Amphiaraus is a character of the Theban Cycle, appearing in Aeschylus' Seven against Thebes; having been a seer and a valiant warrior in his mortal life, he was believed to have been saved by Zeus the moment he was about to be killed in battle. The sacred fountain of the sanctuary was built at the place where, according to myth, the hero re-emerged after his descent into the Underworld.
Oropos is one of the most ancient polises in Attica. The sanctuary was built during the 5th century BC but saw its heyday in the Hellenistic Era, from the 3rd century BC to the Roman conquest in 146 BC, when Oropos belonged to the Boeotian League. For a short period starting at the beginning of the 4th century and until the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, games were organised in honour of the hero every year (the Small Amphiareia) or every five years (the Great Amphiareia). The latter included sports, music, and horse riding contests, and participants gathered from as far as Southern Italy and Asia Minor, as well as from every part of continental Greece.The architecture was indeed monumental, and the complex consisted of the temple, the altar, the famous baths, a stoa and a theatre, as well as an entire settlement complete with houses, shops, accommodation for visitors, an agora and the Klepsydra a magnificent hydraulic clock.
The architecture was indeed monumental, and the complex consisted of the temple, the altar, the famous baths, a stoa and a theatre, as well as an entire settlement complete with houses, shops, accommodation for visitors, an agora and the Klepsydra a magnificent hydraulic clock.
