History of Argos. Argos is one of the most ancient cities in Europe. A brief excursion into history
Argos (Greek Άργος) is a city in Greece, in the Peloponnese. The third oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe (after Plovdiv and Mantua).
The city is located in the center of the driest valley in Greece, on the tops of the Aspid (Prophet Elijah) and Larissa hills, on which there were two citadels. The city was located near the ancient cities of Mycenae and Tiryns, which are known from the poems of Homer as the kingdom of Agamemnon, but were already abandoned in the historical era; their role as the center of Argolis passed to Argos.
Story
The foundation of the city dates back to 2000 BC. e.
The main periods of the heyday of Argos are considered to be the Late Middle Helladic, Early Mycenaean, as well as the Geometric period.
The mythological history of the city is closely connected with King Adrastus and his campaigns against Thebes, which became one of the favorite subjects of ancient Greek tragedians. “Seven against Thebes” is a failed campaign of heroes in which everyone died except Adrast. The Campaign of the Epigones is a successful campaign of the children of the fallen heroes. One of the central characters of Homer's Iliad is Diomedes, grandson of Adrastus, king of Argos, dependent on Agamemnon, king of Mycenae.
Like the rest of the Peloponnese, Argos was captured by the Dorians, with Argos probably being the first center of strengthening Dorian power in the Peloponnese. The indigenous population of the region lived as perieks. The royal power in Argos traces its origins to Temen, a descendant of Hercules. Among the rulers of Argos, the figure of Fidon, who probably ruled in the 8th-7th centuries, stands out. BC e. He pursued an active offensive policy and subjugated Argolis and the island of Aegina. After him, the tyrants known are Perillus and Arkhin. Despite their common Dorian origins, Argos was a constant military rival of Sparta.
After the defeat of the Spartans at Leuctra in 371 BC. e. Argos withdrew from the Peloponnesian League and entered into a treaty with Athens, and the following year the city suffered a massacre of the oligarchs known as the Argive Wandering.
In the 3rd century. BC e. the tyrants Archin and Lafaes are known, then Aristippus I, his son Aristomachus I. Aristomachus I died during a conspiracy in 241 BC. e. and power passed to his sons, first to Aristippus II, then to Aristomachus II. Aristippus II died in 235 BC. e. in the battle of Mycenae with Aratus of Sicyon.
Attractions
- Fortress Acropolis on Larisa Hill.
- Hill of Prophet Elijah
- Amphitheater, the largest theater BC. e.
- Agora
- Archaeological Museum
- Sanctuary of Hera. The city was one of the cult centers of worship of the goddess Hera. The sanctuary of Hera - Hereion was located near Argos, on the terrace of the mountain. The first temple, probably built in the 8th century. BC BC, was one of the first Greek temples built according to the peripterus scheme. The temple kept lists of the goddess's priestesses, which the Greek historians Hellanicus and Thucydides used as a starting point for chronology.
- Sanctuary of Apollo and Athena
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Geography
The city is located in the center of the driest valley in Greece, on the tops of the Aspid (Prophet Elijah) and Larissa hills, on which there were two citadels. The city was located near the ancient cities of Mycenae and Tiryns, which are known from the poems of Homer as the kingdom of Agamemnon, but in the historical era they were already abandoned, their role as the center of Argolis passed to Argos.
Story
The foundation of the city dates back to 2000 BC. e.
The mythological history of the city is closely connected with King Adrastus and his campaigns against Thebes, which became one of the favorite subjects of ancient Greek tragedians. “Seven against Thebes” is a failed campaign of heroes in which everyone died except Adrast. The Campaign of the Epigones is a successful campaign of the children of the fallen heroes. One of the central heroes of Homer's Iliad is Diomedes, grandson of Adrastus, king of Argos, dependent on Agamemnon, king of Mycenae.
Like the rest of the Peloponnese, Argos was captured by the Dorians, with Argos probably being the first center of strengthening Dorian power in the Peloponnese. The indigenous population of the region lived in the position of perieks. The royal power in Argos traces its origins to Temen, a descendant of Hercules. Among the rulers of Argos, the figure of Fidon, who probably ruled in the 8th-7th centuries, stands out. BC e. He pursued an active offensive policy and subjugated Argolis and the island of Aegina. After him, the tyrants known are Perillus and Arkhin. Despite their common Dorian origins, Argos was a constant military rival of Sparta.
In the 3rd century. BC e. the tyrants Archin and Lafaes are known, then Aristippus I, his son Aristomachus I. Aristomachus I died during a conspiracy in 241 BC. e. and power passed to his sons, first to Aristippus II, then to Aristomachus II. Aristippus II died in 235 BC. e. in the battle of Mycenae with Aratus of Sicyon.
Attractions
- Amphitheater, the largest theater BC. e.
- Archaeological Museum
- Sanctuary of Hera. The city was one of the cult centers of worship of the goddess Hera. The sanctuary of Hera - Hereion was located near Argos, on the terrace of the mountain. The first temple, probably built in the 8th century. BC e. , was one of the first Greek temples built according to the peripterus scheme. The temple kept lists of the goddess's priestesses, which the Greek historians Hellanicus and Thucydides used as a starting point for chronology.
- Sanctuary of Apollo and Athena
Personalities
In the 5th-4th centuries. BC. the city was famous for the sculpture workshop of Polykleitos and his students. It was here that the foundations of classical Greek art were laid. The sculptures of Polykleitos Doryphoros and Diadumen were called canons - models.see also
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Notes
Links
- Wikimedia Commons logo Wikimedia Commons has media on the topic Argos
- Argos // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
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Excerpt characterizing Argos (city)
We looked after her in a daze and, unable to understand anything, continued to stand like a pillar, digesting what had happened. Stella, as always, was the first to come to her senses and shouted:- Girl, wait, what is this? What should we do about this?! Well, just wait!!!
But the little man, without turning around, only waved his fragile palm at us and calmly continued on his way, very soon completely disappearing into a sea of lush green, unearthly grass... above which now only a light cloud fluttered a transparent purple fog...
- Well, what was that? – Stella said, as if asking herself.
I didn’t feel anything bad yet and, having calmed down a little after the “gift” that unexpectedly fell, I said.
– Let’s not think about it for now, and we’ll see later...
We decided on this.
The joyful green field disappeared somewhere, replaced this time by a completely deserted, cold-icy desert, in which, on a single stone, the only person there was sitting... He was clearly very upset about something, but, at the same time, seemed very warm and friendly. Long gray hair fell in wavy strands over her shoulders, framing a face worn by years with a silver halo. It seemed that he did not see where he was, did not feel what he was sitting on, and in general, did not pay any attention to the reality around him...
- Hello, sad man! – Having approached enough to start a conversation, Stella quietly greeted.
The man raised his eyes - they turned out to be blue and clear, like the earthly sky.
- What do you want, little ones? What have you lost here?.. – the “hermit” asked detachedly.
- Why are you sitting here alone, and there is no one with you? – Stella asked sympathetically. - And the place is so creepy...
It was clear that the man did not want to communicate at all, but Stella’s warm voice left him no choice - he had to answer...
“I haven’t needed anyone for many, many years.” “This doesn’t make any sense,” his sad, gentle voice muttered.
“Then what are you doing here alone?” – the baby did not let up, and I was afraid that we would seem too intrusive to him, and he would simply ask us to leave him alone.
But Stella had a real talent for making anyone, even the most silent person, talk... Therefore, amusingly tilting her cute red head to the side, and, clearly not intending to give up, she continued:
- Why don’t you need anyone? Does this happen?
“As it happens, little one...” the man sighed heavily. - It just happens... I’ve lived my whole life in vain - who do I need now?..
Then I slowly began to understand something... And having collected myself, I carefully asked:
– Everything was revealed to you when you came here, right?
The man jumped up in surprise and, fixing his now piercing gaze on me, sharply asked:
“What do you know about this, little one?.. What can you know about this?...” he slouched even more, as if the weight that had fallen on him was unbearable. – All my life I have struggled with the incomprehensible, all my life I have been looking for an answer... and I did not find it. And when I came here, everything turned out to be so simple!.. So my whole life was wasted...
- Well, then everything is fine if you have already found out everything!.. And now you can look for something else again - there is also a lot of incomprehensible here! – the delighted Stella “calmed” the stranger. -What is your name, sad man?
- Fabius, honey. Do you know the girl who gave you this crystal?
Stella and I jumped in unison in surprise and, now together, grabbed poor Fabius with a “death grip”...
– Oh, please tell us who she is!!! – Stella immediately squealed. – We definitely need to know this! Well, absolutely, absolutely definitely! This happened to us!!! This happened!.. And now we absolutely don’t know what to do about it... – the words flew from her mouth like a machine-gun burst and it was impossible to stop her even for a minute, until she herself, completely out of breath, stopped.
“She’s not from here,” the man said quietly. - She's from afar...
This absolutely and completely confirmed my crazy guess, which appeared to me briefly and, frightening itself, immediately disappeared...
- How - from afar? – the baby didn’t understand. – You can’t go any further, can you? We're not going any further, are we?
And then Stella’s eyes began to widen a little, and understanding slowly but surely began to appear in them...
- Mommy, did she fly to us?!.. But how did she fly?!.. And how is she completely alone? Oh, she’s alone!.. How can we find her now?!
In Stella’s stunned brain, thoughts were confused and seething, overshadowing each other... And I, completely stunned, could not believe that what I had been secretly waiting for for so long and with such hope had finally happened!.. And now, Having finally found it, I couldn’t hold on to this wondrous miracle...
“Don’t kill yourself like that,” Fabius calmly turned to me. – They have always been here... And they always are. You just have to see...
“How?!..”, as if two stunned eagle owls, widening their eyes at him, we exhaled in unison. – How – always there?!..
Located 12 kilometers south of the fork at Mykines, Argos is the oldest city in Greece, about 5 thousand years old, and for all these many years people have always lived here, although, having been here, you probably won’t believe it right away. But nevertheless, there is a lot to see here: houses in the neoclassical style, an excellent museum and, of course, Roman ruins. Try to structure your trip to get to Argos on Wednesday. On this day, villagers from all the surrounding mountain villages gather in the market square. The market square is located between the barracks and the neoclassical market building, and the market is called Laiki Agora (meaning: street market).
The Modern Archaeological Museum (Tuesday-Sunday 8:30-15:00; 2 €, or, for visiting the museum and theater, 3 €) is located next to the pedestrian street Elgas and between the market square and St. Peter's Square - Agio Petrou Square, on where the main church of the city stands. It is especially interesting to look here after Mycenae, since the exhibition contains a lot of Mycenaean funeral utensils, as well as armor and dishes. The period of Roman rule in the region is also well represented: there are sculptures, mosaics, as well as the finds that archaeologists discovered in Lerna.
Before leaving the city, check out the ruins of the ancient city - it’s a ten-minute walk along the road to Tripoli: you walk from the market square first along Fidonos, then along the Theater. The archaeological site (Tuesday-Sunday 8:30-15:00; 2 €) turned out to be unexpectedly rich, and excavations continue. Built in the classical era of Ancient Greece and later used by the Romans, the theater looks strangely narrow from the road, but once you climb up you will see that it is actually huge.
It is estimated that it accommodated 20 thousand spectators - 6 thousand more than the theater in - and, therefore, in Greece only the theaters in Megalopolis and Dodona could compare with it. Nearby are the ruins of the odeon and thermae (Roman baths). Above them rises the ancient acropolis: a hill crowned with the medieval fortress of Larisa (Tuesday-Sunday 8:30-15:00; free).
The fortress was built by the Franks, but on the foundations of the 6th century BC, later additions were Venetian and Turkish. Thick walls, tanks for collecting water (precipitation), gutters and a wonderful panorama. You'll be well rewarded for the tedious uphill climb, either along the path that starts behind the theater or along the long circular road.
Arrival, accommodation and meals in Argos
In Argos you may need to transfer from bus to bus, especially since transport in Argos is better than in Nafplio. Local buses to Mykines and Nemea leave from a stop at Kalleri, near the market square, next to the Dikastico Katastima (court) building and the ticket office there.
And just around the corner, on Kapodistrias, there is a KTEL branch, from where buses depart to Athens, Tripolis, Sparta and further along the coast to Leonidion. The taxi rank is on Fidonos, where the market square intersects with the main street, and buses to Kefalari and Kiveri leave from there (if you need Lerna, get off at Mili).
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Argos located on a peninsula, among picturesque high hills, in the center of the driest valley, being one of the oldest cities on the European continent, which were inhabited continuously throughout its existence. These places annually attract thousands of tourists who want to see the natural beauty of this region and take a fascinating journey through the ruins of the ancient city, with its unique architectural structures that have survived to this day.
Peculiarities
According to the most common version of Greek mythology, Argos was a giant who had many eyes and guarded herds, while 2 of his eyes never closed, which gave him a special advantage. This name has, for centuries, made the city an integral part of the mythical stories and legends that characterize this area. However, the modern appearance of Argos is also very attractive. Thanks to the increased tourist attention, the infrastructure is well developed here, there are cozy inexpensive hotels, culinary and entertainment establishments, as well as shops and retail outlets. Special attention is paid here to folk crafts, which can be seen by looking at the workshops of local craftsmen and the abundance of all kinds of souvenirs on street stalls. The traditional way of life for the Greeks, which characterizes the culture and traditions of past years, also attracts attention.
general information
The area of Argos is not significant, and the local population is only about 30 thousand people. Time is 1 hour behind Moscow in winter. Time zone UTC+2 and UTC+3 in the summer. Telephone code+30 27510. Official website www.argos.gr.
A brief excursion into history
Ancient Argos was born approximately 2 thousand years BC, although this date can hardly be considered the only correct one, since settlements in the Peloponnese began to appear much earlier, and over the millennia of its existence, the city changed many names. In myths and legends, his history is closely connected with King Adrastus, whose campaigns are reflected in the writings of ancient Greek authors. In ancient times, along with the rest of the Peloponnese, the city was captured by the Dorians and became the first fortified center on the peninsula, symbolizing the power of the new government. It is interesting that the royal power here came from the descendants of Hercules, and the worship of the gods in different years was considered an integral part of a prosperous existence. Today, on the territory of the city there are many surviving fragments of architectural buildings from ancient times, personifying the long history of these places, and excavations continue to be carried out to this day. Thanks to the great attention from tourists who visit Argos every year, its city budget is steadily replenished, and the city itself is considered an invaluable historical heritage of the entire country.
Climate
The weather conditions of Argos are significantly influenced by the Mediterranean climate. Winter here is mild and warm, with little rainfall. Summer is always sunny and hot. Between May and September, the air temperature regularly exceeds +30 degrees. You can come here at any time of the year, as relatively comfortable weather persists throughout the entire 12 months.
How to get there
Argos does not have its own airport, so the most the best option to be here, it seems like a flight to or, from where you can get to the place by train or bus. They are located, respectively, 96 and 85 kilometers from the city.
Transport
Within the city limits, buses are used as a public means of transportation.
Attractions and entertainment
One of the most interesting archaeological sites of Argos is the Larisa castle, located on the top of the hill of the same name, at an altitude of 289 meters above sea level. It received its name in honor of the daughter of King Pelasgus, and the surviving fragments in the northern and western parts of the structure date back to the 6th-5th centuries BC. For many centuries it was captured by the Byzantines, Venetians, and Ottomans. In 1928, the Dutch archaeologist Wolfgraf discovered the Church of the Virgin Mary inside the fortress, which, according to research, was built by Bishop Niketas of Argos in 1166. On this moment the ruins of the building are quite well preserved and open to public access. In addition, there is a convenient road along the hill. From the top of the hill you can admire fabulous views of the modern city and its surrounding environs.
An equally impressive picture opens from the upper rows of the ancient amphitheater, considered one of the largest in the world. With the arrival of the Romans, it was used for gladiator matches. Not far from Larisa's castle in ancient times there was a sanctuary of the goddess Hera, who was worshiped by local residents. The ancient Greek Agora and the Hill of Prophet Elijah deserve special attention. Also, Argos houses the most interesting Archaeological Museum, whose exhibitions include unique objects found at the excavation site over the years. Another advantage of the museum is the impressive collection of vases, many of which are decorated with geometric lines with images of animals and waterfowl. In the museum courtyard, visitors have the opportunity to admire examples of Roman mosaics. Many noteworthy objects are located in areas close to Argos, to which you can go on a tour if you wish.
Kitchen
The city's culinary establishments offer a wide variety of dishes, but national Greek cuisine predominates. In any cafe or restaurant, visitors can enjoy fresh seafood, all kinds of salads, meat, fruits, vegetables, drinks and sweets for every taste.
Shopping
Local shops and retail outlets also have a wide selection and are ready to satisfy many consumer needs.
Argos is the embodiment of ancient Greek history and is of great interest to those travelers who are partial to the origins of the ancient world. Combined with picturesque nature, fragments of ancient fortresses and temples, as well as the blue Aegean Sea, this city can give many pleasant impressions and become a kind of connecting link between the past and the present.
