Paris, the son of king Priam of Troy, carries Helen to Troy. Her husband, the king Menelaus of Sparta, summons an army of Greek kings and heroes to avenge this insult. His brother, king Agamemnon leads the forces. The Greek forces are assembled in Aulis, sacrifices are offered but their departure is delayed. The winds are not favorable. The seer Calchas says that Iphigeneia, the oldest daughter of Agamemnon has to be sacrificed to Artemis so that the fleet can depart for Troy. But just as Calchas raises the knife, Artemis takes Iphigeneia away to Tauris, where she becomes a priestess in the goddess’s temple.

In legend Iphigeneia brings to Brauron the sacred image of Artemis which she and Orestes stole from Tauris. She remains in Brauron, she becomes the goddess and she dies there. Brauron is located on the eastern coast of Attica, 35 km from Athens.

Visit this intriguing site to see the cave which according to legend was the grave and worship of Iphigeneia and to see also the remains of a large stoa, the Parthenon of the Bear maidens. Every four years a festival took place in honour of Artemis. Girls, the “arktoi” or bears, between five and ten years of age performed a ritual dance imitating the movement of bears.

Visit the museum which has a wealth of finds from the site. Then visit Cape Sounion, a precipitous rock rising 60 m above the sea, 70 km from Athens, at the southernmost tip of Attica.