Caroline's Charming Adventures: The Argive Heraion

So, the Argive Heraion is a temple of Hera that's in the Argolid.

Exciting, isn't it?

Except actually it really is! This is the place where the story of Cleobis and Biton takes place!
What is this story, you may ask? Well, I could tell you... or I could let Herodotus do it for me. Let me set the scene. Solon, Athenian law giver, has wandered, during his magical journey through time and space, over to Lydia, where the King is Croesus. Croesus asks Solon who the happiest man on earth is, expecting that the answer will be "you, of course." Solon's first answer is an Athenian man- when Croesus is unsatisfied and asks who is the second happiest, this is Solon's reply. "Cleobis and Biton: for these, who were of Argos by race, possessed a sufficiency of wealth and, in addition to this, strengthof body such as I shall tell. Both equally had won prizes in thegames, and moreover the following tale is told of them:--There was a feast of Hera among the Argives and it was by all means necessary thattheir mother should be borne in a car to the temple. But since their oxen were not brought up in time from the field, the young men, barredfrom all else by lack of time, submitted themselves to the yoke anddrew the wain, their mother being borne by them upon it; and so theybrought it on for five-and-forty furlongs, and came to the temple.Then after they had done this and had been seen by the assembled crowd, there came to their life a most excellent ending; and in thisthe deity declared that it was better for man to die than to continueto live. For the Argive men were standing round and extolling thestrength of the young men, while the Argive women were extolling the mother to whose lot it had fallen to have such sons; and themother being exceedingly rejoiced both by the deed itself and by thereport made of it, took her stand in front of the image of the goddessand prayed that she would give to Cleobis and Biton her sons, who hadhonoured her greatly, that gift which is best for man to receive:and after this prayer, when they had sacrificed and feasted, the youngmen lay down to sleep within the temple itself, and never rose again,but were held bound in this last end. And the Argives made statuesin the likeness of them and dedicated them as offerings at Delphi,thinking that they had proved themselves most excellent."
That's my really cool archaeology professor.
Isn't it nifty? Also, they sure knew how to pick places to put their temples.