The Amphiareion of Oropos

Attica · Greece · Ruin

The earth opened and swallowed the seer Amphiaraus with his chariot. Since then he comes to those who sleep here and tells them what to do.

In a quiet valley outside Oropos lies one of antiquity's strangest sanctuaries. Here, it is said, the seer Amphiaraus was swallowed alive by the earth — Zeus split the ground before him as he fled from Thebes, and he vanished with chariot and horses. From the spring on the site he rose again, not as a man but as something else. Whoever wished to consult him sacrificed a ram, spread its fleece on the ground, lay down to sleep on it, and Amphiaraus came in the dream and said what was to be done. The fourth-century BC complex still holds the temple, the sleeping hall where petitioners lay, and a long row of thanksgiving inscriptions from those who said they had been helped. The place remains unusually silent.

FAQ

Where is The Amphiareion of Oropos located?

The Amphiareion of Oropos is in Attika, Greece.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.