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An
important management center for the
religious and ceremonial tasks in the
city is named as the
Prythaneion. Except the
Artemis temple all the other sacred
matters are controlled and managed by
this authority. |
The building
was located to the west of
the Basilica. It was
surrounded by the other buildings and the marble
road in the front. It had a courtyard in the
front and a big ceremony hall at the back. There
were eight large columns in the front, two of
which is still standing today. On the corners of
the building there existed columns and two of
those had heart shaped sections. These sections
contained the immortal fire dedicated to the
heart of goddess Hestia.
The managers
of the building came from the elite families of
the city. Their main duty was to keep this fire
on forever. Also they had to take care of the
daily sacrifices to the names of different gods
and goddesses. They usually covered all the
expenses for the sacrificial ceremonies.
Until the
Roman period Curettes (priests of
Artemis
temple) maintained a special category involving
with only the affairs of
the Artemis temple.
After Emperor Augustus they took a place in the
Prythaneion.
The building
collapsed in the 4th century A.D. during a
strong earthquake and has never been repaired.
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