Argos
Argos (
Greek:
Άργος,
Árgos, IPA /'argos/) is a city in Greece in the
Peloponnese near
Nafplio, which was its historic harbor, named for
Nauplius.
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 Αργει̃οι,
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 , hence also
argyros, silver), with a meaning "shining brightly" or similar, and only secondarily connected with the toponym or mythological Argus.
|
A view of modern Argos showing the remains of the ancient amphitheatre |
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.
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 Franks and then the Venetians, until
1463. The Turks held Argos until
1686 when Argos fell again to the Venetians under
Morosini. The city remained in Venetian hands until
1716, when it fell to the Turks, who held it until the
Greek War of Independence in
1821.
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]
*
Communities of Argolis*
Communities of Argos*
Official site (currently under construction)
