Arrephorion

The Arrephorion, the residence of the Arrephoren, was one of the buildings on the Athenian Acropolis. Pausanias lays in its descriptions of situated northwest of the Erechtheion area represent:

" But what most put me in amazement, is not known to all, and I will, therefore, report what is happening. Not far from the temple of Polias live two young women who call the Athenians Arrhephoroi. These will keep for some time in the goddess, and when the time of the feast comes, they do at night following. They sit down on the head, which gives them to wear the priestess of Athena, while this does not know what it gives them, and wear it, do not know either, and is not far away in the town of a district of Aphrodite in the gardens, reached by a natural underground passage. Thither go down the virgins. Below you can, what you wore, and receive another and bring it covered. And they released this now from then on and lead instead of her other maidens of the castle. "

Also one of traditional Plutarch ball court of Arrephoren is seen standing in the context of their " residence ".

Wilhelm Dörpfeld identified in the 1920s as the first foundations of a building in the area concerned as to Arrephorion belonging. Above all, the immediate situation in a leading to the Lower Town Crevice supports in combination with the statement of Pausanias this interpretation.

The limestone blocks formed from single and multiple layers of highly preserved foundation built on a steep rock cliff near the northern Akropolismauer. Only the north-west corner of the foundation is disturbed by a medieval staircase. The dimensions of the building reached under less regularity given an almost square ground plan of 12.20 meters on a side. The foundation strips here were from 1.90 to 2.00 meters wide. A 1.30 to 1.40 meters with somewhat narrower foundation strip divides the building into an approximately 4.40 meters deep porch and an 8 meter deep, transversely rectangular interior.

Due to the engineering and construction of the direct relationship to the nearby Erechtheion - the area between the two buildings was for leveling filled with the aim of a single run horizon to 3 meters - the foundation is dated to the last quarter of the 5th century BC. Due to improper excavations in the 19th century are missing more dating basics.

The reconstruction of the Rising architecture is controversial. Went Dörpfeld still of a south facing front with two columns between musicians from - a supposition which was effectively taken up again lately - we reconstructed later four pillars between the formants. However, since more tetrastyle Antenbauten are not known, a reconstruction with hexastyle prostyler porch was proposed recently. Because of the strong foundation widths is of a stepped base, a Krepis to go out on the actual building stood. Only a gable may have raised with the appropriate roof of the six-columned, prostyle porch. Older reconstructions with a hipped roof would be rejected accordingly. Which order of columns was the construction is unclear, an ionic order should be considered, although most present reconstructions provide a Doric order.