A city of ancient Greece in the northeast Peloponnesus near the head of the Gulf of Argolis. Inhabited from the early Bronze Age, it was one of the most powerful cities of ancient Greece until the rise of Sparta.
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A city of ancient Greece in the northeast Peloponnesus near the head of the Gulf of Argolis. Inhabited from the early Bronze Age, it was one of the most powerful cities of ancient Greece until the rise of Sparta.
Argos, Greek city in the north-east Peloponnese 5 km. (3 miles) from the sea, on a site occupied since prehistoric and Mycenaean times. The name often signifies also the territory belonging to the city, sometimes called Argolis (‘the Argolid’). In Homer the name is used to describe (i) the city, of which Diomedes was the king, (ii) the kingdom of Agamemnon, who was Diomedes' overlord, and (iii) by extension the whole of the Peloponnese, as opposed to Hellas, i.e. Greece north of the Isthmus of Corinth. Hence the name ‘Argives’ in Homer frequently means ‘Greeks’. In the stories of the Dorian Invasion, Argos became the stronghold of Temenus, the eldest of the Heracleidae. It probably retained leadership of the Peloponnese until challenged by Sparta in the seventh century BC. Argos defeated Sparta at the battle of Hysiae in 669, perhaps under the leadership of its king Pheidon, a legendary figure to whom no certain date can be ascribed. However, the wide power which Argos won under Pheidon did not survive his death, and thereafter, largely influenced by jealousy of Sparta, Argos played a secondary and not always very glorious role in the history of Greece.
The great Argive goddess was Hera, worshipped at the Heraeum some 10 km. (6 miles) north of Argos. Argive sculptors were outstanding in the early classical period, notably Polycleitus. For Argive myth see ADRASTUS.
The country code is: 30
The city code is: 751
| Argos (Άργος) | |
|---|---|
A view of Argos showing the remains of the ancient theatre |
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| Location | |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Time zone: | EET/EEST ([[UTC+2]]/[[UTC+3|3]]) |
| Elevation (center): | m ( ft) |
| Government | |
| Country: | Greece |
| Periphery: | Peloponnese |
| Prefecture: | Argolis |
| Mayor: | Vasilios Mpoures |
| Population statistics (as of 2001) | |
| City Proper | |
| - Population: | |
| - Area:[1] | km² ( sq mi) |
| - Density: | /km² ( /sq mi) |
| Codes | |
| Postal codes: | 21200 |
| Area codes: | 2751 |
| License plate codes: | AP |
| Website | |
| www.argos.gr | |
Argos (Greek: Άργος, Árgos, IPA /'arɣos/) is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplio, which was its historic harbor, named for Nauplius.
The region of Argos is called the Argolid. 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[citation needed]. 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
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 Greco-Persian Wars, 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.
Mythological Kings of Argos include : Inachus, Phoroneus, Argos, Agenor, Triopas, Iasus, Crotopus, Sthenelas, Pelasgus (aka Gelanor), Danaus, Lynceus, Abas, Acrisius, Proteus, Megapénthês, Perseus, Argeus, and Anaxagoras.
After this there were three kings ruling Argos at any time, one descended from each of Bias, Melampus, and Anaxagoras. Melampus was succeeded by his son Mantius, then Oicles, and Amphiaraus, and his house of Melampus lasted down to the brothers Alcmaeon and Amphilochus, who fought in the Trojan War.
Bias was succeeded by his son Talaus, and then by his son Adrastus who, with Amphiaraus, lead the disastrous Seven Against Thebes.
Anaxagoras was succeeded by his son Alector, and then Iphis. Ithis left his kingdom to his nephew Sthenelus, the son of his brother Capaneus. This house lasted longer than those of Bias and Melampus, and eventually the kingdom was reunited under its last member, Cyanippus.
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.
At the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, when many petty local republics that were formed in different parts of the country, the "Consulate of Argos" was proclaimed on 26 May, 1821, under the Senate of the Peloponnese. It had a single single head of state, styled Consul, 28 March 1821 - 26 May 1821: Stamatellos Antonopoulos.
Later, Argos accepted the authority of the unified Provisional Government at the First National Assembly at Epidaurus, and eventually became part of the Kingdom of Greece.
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 railway station (Kalamata - Tripoli - Corinth), and a junior soccer team. The Argos Archaeological Museum houses ancient artifacts recovered not only from the principal archaeological sites of the city, including the theater and agora but also from Lerna. [1]
| Municipalities and Communities of the Argolis Prefecture | |
|---|---|
| Municipalities | Argos • Asini • Asklipieio • Epidaurus • Ermioni • Koutsopodi • Kranidi • Lerna • Lyrkeia • Midea • Mykines • Nafplion • Nea Kios • Nea Tiryntha |
| Communities | Achladokampos • Alea |
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