Gythium
Gytheio ( ) or Gythio, also the ancient Gythium or Gytheion (), is a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula, and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality East Mani, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 197.313 km2. Gytheio was the seaport of Ancient Sparta, which lies approximately north of it. It is the site of ancient Cranae, a tiny island where, according to the myth, Paris and Helen spent their first night together before departing for Troy. Gytheio used to be an important port until it was destroyed in 4th century AD, possibly by an earthquake, though its strategic location continued to give it a significant role in Maniot history. Now the seat of the municipality of East Mani, Gytheio is the largest and most important town in Mani. Historical population Geography Gytheio is located in the northeastern corner of the Mani Peninsula and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gythio
Gytheio ( ) or Gythio, also the ancient Gythium or Gytheion (), is a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula, and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality East Mani, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 197.313 km2. Gytheio was the seaport of Sparta, Ancient Sparta, which lies approximately north of it. It is the site of ancient Cranae, a tiny island where, according to the myth, Paris (mythology), Paris and Helen of Troy, Helen spent their first night together before departing for Troy. Gytheio used to be an important port until it was destroyed in 4th century AD, possibly by an earthquake, though its strategic location continued to give it a significant role in Maniots, Maniot history. Now the seat of the municipality of East Mani, Gytheio is the largest and most important town in Mani Peninsula, Mani. Historical population ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gythium River
Gytheio ( ) or Gythio, also the ancient Gythium or Gytheion (), is a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula, and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality East Mani, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 197.313 km2. Gytheio was the seaport of Ancient Sparta, which lies approximately north of it. It is the site of ancient Cranae, a tiny island where, according to the myth, Paris and Helen spent their first night together before departing for Troy. Gytheio used to be an important port until it was destroyed in 4th century AD, possibly by an earthquake, though its strategic location continued to give it a significant role in Maniot history. Now the seat of the municipality of East Mani, Gytheio is the largest and most important town in Mani. Historical population Geography Gytheio is located in the northeastern corner of the Mani Peninsula and l ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Maniots
The Maniots () or Maniates () are an ethnic Greeks, Greek subgroup that traditionally inhabit the Mani Peninsula; located in western Laconia and eastern Messenia, in the southern Peloponnese, Greece. They were also formerly known as Mainotes, and the peninsula as ''Maina''. The Maniots claim to be the descendants of the ancient Sparta, Spartans and they have often been described as such. The terrain is mountainous and inaccessible (until recently many Mani villages could be accessed only by sea), and the regional name "Mani" is thought to have meant originally "dry" or "barren". The name "Maniot" is a derivative meaning "of Mani". In the early modern period, Maniots had a reputation as fierce and proudly independent warriors, who practiced piracy and fierce Feud#Blood feuds/vendetta, blood feuds. For the most part, the Maniots lived in fortified villages (and "house-towers") where they defended their lands against the armies of William II Villehardouin and later against those of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cranae
Cranae or Kranai ( ) (also Marathonisi) is an island off the coast of Gytheio (ancient Gythium) connected to the land by a causeway built in 1898. Etymology Some believe that the etymology for the name Cranae (Kranai) comes from the legendary king of Athens Kranaos, the successor of King Kekropas (Cecrops) as Athens was also known as "Kranaa". However the word Kranaos according to Homer it has the following meanings: 'Rocky', 'ragged', 'hard'. Therefore, some believe that the word Kranai literally means 'rocky', 'rock'. The name "Marathonisi" translates to 'fennel-island', as the herb fennel was naturally growing on this island. History According to legend, when Paris of Troy abducted Helen from Sparta they spent their first night in Cranae. When Gythium became the major port of ancient Sparta, Cranae became a resting spot for traders. When Greece became a part of the Ottoman Empire, the beys of Mani fortified Cranae with a Maniot tower. The tower built by the Tzann ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Las (Greece)
Las ( and ἡ Λᾶς), or Laas (Λάας), or La (Λᾶ), was one of the most ancient towns of Lakedaimonia (eventually called the Mani Peninsula), located on the western coast of the Laconian Gulf. It is the only town on the coast mentioned in the Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax between Taenarus and Gythium. The Periplus speaks of its port; but, according to Pausanias, the town itself was 10 stadia distant from the sea, and 40 stadia from Gythium. In the time of Pausanias (2nd century) the town lay in a hollow between the three mountains, Asia, Ilium, and Cnacadium; but the old town stood on the summit of Mt. Asia. The name of Las signified the rock on which it originally stood. It is mentioned by Homer in the Catalogue of Ships in the ''Iliad'', and is said to have been destroyed by the Dioscuri, who hence derived the surname of Lapersae. There was also a mountain in Laconia called Lapersa. History In ancient times Las was a Spartan possession and in 218 BC the citizens of the c ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Peloponnese (region)
The Peloponnese Region (, ) is a region in southern Greece. It borders Western Greece to the north and Attica to the north-east. The region has an area of about . It covers most of the Peloponnese peninsula, except for the northwestern subregions of Achaea and Elis which belong to Western Greece and a small portion of the Argolid peninsula that is part of Attica. Administration The Peloponnese Region was established in the 1987 administrative reform. With the 2011 Kallikratis plan, its powers and authority were redefined and extended. Along with the Western Greece and Ionian Islands regions, it is supervised by the Decentralized Administration of Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian Islands based at Patras. The region is based at Tripoli and is divided into five regional units (pre-Kallikratis prefectures), * Arcadia, * Argolis, * Corinthia, * Laconia and * Messenia, which are further subdivided into 26 municipalities. The largest city of the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Evrotas River
The Evrotas (Modern Greek: ) or Eurotas () is the main river of Laconia and one of the major rivers of the Peloponnese, in Greece. The river's springs are located just northwest of the border between Laconia and Arcadia, at Skortsinos. The river is also fed by underwater springs at Pellana and by tributaries coursing down from Mt. Taygetos and Mt. Parnon, which flank the Evrotas Valley to the west and east, respectively. The river is long, flowing in a north-south direction and emptying into the Laconian Gulf. Its drainage basin is . Etymology The classical Evrotas was changed to Iri in the Middle Ages and only changed back to Evrotas in recent times. Evrotas, however, is not the most ancient name of the river. It does not appear in the works of Homer, which purport to recount the stories and geography of Mycenaean Greece. In that legendary time, the Dorians are not known to have been present in the Evrotas Valley. At some time prior to being called Evrotas, the river was th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Areopoli
Areopoli (; before 1912 , ) is a town on the Mani Peninsula, Laconia, Greece. The word ''Areopoli'', which means "city of Ares", the Greek mythology, ancient Greek god of war, became the official name in 1912. It was the seat of Oitylo municipality. The Greek War of Independence was started at Areopoli on March 17, 1821 by Petros Pierrakos, also known as Petros Mavromichalis, the last bey of Mani. Now Areopoli has grown into a flourishing town. Its tower houses, constructed with field stones, are distinct from the traditional blue and white buildings that characterize many Greek villages. Areopoli is situated near the west coast of the Mani Peninsula, 1.5 km from its port ''Limeni''. It is 20 km southwest of Gytheio. There is lively open air market in the main square each Saturday, with a lot of local producers present. History On 17 March 1821, the first flag of the Greek War of Independence was raised in Taxiarchon Square. In June 1826, Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Greek National Road 39
Greek National Road 39 (, EO39) is a national highway of Greece. It connects Tripoli with Gytheio via Sparti. It is connected with the Greek National Road 7 (Corinth - Kalamata) in Tripoli, with the A7 motorway (Corinth - Kalamata) south of Tripoli, with the Greek National Road 82 (Pylos - Kalamata - Sparti) in Sparti, and with the Greek National Road 86 ( Krokees - Monemvasia Monemvasia (, or ) is a town and municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located in mainland Greece on a tied island off the east coast of the Peloponnese, surrounded by the Myrtoan Sea. Monemvasia is connected to the rest of the mainland by a ...) in Krokees. Until 2016, the EO39 coincided with the European route E961 for most of its length, now it is mainly designated on the A71. Since April 18, 2016, most of the traffic between Sparti and Tripoli is carried by the A71 motorway (Megalopoli - Lefktro - Sparti). References 39 Roads in Peloponnese (region) {{greece-road-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sparti
Sparta (, ) is a city and municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. It lies at the site of ancient Sparta within the Evrotas Valley. The municipality was merged with six nearby municipalities in 2011, for a total population (as of 2021) of 32,786, of whom 17,773 lived in the city. History Beginning in the 13th century, the political and cultural center of Laconia shifted to Mystras, some 4 km to the west. The settlement at ancient Sparta, named Lacedaemonia, continued to exist, although greatly depopulated, until modern times as a town of a few thousand people who lived among the ruins, in the shadow of Mystras. The Palaiologos family (the last Byzantine Greek imperial dynasty) also lived in Mystras. The Despotate of the Morea was captured by the Ottomans under Mehmed II in 1460. In 1834, after the Greek War of Independence, King Otto of Greece decreed the town should be expanded into a city. Modern-day Sparta, the capital of the prefecture of Lakonia, lies on the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Monastery Of Panayia Yiatrissa
The Monastery of Panayia Yiatrissa is an Orthodox Christian monastery located in the southern Peloponnese of Greece. The monastery was erected on the site of the ruins of an ancient temple of Athena. The conversion of the temple from pagan to Christian took place possibly as early as 382 AD. The site grew to include many structures spread over a wide area, but sometime later it was largely if not wholly abandoned. Tradition holds that it was reestablished as a Christian monastery in 1683 and that numerous miraculous healings have occurred there. Over the ages, the condition of the monastery has ebbed and flowed with the tide of wars, occupations, famines, and faltering or flourishing economies. Today, the monastery complex includes a moderately sized, ornately decorated, Byzantine-style church, and a second small but quaint chapel. Residential quarters for overnight visitors surround the interior courtyard. Outside, the monastery rewards visitors with scenic 360 degree vi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |