Anagyrus or Anagyrous ( grc, Ἀναγυροῦς), also Anagyruntus or Anagyrountos (), was a

deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Classical Athens, Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th ...

of ancient Attica, belonging to the ''

phyle ''Phyle'' ( gr, φυλή, phulē, "tribe, clan"; pl. ''phylai'', φυλαί; derived from ancient Greek φύεσθαι "to descend, to originate") is an ancient Greek term for tribe or clan. Members of the same ''phyle'' were known as ''symphyle ...

Erechtheis Erechtheis ( grc, Ἐρεχθηΐς) was a phyle (tribe) of ancient Athens with fourteen demes. The phyle was created in the reforms of Kleisthenes. Although there is little specific reference to the tribe, an inscription dated to either 460 or ...

, situated in the south of Attica near the promontory Zoster.

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: * Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of ...

mentions at this place a temple of the mother of the gods. The ruins of Anagyrus have been found near

Vari Vari ( el, Βάρη) is a southern suburb of Athens and former municipality in East Attica, Greece along the Athens coast. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which it is a municipal u ...

. The ancient name was maintained until 600 AD, as mentioned by geographer and historian

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephan of Byzantium ( la, Stephanus Byzantinus; grc-gre, Στέφανος Βυζάντιος, ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD), was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethni ...

. Anagyrous is an important archaeological site that still remains unexplored, with traces of human habitation dating back to 3rd millennium BCE, that include: * The fortification and acropolis of Lathouriza (7th - 3rd century BC) * The remains of 25 small houses * A sacred altar * Ten funerary precincts * A major

Mycenaean Mycenaean may refer to: * Something from or belonging to the ancient town of Mycenae in the Peloponnese in Greece * Mycenaean Greece, the Greek-speaking regions of the Aegean Sea as of the Late Bronze Age * Mycenaean language, an ancient form o ...

cemetery * A cemetery and

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pre ...

of the Classical period * The Cave of the Nymphs and Pan (converted to a sanctuary by Archedimus with statues of

Cybele Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya/Kubeleya'' "Kubileya/Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian ''Kuvava''; el, Κυβέλη ''Kybele'', ''Kybebe'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible foreru ...

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

, Pan and others) Eumenes of Anagyrus and the

Anagyrus Painter The Anagyros Painter or Anagyrus Painter was a vase painter of the early Attic black-figure style, active in the first quarter of the 6th century BC. His works have only been found in inland Attica, mainly at Vari (ancient Anagyros, which is the b ...

were from the town.

Etymology

From name of hero Anagyrous

According to one version, the name derives from the mythical Anagyrous, whose temple was located in the region. Anagyrous made the homes near his sacred grove tremble and collapse. He once exterminated an entire family who had cut trees from his sacred grove—hence the ancient proverb, "Anagryasion Daimon". Offerings and sacrifices were brought to Anagryous as attempts to appease his anger.

From plant name ''Anagyris''

Another version derives from the plant Anagyris ''

Anagyris foetida ''Anagyris foetida'' (English common name stinking bean trefoil), is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, forming a malodorous, Summer-deciduous Phytognosis http://regenerag.org/blog/2018/4/12/anagyris-foetida-an-underutilized-m ...

'', the ''stinking bean trefoil '', referred to as

emetic Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis ...

and

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lub ...

Dioscorides Pedanius Dioscorides ( grc-gre, Πεδάνιος Διοσκουρίδης, ; 40–90 AD), “the father of pharmacognosy”, was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of '' De materia medica'' (, On Medical Material) —a 5-vo ...

(9-79 AD) in his monumental ''

De materia medica (Latin name for the Greek work , , both meaning "On Medical Material") is a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them. The five-volume work was written between 50 and 70 CE by Pedanius Dioscorides, a ...

'' , and as an exorcism of ill fate by the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

Suidas dictionary. The plant grows abundantly in the valley, exuding a terrible stench when touched or shaken.

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion ( la, Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his fo ...

(Lysias 68) cites the following humorist dialogue:

()
(Where are you from? From Anagyron, By Zeus, better not shake the Anagyron.)

In this context may also be mentioned a

punning A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

exchange near the beginning of Aristophanes’s comedy

Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponne ...

everal women enter, headed by MYRRHINA, from the deme of Anagyrous. Others soon follow. CALONICE: Hi ! but they're coming now : here they all are : First one,and then another - hoity-toity! Where’s this lot from? LYSISTRATA: From Anagyrous. CALONICE: Aha! Well, at any rate we’ve "stirred up Anagyrous" omophonic pun upon the plant name "Anagyris" * * Note: () "To stir up
hake The term hake refers to fish in the: * Family Merlucciidae of northern and southern oceans * Family Phycidae (sometimes considered the subfamily Phycinae in the family Gadidae) of the northern oceans Hake Hake is in the same taxonomic order ( ...
the Anagyris" (meaning the nauseous-smelling shrub ''Anagyris foetida'') was a proverb, used of persons who brought some unpleasantness on themselves ompare "Let sleeping dogs lie" Calonice applies the proverb to the imilarly namedAnagyrous, meaning that the influx of Anagyrasian women proved that the deme Anagyrous was thoroughly stirred up .e. "in uproar" / "out on the street" he Works ofAristophanes in Three Volumes With English translation f 1924, language updated slightlyby Benjamin Bickley Rogers M.A., D.Litt ., Barrister-at-Law, sometime fellow of Wadham College Oxford Pub. London William Heinemann Ltd. MCMXLVI (1946) lines 65-7 pps. 12-13 (original Ancient Greek followed by translation). https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Aristophanes%3B_with_the_English_translation_of_Benjamin_Bickley_Rogers_%28IA_aristophaneswith03arisuoft%29.pdf

A further layer of meaning can be guessed at in the pun: some commentators have inferred that a playful (possibly traditional) jibe at the inhabitants of Anagyrous may have been intended - to the effect that the Anagyrasians were notably smelly, because their

personal hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

was poor. ristophanes may here be referencing an in-joke that his Athenian audience would have appreciated">in-joke.html" ;"title="ristophanes may here be referencing an in-joke">ristophanes may here be referencing an in-joke that his Athenian audience would have appreciated

Association with infancy of Plato

According to Aelian, the countryside near Anagyrous was where Aristion and Periktyoni (Plato's parents) used to lull baby Plato. "... " (). "... nearby the Myrtus, myrtle plants, dense and leafy as they were, and while he was sleeping, a swarm of bees sat peacefully on his lips, thus surmising the eloquence of Plato."

References

Populated places in ancient Attica Former populated places in Greece Demoi Archaeological sites in Greece {{AncientAttica-geo-stub