A colonial Artemis? Aspects of the cult of the goddess in Syracuse and Corcyra

This paper examines the cult of Artemis in the two major Corinthian colonies, Corcyra and Syracuse. In Corcyra, her cult is archaeologically attested mainly in the late Archaic and Classical periods. However, the analysis of her sacred spaces and the evolution of her cult in relation to the city’s history suggests her presence even in the earliest phases of the colony, making Artemis one of Corcyra’s most important cultic identities. In Syracuse, literary sources refer to an Artemis with Arethusian traits linked to the foundation of the apoikia, while archaeological evidence of the oldest cult of the goddess has been isolated in the archaic central sanctuary of Ortygia. Therefore, the aim of this contribution is to provide an updated overview of the archaeological and literary evidence for the cult of Artemis in the two colonies, highlighting its peculiarities and affinities, and considering its colonial significance in relation to the pantheon of the mother city.