Anthedon (Boeotia)
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Anthedon (Ἀνθηδών) was a town in
Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia (; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (adm ...
,
Ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...
, located on the coast of the Gulf of Euboea, about west of
Chalcis Chalcis (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: , ), also called Chalkida or Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief city of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...
, at the foot of Mount Messapius. It was member of the Amphictyonic League, and served as port for Thebes. In ancient times, it was believed to have had one of the mythical characters named Anthedon as its
eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
. The ruins of the town are situated 1 1/2 mile from the village Loukisia.


Ancient accounts

The oldest mention of the city is found in
Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
's ''
Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
'',
Catalogue of Ships The Catalogue of Ships (, ''neōn katálogos'') is an epic catalogue in Book 2 of Homer's ''Iliad'' (2.494–759), which lists the contingents of the Achaean army that sailed to Troy. The catalogue gives the names of the leaders of each conting ...
, where it is given the epithet "furthermost", i. e. the most geographically remote town of Boeotia to the northern Gulf of Euboea. Ancient inhabitants of Anthedon derived their origin from the sea-god
Glaucus In Greek mythology, Glaucus (; ) was a Greek prophetic sea-god, born mortal and turned immortal upon eating a magical herb. It was believed that he came to the rescue of sailors and fishermen in storms, having earlier earned a living from the ...
, who was believed to have been originally a native of the place. A surviving ancient coin now stored in the Archaeological Museum of Chalkis bears on one side a representation of Glaucus. The Anthedonians appear to have been a different race from the other people of Boeotia, and are described by one writer as
Thracia Thracia or Thrace () is the ancient name given to the southeastern Balkans, Balkan region, the land inhabited by the Thracians. Thrace was ruled by the Odrysian kingdom during the Classical Greece, Classical and Hellenistic period, Hellenis ...
ns (this is a misinterpretation; in this case Anthedon is a Thracian man and not Anthedon the city in Boeotia).
Dicaearchus Dicaearchus of Messana (; ''Dikaiarkhos''; ), also written Dikaiarchos (), was a Greek philosopher, geographer and author. Dicaearchus was a student of Aristotle in the Lyceum. Very little of his work remains extant. He wrote on geography and t ...
informs that they were chiefly mariners, shipwrights and fishermen, who derived their subsistence from trading in fish, purple (dye, from seashells), and sponges. He adds that the
agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...
was surrounded with a double
stoa A stoa (; plural, stoas,"stoa", ''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd Ed., 1989 stoai, or stoae ), in ancient Greek architecture, is a covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use. Early stoas were open at the entrance with columns, usually ...
, and planted with trees. An important archaeological guide to Anthedon is Pausanias' ''Description of Greece'', which informs that there was a sacred grove of the
Cabeiri In Greek mythology, the Cabeiri or Cabiri (, ''Kábeiroi''), also transliterated Kabeiri or Kabiri, were a group of enigmatic chthonic deities. They were worshipped in a mystery cult closely associated with that of Hephaestus, centered in the no ...
in the middle of the town, surrounding a temple of those deities, and near it a temple of
Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...
and
Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...
. Outside the walls was a temple of
Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...
, and a spot called “the leap of Glaucus.” The wine of Anthedon was celebrated in antiquity. The tomb of Iphimedeia and her sons, the Aloadae, was shown at Anthedon.Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 22. 6


Archaeology

The archaeological excavations that have taken place so far resulted in important discoveries, including temples of the Cabiri, Demeter and Persephone known from Pausanias' work. Also near the port has been found an Early Christian
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
of Late Roman years. The port of Anthedon was spacious for those times, and even had two jetties, the orifice of which could be closed with a chain in order to protect the harbor from enemy raids, as well as strong winds. The city suffered a decline during the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
period, because of the raids of pirates. This forced residents to retreat inwards and specifically in the northern foothills of Mount Messapius (now Ktypas) and to establish a farmer settlement that became the nucleus of today's community Loukissia. During the transition from the beach to the foot of the mountain people made use of building material from the earlier buildings, of which was partly built the small church of St. George, now situated outside Loukisia. The temples of this structure provide valuable data for the study of Byzantine architecture and have been restored on behalf of the Ministry of Culture of Greece (July 2010). Excavations of the ancient port have been held by Greek as well as German and American archaeologists.


Notes


Sources

* {{coord, 38.498583, N, 23.448834, E, display=title, format=dms, source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/22835.html Cities in ancient Boeotia Places in the Iliad Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Central Greece