Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (6.1890-1897 (1897))

EXCAVATION'S AT THE ARGIVE HER^ETJM
EST 1892.

[Plate XVI, Flax.]

The so-called Argive Heraeum is situated at some distance
from the site of ancient and modern Argos, just as, for example,
the ^Eginetan temple of Athena was six or eight miles from the
ancient city of ^Egina, and as • the Phigaleans built their temple
to Apollo still further away from their town. Although the He-
raeum was an Argive temple during almost the whole time of
Greek history, it doubtless belonged originally not to Argos but
to Mycenae. As Argos increased and Mycenae decreased in
strength, the sanctuary became the common possession and charge
of both cities. Finally, with the capture of Mycenae in 463 b. c.,1
it fell into the hands of the Argives alone. The temple stood
upon a southern spur of the low mountain Euboea, which itself is
a sort of foothill, sloping away toward the south, of the higher
mountain Tretus, now Zara, one of the two elevations between
which Mycenoa lies. The sacred way to Mycenae led around Zara,
keeping well up on the mountainside. The distance according to
Pausanias2 is fifteen stades.3 By the present road it is considera-
bly more, perhaps a walk of an hour and a half. The difference
is due to the fact that the route now lies through the plain along
the foot of Zara, for the beds of the mountain torrents make the
higher road impracticable. We noticed the ruins of an ancient
bridge which had served to span one of these torrent-beds, and in
general the course of the road can be well enough made out.
Argos, on the other hand, lies across the plain from the Heraeum,

1 Diodorus, xi. 65. 2 Pal-s., n. 17.1.

3 Only ten stades according to Strabo: viii. 0.2.