Oropos ( el, Ωρωπός) is a small town and 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 go ...

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. Adm ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. The village of

Skala Oropou Skala may refer to: Places Greece * Skala, Patmos, the main port on the island of Patmos in Greece * Skala, Laconia, a municipality in southern Greece * Skala, Xanthi, a settlement in north-eastern Greece * Skala, Cephalonia, a resort in the ...

, within the bounds of the municipality, was the site an important ancient Greek city,

Oropus Oropus or Oropos ( grc, ὁ Ὠρωπός, or rarely ἡ Ὠρωπός) was a town on the borders of ancient Attica and Boeotia, and the capital of a district, called after it Oropia (ἡ Ὠρωπία.) This district is a maritime plain, through ...

, and the famous nearby sanctuary of Amphiaraos is stll visible today.

Geography

The municipality Oropos stretches between the Parnitha mountains and the

South Euboean Gulf The South Euboean Gulf ( el, Νότιος Ευβοϊκός Κόλπος, ''Notios Evvoïkos Kolpos'') is a gulf in Central Greece, between the island of Euboea and the Greek mainland (Boeotia and Attica). With a total length of approximately 50& ...

, opposite

Eretria Eretria (; el, Ερέτρια, , grc, Ἐρέτρια, , literally 'city of the rowers') is a town in Euboea, Greece, facing the coast of Attica across the narrow South Euboean Gulf. It was an important Greek polis in the 6th and 5th centur ...

(on the island

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

). The town Oropos, the seat of the municipality, is situated on the lower course of the river

Asopos Asopos ( el, Ασωπός; also Latinised as Asopus) is a village and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Monemvasia Monemvasia ( el, Μονεμβασιά, ...

, 4 km south of the coast. It lies 4 km southwest of

Nea Palatia Nea Palatia (Greek: Νέα Παλάτια literally "New Palaces") is a community in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos, of which it is a community. It is part of Athens metropolitan a ...

and 55 km north 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 ...

city center. The community Oropos consists of the town Oropos and the nearby villages Kampos and Platania. The municipality has an area of 338.183 km², the community 11.967 km².

Municipality

The present municipality Oropos was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 9 former municipalities, that became municipal units (constituent communities in brackets): *

Afidnes Afidnes ( el, Αφίδνες, or Ἀφίδναι, from the Middle Ages until 1919: Κιούρκα - ''Kiourka'') is a small town in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos, of which it is ...

* Avlonas * Kalamos *

Kapandriti Kapandriti ( el, Καπανδρίτι) is a town in the north of East Attica in Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 36.789 k ...

Malakasa Malakasa ( el, Μαλακάσα) is a village and former community of East Attica in Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 10.450&nb ...

Markopoulo Oropou Markopoulo Oropou ( el, Μαρκόπουλο Ωρωπού) is a town and a former community of East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit ...

Oropioi Oropioi ( el, Δήμος Ωρωπίων) is a former municipality in East Attica, Greece. Population 9,223 (2011). The seat of the municipality was in the town Skala Oropou. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Orop ...

(

and Oropos) *

Polydendri Polydendri (Greek language, Greek: Πολυδένδρι, English language, English: "Many trees") is a town and former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, community of East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of ...

Sykamino Sykamino (Greek: Συκάμινο meaning mulberry) is a town and former community of Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos, of which it is a municipal unit. Sykamino has historically been an ...

History

Oropos was founded by colonists from

; it was either located in or identical with

Graea Graea or Graia ( grc, Γραῖα, Graîa) was a city on the coast of Boeotia in ancient Greece. Its site is located near modern Dramesi in Paralia Avlidas. History Graea is listed under Boeotia in Homer's Catalogue of Ships in the ''Iliad''. ...

. In ancient times, it was a border city between

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its ...

and Attica, and its possession was a continual cause of dispute between the two states; but ultimately it came into possession of Athens, and was always an Attic town, even during the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

. The actual harbour, which was called ''Delphinium'', was at the mouth of the

Asopus Asopus (; grc, Ἀ̄σωπός ''Āsōpos'') is the name of four different rivers in Greece and one in Turkey. In Greek mythology, it was also the name of the gods of those rivers. Zeus carried off Aegina, Asopus' daughter, and Sisyphus, who h ...

, about a mile (1.6 km) north of the city. The famous Sanctuary of Amphiaraos was situated in the territory of Oropus, 12

stadia Stadia may refer to: * One of the plurals of stadium, along with "stadiums" * The plural of stadion, an ancient Greek unit of distance, which equals to 600 Greek feet (''podes''). * Stadia (Caria), a town of ancient Caria, now in Turkey * Stadi ...

from the city. The site has been excavated by the

Greek Archaeological Society The Archaeological Society of Athens (Greek: Εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία) is an independent learned society. Also termed the Greek Archaeological Society, it was founded in 1837 by Konstantinos Bellios, just a fe ...

; it contained a temple, a sacred spring, into which coins were thrown by worshippers, altars and porticoes, and a small theatre, of which the

proskenion In the theatre of ancient Greece, the ''skene'' was the structure at the back of a stage. The word means 'tent' or 'hut', and it is thought that the original structure for these purposes was a tent or light building of wood and was a temporary ...

is well preserved. Worshippers used to consult the oracle of Amphiaraos by sleeping on the skin of a slaughtered ram within the sacred building. The village of Oropos has historically been settled by

Arvanites Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a bilingual population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They traditionally speak Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded as settl ...

. During the

Regime of the Colonels In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...

renowned composer

Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( el, Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He scored for the films ''Zorba the Greek'' (1964), '' Z'' ...

was interned in the

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

at OroposMikis Theodorakis: Journal of Resistance, p. 263 sq before going into exile in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

References

External links

GTP Travel Pages (Community)

Museum "O Phaeton"
{{Authority control Municipalities of Attica Populated places in East Attica Arvanite settlements

Geography

Municipality

History

See also

References

External links