in Tivoli), who had based his villa on the Serapeum that was located in Canopus, on the Nile Delta. Both had been built on small islands, so Herodes Atticus’s sanctuary in Brexiza was also built on a small island, with the waters of Mikro Elos surrounding it in the winter and the reed beds with eucalyptus trees adding to the exotic atmosphere.