Argos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the city in Greece. For other uses, see Argos (disambiguation).
 Argos (Άργος) |
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| Coordinates | 37°37′ N 22°43′ E |
| Country | Greece |
| Periphery | Peloponnese |
| Prefecture | Argolis |
| Province | Argos |
| Population | 29,505 |
| Area | 5.6sq miles km² |
| Elevation | 42 m |
| Postal code | 21200 |
| Area code | 27510 |
| Licence plate code | AP |
| Mayor | Dimitrios Platis |
| Website | argos.gr |
Argos (Greek: Άργος, Árgos, IPA /'argos/) is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplio, which was its historic harbor, named for Nauplius.
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[edit] History
[edit] Ancient Argos
The region of Argos was — and is — called the Argolid; the name is derived, via Latin, from the oblique case forms of its Greek name. The inhabitants of Argos were called Αργεῖοι, Argīvī in Latin, hence English Argives.
The name is pre-Greek ("Pelasgian"), as is the name of its acropolis, Larissa. Aitiology derives it from a mythological founder, Argos son of Zeus and Niobe (see also Danaus).
A Neolithic settlement was located near the central sanctuary of Argolis, removed 45 stadia from Argos, closer to Mycenae. The sanctuary was dedicated to "Argivian Hera". The main festival of that temple were the Hekatombaia, one of the major festivals of Argos itself. Walter Burkert (Homo necans, p. 185) connected the festival to the myth of the slaying of Argus Panoptes by Hermes. There have been speculations that Hermes' epitheton Argeiphontes, which was understood as "Argus-slayer" very early, is in fact related to the adjective argós "shimmering" or "quick", from a root arg- (PIE *arǵ-, hence also argyros, silver), with a meaning "shining brightly" or similar, and only secondarily connected with the toponym or mythological Argus.
Argos was a major stronghold of Mycenaean times, and along with the neighboring acropoleis of Mycenae and Tiryns became very early settlements because of their commanding positions in the midst of the fertile plain of Argolis.
In Homeric times it belonged to a follower of Agamemnon and gave its name to the surrounding district— the Argolid— which the Romans knew as Argeia. The importance of Argos was eclipsed by nearby Sparta after the 6th century BC.
Because of its refusal to fight in the Persian War, Argos was shunned by most other city-states. Argos remained neutral or the ineffective ally of Athens during the 5th century BC struggles between Sparta and Athens.
[edit] Medieval Argos
In the 12th century, a castle was built on Larissa Hill - the site of the ancient Acropolis - called Kastro Larissa. Argos fell to the Crusaders then the Venetians, and was taken by the Ottomans in 1463. Morosini captured it for Venice in 1686 but it was retaken by the Ottomans in 1716. It became part of the Kingdom of Greece after the Greek War of Independence.
[edit] Modern Argos
The city of Argos is the seat of the province of the same name, one of the three subdivisions of the Argolis prefecture. According to the 2001 Greek census, the city has a population of 27,550. It is the largest city in the prefecture, one of the few prefectures in Greece where the largest city in population is larger than the prefectural capital.
Considerable remains of the city survive and are a popular tourist attraction. Agriculture, however, is the primary economic activity in the area, with citrus fruits the predominant crop. Olives are also popular here.
Argos has a school, a lyceum, a high school, a church, banks, a police station, a post office, a castle, a railway station (Kalamata - Tripoli - Corinth), a water tower, a junior soccer team, and a square (plateia). The Argos Archaeological Museum houses ancient artefacts recovered not only from the principal archaeological sites of the city, including the theater and agora but also from Lerna. [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official site (currently under construction)
| Municipalities and communities of the Argolis Prefecture |
|---|
| Argos • Asini • Asklipieio • Epidaurus • Ermioni • Koutsopodi • Kranidi • Lerna • Lyrkeia • Midea • Mykines • Nafplion • Nea Kios • Nea Tiryntha |
| Achladokampos • Alea |
