Argos is a city in the Peloponnese that belongs to the Peripheral
Unit of Argolida. It is the largest city in the prefecture with a
population of 22,209 inhabitants (2011 census). It is the center of
commercial and industrial activities of the prefecture.
Argos
is also the seat of the "kallikratiko" Municipality of
Argos-Mycenae, which has a population of 42,022 inhabitants and in
terms of its area is identified with the former Province of Argos,
of which the city was also the seat. In the former Municipality of
Argos ("Kapodistria Plan") and now in the homonymous municipal unit
of the Municipality of Argos-Mycenae belong outside the Argos, the
Communities of Dalamanara, Elliniko, Ira, Inachos, Kefalari,
Kourtaki, Lakouka and Pyrgella.
It is considered the oldest
city in Mainland Europe due to the existence of many archaeological
monuments dating back to the Late Bronze Age, when it was one of the
most important centers of Mycenaean Civilization and one of the
oldest in Greece.
The name of the city is very ancient and many theories have been proposed for its etymological approach. The prevailing view considers the name as a remnant of the Pelasgian language, that is, of the people who historically first settled in the area of Argos, in which it meant "plain". According to an alternative theory, the name is etymologically connected with Argos, the third king of the city in antiquity, who renamed it after his name, thus replacing its previous name Foronikon Asty. A correspondence has also been suggested with the word "argos" (with a rise in tone), meaning "white", probably from the visual impression one made when one saw the Argolic plain at harvest time. Related is the connection of the word with the word "field", with a reversal of the pacts (according to Strabo).
Ancient times
Mythology
The first king of Argos is considered to be Inachos,
son of Oceanus and Tethys, who also gave his name to the river of
the region. After the flood of Deucalion, he founded Argos. He
taught his subjects the cultivation of the land, the making of
garments, the processing of glass and precious stones.
The
importance of the culture of Argos is also seen from the epics of
Homer in which all Greeks (even the Beautiful Helen) are called
"Argians". Maybe because all the royal houses of Greece come from
Argos, including the houses of the Macedonians. The important place
of the Argeian civilization is also seen by the tragic poets whose
many tragedies are mentioned in Argos; Two of the greatest heroes of
Greek mythology, Perseus and Hercules, come from Argos. Euripides'
tragedy "Hercules" also begins with a reference to the hero's Argos
origin.
Prehistory
Foronikon Asty, as Argos was called
before it acquired its current name, is considered by many to be the
first city in the world. The area of today's city of Argos
experienced the first human settlement at the end of the 3rd
millennium BC, in the Neolithic era. Since then it has been
inhabited continuously, being built again and again in the same
geographical position that it holds until today with its first
colonizers being considered in prehistoric times the Pelasgians. The
first residential records are observed at the foot of the hill of
Aspida and Larissa, while the settlement of populations in the
eastern part of the city occurred much later. Its central position
between Nemea, Corinth and the Arcadian hinterland played an
important role in the development of Argos, while it was also
favored by the lake of Lerna, which at that time reached a distance
of one kilometer south of the city.
Ancient Greece
The
Pelasgians bequeathed to the city many names, such as its own name
and the word "Larissa", the name of the castle that dominates the
homonymous hill of the city, which means citadel. On the same hill
there was the sanctuary of the goddess Hera of Akraia, today the
monastery of Panagia Katakekrymeni.
In the Mycenaean era,
Argos, together with Mycenae and Tiryns, was an important settlement
with a strategic position in the fertile Argolic plain. The city had
its own currency and reached its peak of power in the 7th century
BC. under the tyranny of Pheidon, when it prevailed over the other
Peloponnesian cities, especially Sparta. During this period, a
school of sculpture and coppersmithing operated in the city, while
the pottery, tanneries and ready-made garments that made clothes in
a rich variety of designs and colors were also noteworthy. It is not
characteristic that at regular intervals, an exhibition was
organized with the products of the Argolic land. In ancient Argos
there was also a multitude of celebrations, judging by the at least
25 celebrations that have been recorded.
During the Descent
of the Dorians, around 1098 BC, Argos was divided into four
districts, each of which was inhabited by a different tribe. The
weakening and loss of the prestige of Argos occurred later, on the
one hand, with its refusal to provide supplies and to participate in
the Greco-Persian wars and on the other hand, with the neutral
stance it maintained later, during the Peloponnesian War.
Roman period
During this period begins the decline of the
commercial character of the city and the change of its urban fabric,
especially due to the invasion of the Goths in 396, with the ancient
market ceasing to be a meeting point and the movement of the city to
be transferred to the eastern district , on the borders of today's
Danaou and Agios Konstantinos streets. In the Byzantine Empire,
Argos belonged first to the Theme of Greece and then to the Theme of
the Peloponnese.
Middle Ages
Leon Sgouros
At the beginning of the 13th century, the Greek ruler from
Nafplio, Leon Sgouros, rebelled against the emperor Alexios III and
proclaimed himself ruler. Leon Sgouros, starting from his homeland,
occupied Argos and Corinth, killed the archbishop there, demolishing
him from Acrocorinth after previously blinding him. The rule of
Sgouros soon extended from Nafplio to Boeotia (1203). The following
year the Franks campaigned and occupied Constantinople in the Fourth
Crusade (1204), Alexios III sought refuge in Larissa, and gave
Sgouros his daughter Evdokia Angelina as his wife and his title
[Despot]. Sgouros did not find support from the local Greek
population due to his tyrannical rule and took refuge in the Castle
of Acrokorinthos where he was fortified (1205). The Franks after
their triumph in the Battle of the olive grove of Kountoura besieged
the hegemony of Sgouros to which Argos also belonged, he himself
remained fortified in Acrocorinth. Sgouros finally could not stand
the humiliation and committed suicide by falling on horseback on the
rocks from the castle of Acrokorinthos (1208). After the death of
Sgouros the fall of his hegemony to the Franks was a matter of time,
first fell Acrocorinth (1209), followed by Argos and Nafplio (1212).
Frankish rule
The Duke of Athens Otto de la Ross, who was the
protagonist in the Fall of the three cities, took over the
administration of Timaria, Argos and Nafplio. The timars were
inherited by Otto's son, Lord Ray, who sold them to his brother, the
Duke of Athens Guy de la Ross, for 15,000 gold fireworks. The Prince
of Achaia, William II Villehardouin, was until 1259 the most
powerful Latin ruler in central Greece, the House de la Ross was his
vassal. Michael XVI Palaiologos after the triumph in the battle of
Pelagonia (1259) dissolved the Latin Empire and re-created the
Byzantine Empire. William II Villehardouin was taken prisoner of
Michael Paleologos, was released after handing over many cities in
the southern Peloponnese but the Timars of Argos and Nafplio
remained with the Latins. The timars always belonged to the Duchy.
Gautier's of Brienne inherited the Duchy of Athens (1309) but he
and the greatest knights of the Franks fell in March 1311 in the
Battle of Almyros against the Catalans. The next day the Catalans
occupied the duchy of Athens, with their military prowess
threatening to conquer Argos and Nafplio.
The widow of
Gauthier Joanna of Satillon, with the support of the Andean kingdom
of Naples and the pope, acquired supplies and an army, appointed the
powerful Frankish nobles Walter and Francis of Fuρόerol to rule the
timars in her name. The support she had from the powerful Fuchsol
brothers helped her, despite the catastrophic invasions of the
Catalans, to keep the timars for the next decade. Gauthier's son
Gautier VI made persistent attempts to retake Athens but all failed
because he did not have the means and the Republic of Venice did not
support him. He kept the Timars of Argos and Nafplio in his
possession until the time he was killed in the battle of Poitiers
(1356) but he never visited them. The threats of the Catalans forced
Gauthier VI to build two more new castles in Kiveri, Argolida and in
Akra Thermisi. The documents show that the area was very rich and in
the 14th century there was a large production of locusts, raisins,
resin, cotton and linen was exported. Guy arrived in Timaria in
December 1364 to take over personal government, to reconcile with
the local population he married the area. Guy faced great threats
from the Ottoman Empire with relentless raids but became a
courageous warrior. To better secure his lands he became a Venetian
citizen (July 22, 1362), this development brought Venetian
intervention in the area.
Venetian rule
Guy was inherited by his daughter Maria of Angyan (1376) at the
age of just 10, he ruled the timars under the tutelage of his uncle
Ludovic of Angyan. Her uncle engaged her to Petros Cornaro, who
lived in Argos, the son of the rich nobleman from Venice, Federico
Cornaro, it was the first big step to transfer the Timaris to
Venice. Author Anthony Loutrel (born 1932) writes: "The Venetians at
that time considered these areas their possessions." The couple were
minors and had the support of Federico Cornaro until his death
(1382). Peter Cornaro died prematurely (1388) and Maria, who saw
that she could not rule alone, sold the Timaris to the Republic of
Venice, since then the Venetian rule officially began in Argos,
which will last for about a century. The Despot of Moria, Theodoros
I Palaiologos, allied with his father-in-law Nerios I Atsagioli and
with the help of an Ottoman army led by Evrenos, attacked the
Venetians to prevent their arrival. The Venetians easily expelled
Nerio Agagioli but the Despot of Moria had Argos, Nafplio, Kiveri of
Argolida and Thermisi until June 11, 1394. After the death of Louis
(1394) Enggebert of Angian was the first of the brothers who
accepted the timars claimed his inheritance but retreated after the
great financial demands of the Venetians for compensation.
The Ottomans attacked and looted Argos, deserted the city and sold
all the inhabitants as slaves (1397). The Venetians settled the area
again with Arvanites and offered them huge tax exemptions to accept
to stay permanently in Argos, the Arvanites and the old Greek
inhabitants served in the Venetian army as mercenaries. Most
historians say that the French term "Argulet" comes from the French
soldiers originating from Argos.
Fall to the Ottomans
The
Ottomans declared war on the Venetians in November 1462 on the
pretext that they had offered asylum to a fugitive Arvanite thief
who had escaped to Koroni, and the Venetians refused to hand him
over. The Ottoman Empire was at the height of its power at that
time, it was preceded by the Fall of Constantinople by Muhammad the
Conqueror (1453), followed by the fall of the last Greek states such
as the Despotate of Mystras and the Empire of Trebizond (14). The
Ottoman governor of Moria Isa-Bey Isakovic betrayed Argos (April 3,
1463). The Republic of Venice, the Hungarian King Matthew Corvinus
and Philip III of Burgundy formed an alliance with Pope Pius II
against Turkey (October 19, 1463).
The Venetians with Albice
Lorentan and his general Bertoldo Este attacked with 20,000 men in
the Peloponnese and temporarily recaptured Argos. Muhammad the
Conqueror sent new powerful forces with the Grand Vizier Mahmut
Pasha Angelovic, the Venetian army in the meantime in Acrocorinth
was defeated by Turahanoglu Omer Bey and Este was killed in battle.
The Vizier took advantage of the disbandment of the Venetian army
from a dysentery epidemic, occupied Argos and leveled it. In the
Treaty that followed when the First Venetian-Turkish War ended
(1479) Argos was permanently handed over to the Ottomans,
neighboring Nafplio instead remained with the Venetians until the
end of the Third Venetian-Turkish War (1540).
Newer years
Ottoman rule
During the Turkish occupation and before the
revolution, the city of Argos was divided into four mahalades. The
northeastern mahalas, or Roman mahalas, was also referred to as the
"district of the infidels of the town of Archos" in Turkish
documents. The northwestern, or Liepur mahalas (Lagoi district), was
home to many Albanians and respectable families, while the
southwestern was called Bekir Efenti mahalas. Finally, Karamutza or
Besikler mahalas, which is the southeastern part of the city, was
the residence of the most prominent Turks, including a mosque (the
present-day church of St. Constantine), a Turkish cemetery, the
Serai of Ali Nakrin Bey, and the school of Ali Nakino Bey. During
this period, the bazaar of Argos began to take shape north of the
barracks of Kapodistrias, at the point where it takes place even
today. In fact, according to the urban planning of the Ottoman
cities, the central mosque was located in this area.
The construction of Argos is anarchic at this time, with the
houses being built, as the traveler François Pouqueville observes,
"without alignment, without order, thrown here and there, separated
by courtyards and uncultivated areas". The Liepur mahalas show
greater regularity, with the existence of larger roads and building
islands, in contrast to the labyrinthine form of the maharas Bekir
Efenti and Karamoutza. In all four neighborhoods, however, three
street forms were observed. These included the main roads, with a
purely public character, which provided communication between the
districts (such as the current streets of Corinth, Nafplio and
Tripoli), the secondary roads leading inside the mahalades, with a
semi-public category of three, and , the dead-end access roads
inside the construction islands with a private character, which
served the residences of a large family. Remains of this layout are
evident even today in the structure of Argos, as it is characterized
by labyrinthine streets, alleys and densely built houses.
The
city remained under Ottoman control, with the exception of the
Venetian occupation of 1687–1715, until the Revolution of 1821.
After the declaration of the revolution, wealthy Ottoman families
moved to Nafplio, considering its walls safer. After a short period
of self-government by Stamatellos Antonopoulos, it became the seat
of the First National Assembly of Epidaurus and later joined the
Kingdom of Greece.
Modern Greece
With the arrival of
Kapodistrias, efforts are made to modernize Argos, a small, rural
village, and in 1828 the engineer and officer of the French army,
Stamatis Voulgaris, was commissioned to draw up an urban plan for
the city, which included the creation of squares and the laying of
roads. . However, both this plan and the next, by the German
military de Borozin, are not highly regarded by the inhabitants and
are subject to revision, until the version of the architect Lambros
Zavos is partially implemented, without any particular exceptions to
the rule. for example, the unplanned extension of the city east of
Inachou Street to the height where the railway lines are today).
Shortly after the announcement of the transfer of the Greek
capital from Nafplio, the possibility of designating Argos as the
capital, instead of the also candidate Athens, gained great chances.
In fact, the inhabitants of Nafplio supported this proposal,
considering Argos a safer and more privileged city, with natural
guarding and a nearby port that functioned as a natural
fortification. He also cited the fact that in Athens the majority of
state land belonged to the Church, so the construction of any state
building would require expropriations, something that did not apply
in Argos of the abundant available land. However, the idea of
Argos as a capital was rejected by Otto's father, Louis, who
insisted on the proposal giving the title to Athens.
Today,
Argos is the most populous city in the prefecture of Argolida and
gathers many of its services. Primary economic activities are
agriculture and trade. However, there is a steady influx of tourists
interested in its history and archaeological finds.
Characteristics of the city
Argos is bordered on the north by the
dry river Xeria (Charadro), on the east by the Inachos river and the
stream of Panitsa (which originates from the latter), on the west by
the hill of Larissa (where the monastery of Panagia Katakekrymeni is
built- Portokalousa) and the hill of Aspidos (or the hill of
Profitis Ilias) and in its southern part from the Southern Ring
Road.
Agios Petros Square (former Omonia Square) with the
cathedral of the same name is the center of the city, while typical
squares are Dimokratia Square (unofficial Laiki Agora square),
Dervenakion Square (unofficial Sitaragoras or Staragoras square) and
Dikastiri Square where the city Magistrates' Court is located).
Bonnie Park is the largest green space in the city center.
The most important districts are Gefyria, Tsameika, Lagkadiana,
Synoikismos, Agios Vassilios, the Old and New Workers' Homes, Neos
Kosmos, Ai-Giannis, Agia Aikaterini and Agios Nikolaos (from the
homonymous churches that are located in each area), while on the
outskirts of Argos notable areas are Dalamanara, the Airport, Halepa
and Fistikies.
Today, the most commercial streets of the city
are those located around the square of Agios Petros (Kapodistriou,
Danaou, Vassileos Konstantinou street) as well as Korinthou street.
The pedestrian streets (the pedestrian streets, that is, Michail
Stamou, Panagi Tsaldari and El. Venizelou streets) are the most
popular part of the city, where a large number of shops and cafes
are located. The neighborhood of Gouva, which extends around the
intersection of Vassileos Konstantinou and Tsokri streets, is also
considered a commercial point.
Transport
Argos is
connected by regular bus services with neighboring areas as well as
with direct routes to Athens. The bus station of Argos is located in
the area of Agios Vassilios, at the exit to Nafplio. Also in both
Agios Petros square and Dimokratia square (public market) there is a
taxi rank.
The city also has a railway station, which does
not operate due to the indefinite interruption of all rail routes in
the Peloponnese by OSE. At the end of 2014, it was announced that
there was a provision for the reopening of the routes in the
Argos-Nafplio-Corinth section, with a connection to the Suburban
Railway. Finally, in the middle of 2020, the Peloponnese Region
announced its cooperation with OSE for the maintenance of the metric
line and the stations in order to reopen this line in the middle of
2021.
Important monuments
In today's Argos most of the
monuments are unused, abandoned or incompletely restored. Some of
them are:
The castle of Larissa, built in prehistoric times,
which was repaired and expanded several times since antiquity and
played an important historical role during the Venetian occupation
and the Greek Revolution of 1821. It is located at the top of the
hill, which is the highest point of the city (289 m.). The castle is
first mentioned on the occasion of its occupation in 1203 by Leontas
Sgouros. In ancient times there was a castle on the neighboring hill
of Aspidos, which however is not preserved. Attached to walls, these
two castles fortified the city and protected it from enemy
invasions.
The Ancient Theater, with a capacity of 20,000
spectators, built in the 3rd century BC. replacing the older
neighboring theater of the 5th century BC, and connected to the
Ancient Agora, it was visible throughout the ancient city and the
Argolic Gulf. In 1829 it was used by Kapodistrias for the 4th
National Assembly of the new Greek state. Today the venue houses
cultural events during the summer months.
The Ancient Agora, near
the Ancient Theater, was formed in the 6th century BC. at a central
point where roads from Corinth, Heraion and Tegea ended.
Bouleuterion, built in 460 BC, have been excavated in the area. when
Argos adopted the democratic state, Sanctuary of the Lyceum of
Apollo and a palaestra, among others.
"Kritirion" -Nymfaio of
Argos, an ancient monument in the southwestern part of the city, at
the foot of Larissa, which took its current form from the 6th to the
3rd century BC. It originally served as a court of ancient Argos,
similar to the Supreme Court of Athens. There, according to
mythology, Hypermnistra, one of the 50 daughters of Danaos, the
first king of Argos, was tried. Later, during the reign of Hadrian,
a fountain was created in the area for the collection and channeling
of water from the Hadrian's Aqueduct, which was located north of the
city. The space is connected by a paved path to the ancient Theater.