Lavreotiki is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

at the southeasternnmost tip of the

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean ...

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

in the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

regional unit of

East Attica East Attica ( el, Ανατολική Αττική) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Attica. The regional unit covers the eastern part of the urban agglomeration of Athens, and also the rural area to its east. A ...

. Its municipal seat is the town of

Laurium Laurium or Lavrio ( ell, Λαύριο; grc, Λαύρειον (later ); before early 11th century BC: Θορικός '' Thorikos''; from Middle Ages until 1908: Εργαστήρια ''Ergastiria'') is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Gree ...

(''Lavrio''). It is historically important as a significant ancient mining district, most notably in the villages of Laurium and Thorikos on the southeastern seaboard during the 6th, 5th, and 4th centuries BCE. As such it financed the wealth of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

and the emergence of the Athenian Empire through the slave-powered mining efforts for

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

and

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

, beginning with the discovery of 2 deep-vein mining efforts during the 480's. Prior to that development, which at

Themistocles Themistocles (; grc-gre, Θεμιστοκλῆς; c. 524–459 BC) was an Athenian politician and general. He was one of a new breed of non-aristocratic politicians who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy. As ...

urging in 483 BC led to the expansion of the Athenian fleet to 200 ships, only surface-mining was deployed as a technique for harvesting silver. More than 250 ore washeries have been identified by

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

s and

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

s in the district.

Municipality

The municipality Lavreotiki was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 3 former municipalities, that became municipal units: * Agios Konstantinos * Keratea *Lavreotiki The municipality has an area of 175.798 km², the municipal unit 35.484 km².

Settlements

The main settlements within the municipal unit of Lavreotiki are (population at 2011 census): *

Lavrio Laurium or Lavrio ( ell, Λαύριο; grc, Λαύρειον (later ); before early 11th century BC: Θορικός ''Thorikos''; from Middle Ages until 1908: Εργαστήρια ''Ergastiria'') is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Greec ...

(7,078) * Kato Poseidonia (397) * Legrena (289) * Thorikos (227) * Ano Thoriko (215) *

Kato Sounio Kato or Katō may refer to: Places *Kato, Guyana, a village in Guyana *Katō, Hyōgo, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan * Katō District, Hokkaido, a district located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan *Katowice, a city in Southern Poland, ...

(127) *

Kaki Thalassa Kaki Thalassa ( el, Κακή Θάλασσα) is a Mediterranean port town located in the municipality of Lavreotiki, East Attica, Greece, 30 km southeast of the nation's capital, Athens. Kaki Thalassa is above sea level. A rural town, it ...

(127)

Historical population

References

Sources

* Austin, M M., and P Vidal-Naquet. Economic and Social History of Ancient Greece: an Introduction. 1st English ed. Berkeley: University of California P, 1977. 1-397. * Fine, John V. A. The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History. Harvard University Press, 1983 * Finley, M.I., The Ancient Economy. 2nd Ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985, c1973 * Healy, John F. Mining and Metallurgy in the Greek and Roman World. London: Thames and Hudson, 1978. * Hopper, R J. Trade and Industry in Classical Greece. London: Thames and Hudson, 1979. 6-240.

External links

Official website

Ores from the ore washeries in the Lavriotiki
{{Lavreotiki div Populated places in East Attica Municipalities of Attica