Nemesis of Rhamnous – 3D MODEL

Indeed, along the road between the ancient site of Rhamnous and Marathon lies the sanctuary of the goddess Nemesis, surrounded by lush forests. As early as the 6th century BCE, there existed a temple dedicated to the goddess of retributive justice, solidarity, vengeance, and balance. This initial temple was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE and later rebuilt, about fifty years later, on a larger scale.

The destruction by the Persians likely stemmed from a particular reason. A decade prior, in 490 BCE, the Athenians and their allies defeated the Persians in the Battle of Marathon, seizing from them the marble block intended for a triumphal stele. Phidias then used this block to create a statue of Nemesis, precisely the one housed within the temple. Of the ancient sources, Pausanias provides the most comprehensive description of the statue of Nemesis:

“Pheidias carved this stone to make a statue of Nemesis, on the head of the goddess is a crown with deer and images of small Nikai. In her left hand she holds an apple-branch, and a patera (phiale) in the right hand, on which Ethiopians have been worked.”

The deer on her headdress and the apple branch that she holds in her lowered left hand point to her origin as a chthonic or nature divinity. The Nikai (Victories) that also decorate her crown are relevant to her aspect as an avenging goddess, as they indicate the righteous victory that she will exact. The phiale (a ritual vessel), which she holds in her outstretched left hand points to her righteousness, which is perhaps relevant to her connection with Themis, the personification of Law.

And the Ethiopians that are said to have been illustrated on this patera point to her broad-reaching power, as the Greeks regarded them as the people from the ends of the earth. It is regrettable that in the Christian era, during the purge of all things pagan, Nemesis’ statue and temple were destroyed. The impetus was likely to have been Arcadius’ edict of ca. AD 399, ordering the demolition of pagan temples.

From the fragmented state of the hundreds of pieces so far found it seems Nemesis’ statue and base came in for an extremely frenzied attack; no doubt the Christian vandals were making a statement of defiance against the goddess of retribution.

Rhamnous was an ancient Greek city in Attica situated on the coast, overlooking the Euboean Strait (Greece); its impressive ruins northwest of the modern town of Agia Marina in the municipality of Marathon. The well-preserved Attic site was best known in antiquity for its sanctuary of Nemesis, the implacable avenging goddess, her most important place of worship in ancient Greece.

Understanding the history of Rhamnous was greatly improved by the work of Jean Pouilloux, who studied the fortress and the inscriptions from the site. At the site, two temples to Nemesis and Themis are situated close together. As the “Goddess of Rhamnous”, Nemesis was honoured and placated in an archaic sanctuary in the isolated district of Rhamnous, in northeastern Attica.

The cella of the large temple to Nemesis housed a cult figure of the goddess, sculpted by Agorakritos, a pupil of Phidias, from the block of marble alleged to have been brought by the overconfident Persians for their triumphal stele.

This famous statue of the goddess stood within the cella of the temple and was around 4 metres high. The Roman historian Varro rated it the finest example of Greek sculpture. The badly damaged remains of an over life-size marble head from a cult statue of Nemesis, with perforations for attaching a gold crown, was discovered by the British architect John Gandy in the early nineteenth century and is now part of the British Museum’s collection. This has a stylistic similarity to the pediment sculptures of the Parthenon of 440-432 BC.

It is regrettable that in the Christian era, during the purge of all things pagan, Nemesis’ statue and temple were destroyed. The impetus was likely to have been Arcadius’ edict of ca. CE399, ordering the demolition of pagan temples.

From the fragmented state of the hundreds of pieces so far found it seems Nemesis’ statue and base came in for an extremely frenzied attack; no doubt the Christian vandals were making a statement of defiance against the goddess of retribution. Many parts of the original statue have been recovered and reconstructed from the hundreds of fragments found scattered about after the destruction of the cult image by early Christians, and this allowed the identification of a total of eleven Roman copies on a smaller scale. The oriiginal base of the statue, approximately 90 cm high and 240 cm wide, has also been reconstructed; on three sides of the base, the nearly-in-the-round scene shows the presentation of Helen to her mother Nemesis by Leda.