ABSTRACT
Artemis, a goddess associated in particular with young women and biological maturation, was frequently worshipped at the physical margins of a polis, close to territorial frontiers. The rites of young women at these sites marked important transitions in the female lifecycle, but signified more than the individual female’s safe passage across a personal biological boundary. The community as a whole depended on ritual activities undertaken in border areas. This chapter examines the cohesive links created between boundary and centre by women’s festivals and processions and shows how the city recognised the importance of women’s dedications to the goddess. Epigraphical evidence for these dedications, augmented by recently published material, demonstrates the centrality of women’s religious role and the crucial part played by their offerings in securing the wellbeing and survival of the polis, most notably during periods of external challenge.
