I.—Excavations At Sparta, 1907: § 7.—The Hieron of Athena Chalkioikos

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Abstract
Suidas, under the heading Χαλκίοικος explains as follows: ‘The Athena in Sparta; either because she has a brazen house; or on account of her (its?) stability; or because it was founded by Chalcidian exiles from Euboea.’ Hesychius adds as synonyms Χαλκηδάνη, Χαλκίναος In Euripides we find Χαλκόπυλος as an epithet of the goddess. These variants are in themselves sufficient to contradict Suidas' two alternatives. The noteworthy feature about the sanctuary was its bronze decoration, and thus the name is descriptive of the sanctuary rather than of the goddess. It is not a cult-name, and represents no religious aspect of the goddess; in fact there is good reason to suppose that it is not even the original name of the sanctuary that crowned the Acropolis of Sparta, but one acquired at a subsequent restoration.

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