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Erechtheion. General view before the restoration. Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
View of the Erechtheion with gate and caryatids on the Acropolis in Athens. Part of Travel album with photos of places of interest in Greece and Egypt. Gezicht op het Erechtheion met poort en kariatiden op de Akropolis in Athene - Rijksmuseum, Netherlands - Public Domain. https://www.europeana.eu/item/90402/RP_F_F01148_CE © Rijksmuseum / Public domain -
View of the west end of the Temple of Minerva Polias, and of the Pandrosium William Woollett, after James 'Athenian' Stuart The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Northern Portico of the Pandrosium of the Erechtheion William J. Stillman The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles © J. Paul Getty Trust. Public Domain CC0 -
Western fronts of the temples of Erectheus, Minerva Polias and Pandrossus Sir William Gell The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Aglauros, Pandrosos and Herse discover Erichtonius Workshop of Peter Paul Rubens The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum
To the west of the Erechtheion was a sanctuary dedicated to Pandrosos, one of the three daughters of Cecrops. According to myth, the goddess Athena entrusted the three sisters, Pandrosos, Herse, and Aglauros, with the chest containing the infant Erichthonius, commanding them not to open it. Only Pandrosos obeyed the command, and so Athena appointed her as the nurse of Erichthonius. To honour her, the Athenians built a sanctuary next to the temple of Athena Polias, later known as the Erechtheion.
The Pandroseion, which no longer exists today, was a small sanctuary bordered on the north and west by an Ionic colonnade in a Γ-shape. Access to it was through a small gate on the northern side of the Erechtheion. Here stood the sacred olive tree of Athena, which, according to tradition, the goddess gifted to the Athenians after her dispute with Poseidon for the patronage of the city. From Herodotus and Pausanias, we learn that the Persians burned the sacred tree when they set fire to the Acropolis in 480 BCE, but the olive tree sprouted again the next day.
In the southern part of the open sanctuary, the tomb of the mythical king Cecrops was located, the ancestor of the Athenians and the father of Pandrosos. When the Ancient Temple of Athena Polias was replaced by the Erechtheion in the late 5th century BCE, the tomb was incorporated into the architectural design of the Erechtheion. Thus, a portion of it was found situated beneath the porch of the Caryatids, which by then signified the tomb, effectively serving as its above-ground monument.
Finally, another noteworthy Athenian landmark was located at the Pandroseion: the altar of Zeus Herkeios (protector of the household). Some scholars believe that this cult can be traced back to Mycenaean times and suggest that it took place in the courtyard of the Mycenaean Palace, remnants of which were identified in the area where the Erechtheion was later built.
