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The Sanctuary of Aphrodite (plan) John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Cave with tombs in Eleusis, Greece [Sanctuary of Aphrodite at Daphne] Hallwylska museet © Bergensten, Jenny, Hallwylska museet/SHM (PDM) -
Rock of Venus at Daphne Sir William Gell The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Temple of Venus near Daphne Sir William Gell The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum
Halfway between Athens and Eleusis, in the Aphaia Skaramangas area near the Daphni Temple of Apollo, stands the sanctuary of Aphrodite, a site that has long captivated European travellers since the 19th century, and stands as a prominent feature on the Sacred Way.
Characterised by its simple design, the sanctuary featured a nave and pronaos under a marble roof, nestled within the west side of an irregularly shaped rectangular peribolos. Visitors could enter from the side of Sacred Way through a two-columned propylon, leading to what appears to be an altar base. Directly across the temple entrance, small niches carved into the rock, the sanctuary’s most distinct feature, likely served to hold votive offerings, predominantly marble representations of vulvas and doves, some now housed in the National Archaeological Museum. Additionally, figurines, statues of the goddess with Eros and Peitho, various ceramic items and pedestals bearing votive inscriptions have been found at the site.
The priests of the temple probably lived in a nearby later structure just outside the sanctuary’s boundary. This building, strategically located along the ancient Sacred Way and across the road from the Rheitoi sacred lakes, also served the needs of worshippers and travellers. A significant structure, measuring 25 x 15 metres and noted by Pausanias as a wall of uncut stones, lies southward below the ancient Sacred Way. Initially a fortress guarding the pass between Mount Korydallos and Mount Egaleo, it later became a burial site.
The founding of the Aphrodite sanctuary is veiled in uncertainty. Like other rural shrines to the goddess, it focused on her aspects of fertility, rejuvenation and rebirth, intertwining with the Eleusinian deities. The sanctuary also played an important role in the Greater Mysteries’ grand procession, serving as a key stop along the route.
