According to myth, Iphigenia and her brother Orestes stole a wooden cult statue of Artemis from the land of the Taurians (in modern Crimea). Under the instructions of Athena, they set up a sanctuary at Brauron to house the statue. Iphigenia apparently served Artemis as a priestess at Brauron until her death, after which she was buried there.
In classical times, Artemis was worshipped at Brauron in her role as protectress of childbirth. Every four years there was a festival, the Brauronia, in which girls between the ages of 5 and 10 dressed in saffron-coloured robes would perform rites, including a dance where it seems that they were dressed up as bears. The link between Artemis, childbirth and bears seems to recall the myth of the nymph Callisto, a virgin follower of Artemis who attracted the attention of Zeus. When she became pregnant, she was turned into a bear by Artemis for breaking her vow of chastity, but still went on to give birth to a son.
The importance of this cult can be seen in the fact that one of the temples on the Athenian Acropolis was dedicated to Artemis Brauronia.
