Summary:
On the occasion of the construction of the Olympic Equestrian Center and New Racecourse in Athens, an opportunity arose to systematically investigate the area. This investigation revealed it to be the core of the ancient municipality of Myrrhinous from classical times, characterized by a lack of a strictly urban residential pattern.
The period most fully captured by the finds is the 4th century BC, a turbulent time during which Athens was defeated in a brutal war, faced significant economic problems, and attempted to regain prominence in the Greek world. Athens sought to reestablish itself as a leading power - economically, socially, and culturally - by relying on its acquired experience as a sea ruler and on its past glory.
During this period, the open living space in the center of the municipality of Myrrhinous, which served as the Agora, saw the construction of a sanctuary dedicated to the Phratrian deities, Zeus and Athena. Monumental architecture did not characterize the area, which aligns with the municipality's regional role as a center of primary production. The central position of the sanctuary underscored its importance to both for the inhabitants and for the "power system" that defined the spatial structure. This spatial organization was based on a given semiology and reflected the close relationship between the community and its pantheon. It is reasonable to assume that if there was more than one phratry in each municipality, they would all use the same shrine, possibly on different days.
It remains unclear who financed the construction of the sanctuary - whether it was the state, the municipality, the phratry, or some sponsor(s). However, it is likely that it was a "demoteles" sanctuary, built with the money of the townspeople, who were also members of phratries. This suggests the concept of public worship serving specific political purposes, especially since phratries - the oldest unifying elements that provided social cohesion and served as the official channel of mediation between the family and the community - became part of the state administration.
While there is epigraphic evidence for the existence of phratries as well as for the worship of their protective deities from a wide geographical area, no description of a phratry sanctuary exists in any ancient source, whether philological or epigraphical, despite mentions or implications of such. Moreover, excavation research has yielded few facts about the topographical and architectural identification of sanctuaries dedicated to phratry deities, both in Attica (where most archaeological data originates) and the rest of the Greek world. Therefore, the discovery of this particular sanctuary is highly significant, given its uniqueness not only among Attic municipalities but also in the broader Greek world.
The identification of the site was confirmed by movable finds: a multitude of finely crafted drinking vessel sherds, essential for phratry festivals, and above all, the inscribed votive column of the priest Xenophon, which was honorably erected sometime before the middle of the 4th century BC to commemorate his service to the gods. Also important is the finding of several textile weights around the altar, symbols of the female "sphere of life," which indicate the active participation of not only the citizens but also the wider community.
Offering gifts and paying homage to the gods were part of the publicly defined conditions of daily life, contributing to order and balance. These acts were another state affair, as they allowed the basic principles of state administration to be displayed and supported. Through the cult of Athena, who "protected" the introduction of the young into political life, and Zeus, who symbolized the dominant roles of both fathers and leaders and represented the established and respected hierarchy, the existing institutional framework was reinforced, preventing centrifugal forces that could threaten community cohesion.
However, towards the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd century BC, the international geopolitical environment changed radically. The gods of the city could no longer guarantee safety, prosperity, and social cohesion. With the abolition or degeneration of Athenian political institutions, the special relationship between state and religion that characterized the Greek city-state from the 6th to the 4th century was lost. The sanctuary fell into disrepair as the political discourse it supported faded away.
