Relief carvings of Artemis, circa first century C.E. Philippi, Northeastern Greece. Photograph by Janet Oakes.
Shown here is a view of several relief carvings above the Philippi Theater near the Macedonian coast. Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt and childbirth, is shown inside her cult temple with raised arms. The Greek city of Philippi came under Roman rule in 167 B.C.E and was later the site for the famous battle of Philippi, which engaged the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (Augustus) against Julius Caesar’s assassins Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius to avenge Julius Caesar’s murder. As allies, Antony and Octavian were victorious in the battle but would later become mortal enemies.
