Arcadia¹

 

(ärkā'dēə) , region of ancient Greece, in the middle of the Peloponnesus, without a seaboard, and surrounded and dissected by mountains. The Arcadians, relatively isolated from the rest of the world, lived a proverbially simple and natural life. By far the largest city was megalopolis, founded by Epaminondas. It had some political power, especially in the Arcadian League, but Arcadia as a whole was of little political significance. The independent mountaineers periodically fought against Spartan power, but did not cooperate well. Other cities were Mantinea, Tegea, Orchomenus, and Heraea.

Arcadia Prefecture Νομός Αρκαδίας
Periphery	Peloponnese
Capital	Tripoli
Population	100,611 (2005)Ranked 38th
Area	4,419 km² Ranked 5th
Population density	22.8/km²Ranked 52nd
Number of provinces	4
Number of municipalities	22
Number of communities	1
Postal codes	22x xx
Area codes	2710, 275x0, 279x0
Licence plate code	ΤΡ
ISO 3166-2 code	GR-12
Website	www.arcadia.gr/

Arcadia or Arkadía (Greek Αρκαδία) is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas.

Modern Arcadia

Arcadia has its present-day capital at Tripoli. It forms the largest prefecture on the Peloponnesian peninsula. It currently covers about 18% of the entire peninsula, although it once extended to about 20 to 25% of the peninsula.

The prefecture has a skiing resort on Mount Maenalus, the Mainalon, located about 20 km NW of Tripoli. The other mountains include the Parnon in the southeast, the Artemisio, the Saita, the Skiathio, the Lykaia and Tsiberou.

The Greek National Road 7 (E65) highway, which was extended after 1997 and in 2003, runs through Arcadia on a north-west to south-east axis and nearly forms in the southwest the end of the highway. A thermoelectric power station which produces electricity for most of southern Greece, operates to the south of Megalopolis, along with a coal mine.

Arcadia has two tunnels. The Artemisio Tunnel opened first, followed by the tunnel east of Megalopolis; both serve traffic flowing between Messenia and Athens.

In agriculture, potato farms (dominant in central and northcentral Arcadia), mixed farming, olive groves, and pasture dominate the plains of Arcadia, especially in the area around Megalopolis and between Tripoli and Levidi. One of these cuisines were featured on Mega Channel's cooking show hosted by Mamalakis that was shown on prime time.

Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770 - 1843), a general in the Greek War of Independence (1821 - 1832), lived in Arcadia.

Dimitris Plapoutas (1786-1864), a general in the Greek War of Independence, also lived in Arcadia.

Ancient and modern towns and cities

The chief cities and communities in the prefecture include Tripoli, Astros, Vytina, Dimitsana, Lagkadia, Leonidio, Leontari, Levidi, Megalopolis Paloumba and Stemnitsa.

Ancient cities include Asea, Astros, Athinaio, Daseae, Falaisia (Phalesia), Gortys, Hypsus (Stemnitsa, Irea, Lykaio, Megalopoli, Tegea, Thoknia,. Trapezus, Tropaia, Tripoli and more.

Provinces

Arcadia has 4 provinces:

• Gortynia Province - Dimitsana
• Kynouria Province - Leonidio
• Mantineia Province - Tripolis
• Megalopoli Province - Megalopolis

Municipalities and communities

Municipality	YPES code	Seat (if different)	Postal code
Apollonas	0501	Tyros	220 29
Dimitsana	0506		220 07
Falaisia	0522	Leontari	220 21
Falanthos	0523	Davia	221 00
Gortyna	0505	Karytaina	220 22
Iraia	0507	Paloumba	220 28
Kleitor	0507	Mygdalia	220 28
Kontovazaina	0509		220 15
Korythio	0510	Steno	221 00
Lagkadia	0512		220 03
Leonidio	0514		223 00
Levidi	0513		220 02
Mantineia	0515	Nestani	220 05
Megalopoli	0516		222 00
North Kynouria	0503	Astros	220 01
Skyritida	0517	Vlachokerasia	220 16
Tegea	0518	Stadio	220 12
Trikolonoi	0519	Stemnitsa	220 24
Tripoli	0520		221 00
Tropaia	0521		220 08
Valtetsi	0502	Asea	220 27
Vytina	0504		220 10
Community	YPES code	Seat (if different)	Postal code
Kosmas	0511		230 58

See also: List of settlements in the Arcadia prefecture

Climate

The climate consists of hot summers and mild winters in the eastern part, the southern part, the low lying areas and the central area at altitudes lower than 1,000 m. The area primarily receives rain during fall and winter months in the rest of Arcadia. Winter snow occurs commonly in the mountainous areas for much of the west and the northern part, the Taygetus area, the Mainalon.

History

Due to its remote, mountainous character, Arcadia has always been a classical refuge. So during the Dorian invasion, when Mycenaean Greek was replaced with Doric Greek along the coast of the Peloponnes, it survived in Arcadia, developing into the Arcadocypriot dialect of Classical Antiquity. Arcadocypriot never became a literary dialect, but it is known from inscriptions. Tsan is a letter of the Greek alphabet occurring only in Arcadia, shaped like Cyrillic И; it represents an affricate that developed from labiovelars in context where they became t in other dialects. Tsakonian Greek , still spoken on the coast of the modern prefecture of Arcadia, in the Classical period considered the southern Argolid coast immediately adjoining Arcadia, is a descendant of Doric Greek, and as such is an extraordinary example of a surviving regional dialect of archaic Greek. The capital of Tsakonia is the Arcadian coastal town of Leonidio.

One of the birthplaces reported for Zeus is Mount Lycaeum in Arcadia. Lycaon, a cannibalistic Pelasgian king, was transformed into a werewolf by Zeus. Lycaon's daughter was Callisto. It was also said to have been the birthplace of Zeus' son, Hermes.

Arcadia remained a rustic, secluded area, and its inhabitants became proverbial as primitive herdsmen leading simple pastoral unsophisticated yet happy lives, to the point that Arcadia may refer to some imaginary idyllic paradise, immortalized by Virgil's Eclogues, and later by Jacopo Sannazaro in his pastoral masterpiece, Arcadia (1504); see also Arcadia (utopia).

Arcadia later joined the Roman Empire and later the Byzantine Empire. In the early-1st millennium, the area became a part of the Frankish Empire. In the mid-15th century, the region fell into the hands of the Ottoman Turks with some exceptions in the 16th century for a couple of years. During these periods, many towns and villages were founded.

The Latin phrase Et in Arcadia ego which is usually interpreted to mean "I am also in Arcadia" or "I am even in Arcadia" is an example of memento mori, a cautionary reminder of the transitory nature of life and the inevitability of death. The phrase is most often associated with a 1647 painting by Nicolas Poussin, also known as "The Arcadian Shepherds". In the painting the phrase appears as an inscription on a tomb discovered by youthful figures in classical garb.

After 400 years of occupation by the Ottomans, Arcadia was the epicentre of the Greek War of Independence which saw victories in their battles including one in Tripoli which saw the Greek revolutionaries slaughter around 30,000 Turks. After a victorious revolutionary war, Arcadia was finally incorporated into a newly-created Greek state. Arcadia saw economic growth and small emigration.

In the 20th century, Arcadia experienced extensive population loss through emigration, mostly to the Americas. Many Arcadian villages lost almost half their inhabitants, and fears arose that they would turn into ghost towns. Arcadia now has a smaller population than Corinthia. Demographers expected that its population would halve between 1951 and the early 21st century. The prefectural population is in a range to a point that could fall below the 100,000 mark which could make it the next prefecture in Greece to have less than a 100,000 people.

After World War II and the Greek Civil War, many villages and towns were rebuilt.

An enormous earthquake with a 5 Richter scale range shook Megalopoli and the surrounding area. Many buildings were destroyed, leaving people homeless. Within a couple of years, the buildings were rebuilt anti-seismically. In 1967, construction began on the Megalopoli Power Plant. It began operating in 1970, producing electricity for southern Greece. A mining area south of the plant is the largest mining area in the peninsula and continues to the present day with one settlement moved.

Water problems haunted its residents when they were protesting over the rights of water usage with the Argolida and its new reservoir near Saga on July 3, 2007. On July 27, a wildfire started in Gortynia in the western portion, threatening several nearby villages and burning a small portion of the forested area. Less than a month later, another minor forest fire occurred near Tropaia on Thursday August 23. A day later, the minor fire changed into a major fire that began in the southwest of Arcadia Soulos. Arson-related fires spread and burned villages including Chrousa, Leontari, Vasta, Tourkoleka, Dirahi, near Megalopoli, Makryssi and Anavryto and burned around 5% of the prefecture and the southwestern portion. The fire that was burning in the southern Ilia prefecture spread into Arcadia and began burning Atsicholos and the area around Karytaina. Residents prevented the fire from entering Megalopoli, Karytaina, and its surrounding area by chopping down trees, thus preventing the fire from entering the village. Choppers received water from Lake Taka and the sea. The fires lasted from Friday August 24, with high winds and hot temperatures that were reported at 42° C. They slowed on Monday but progressed on Tuesday August 27. The fires finally died down when temperatures cooled off and a low pressure system from southern Europe brought rain into the area. Roads were closed and electricity was cut off for several days. After the fire ended, hundreds of mobile homes were sent to people who had lost their homes. Trees will be planted, but it may take a couple of years to restore the area's natural beauty and forests.

Transport

• Major roads or highways:
  • Greek National Road 7
  • Greek National Road 33, N
  • Greek National Road 37, Cen, S
  • Greek National Road 66, N
  • Greek National Road 74, NW, N
  • Greek National Road 76, W, SW
• Secondary roads:
  • Leontari-Dyrrachi Road
  • Leonidi-Monemvasia Road
  • Karytaina-Dimitsana Road
  • Megalopoli-Lykaio Road
  • Sparta-Leonidi Road
  • Tripoli-Dimitsana Road
  • Tripoli-Leonidi Road
  • Tripoli-Nestani Road
  • Tripoli-Vytina Road
  • Veligosti-Vasta Road
  • Vourvoura-Leonidi Road

Communications

Television

• Arkadiki Radiophonia Teleorassi - ART

Sports teams

• Arcadia Shepherds is the South African football (soccer) club from the city of Pretoria. The club was formed in 1903 and has been a source of players from its youth system that have gone on to higher profile careers overseas. The club's glory year was 1974, when it won every competition entered.
• Asteras Tripolis is the Greek soccer club from the city of Tripoli.
• Leonidio FC is the Greek soccer club from the town of Leonidio.

Persons

• Ancient Olympic victors:
  • Androsthenes of Maenalus, won gold in 420 and 416 BC
  • Euthymenes of Maenalus, won gold in 400 and 392 BC
• Angelos Angelopoulos, economist, professor of the University of Athens
• Mimis Fotopoulos (April 1913 in Zatouna Gortynias - 1986 in Athens)
• Nikos Gatsos, poet
• Costas Gavras, actor
• Kostas Karyotakis (October 30, 1896 – July 20, 1928 in Preveza)
• Yiannis Kouros, ultramarathon runner
• Giorgos Merikas, doctor
• Georgios Mistriois, philologist
• Dimitris Mitropoulos
• Vasileios Oikonomou, lawman
• Giannis Panou, poet
• Vasilis Papakonstantinou, singer and director
• Dimitrios Paparrigopoulos
• Giorgos Santas, with Manolis Glezos, he was famous for restoring the Greek flag at the Acropolis after nearly three and a half years of non-Greek occupation of the Battle of Greece in 1944, a part of World War II.
• Ilias Simopoulos, poet
• Georgios Stamatopoulos
• Kostas Tournas, director?, poet and singer
• Babis Tsertos, singer
• Stavros Tsiolis, actor
• Georgios Valkans, chemist
• Thanassis Valtinos, poet
• Kollias the Vytinioti
• Simos Chatzis, soccer player

References in popular culture

• The Greek and Latin name Arcadius/Arkadios was derived from "Arcadia" (see the Emperor Arcadius, the grammarian Arcadius of Antioch, the patriarch Arkadios II). From Greek it passed in Russian, Ukrainian and other Slavic languages, where it is a common male name as Arkady or Arcady.

• The area of the prefecture were featured in several ERT programs including documentaries on the Megalopoli Mine and Ladon Lake

• In the 2006 Doctor Who episode 'Doomsday', the Doctor mentions being 'there at the fall of Arcadia'.

• In the video game Bioshock, "Arcadia" is the name of an area in one of the levels, with an artificial forest and touted as a vacation paradise.

• In the Stardust Classics children's fantasy novels, Arcadia is the name of a kingdom ruled by the young Princess Alissa.

• In the film 300 Leonidas is joined by a group of Arcadians to help him fight against the Persians.

• In Space Pirate Captain Harlock, the show's main ship is called Arcadia, perhaps hinting that the ship itself is a sort of refuge to pirates.

• In the text MUD Achaea, Arcadia is the home of a race of winged humans (Atavians).

See also

List of traditional Greek place names

External links

• Pan-Arcadian Congress
• http://www.arcadians.gr
• University of Patras, Arkadia-Project
• Arcadia, Greece
• Unknown Arcadia
• http://flyingbrick.freeyellow.com/arcadia.htm
• http://www.arcadianet.gr/en/
• http://www.tripolis.gr

Coordinates: 37°35′N, 22°15′E

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