Cythera or Kythera ( grc, Κύθηρα) was the name of a town on the island of the same name. In antiquity it was part of

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, con ...

History

In 424 BCE, during the Peloponnesian War, the

Athenians 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 ...

made an expedition against the island of Cythera, with sixty ships. When they reached the island they first took Scandeia and then they went against Cythera town, which was then far from the sea. Its inhabitants resisted a time but then they agreed to submit to the Athenians, who afterwards established a garrison there. Some inhabitants of Cythera were moved for security reasons and the rest of the inhabitants had to pay a tribute of four talents. In the

Peace of Nicias The Peace of Nicias was a peace treaty signed between the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta in March 421 BC that ended the first half of the Peloponnesian War. In 425 BC, the Spartans had lost the battles of Pylos and Sphacteria, a sever ...

of the year 421 BCE it was stipulated that the Athenians should return Cythera to the

Spartans Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: wikt:Σπάρτη, Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the nam ...

; however, in the

expedition to Sicily The Sicilian Expedition was an Athenian military expedition to Sicily, which took place from 415–413 BC during the Peloponnesian War between Athens on one side and Sparta, Syracuse and Corinth on the other. The expedition ended in a devast ...

year 415 BCE, the Cythereans fought beside the Athenians. In the year 393 BCE, an expedition under the command of

Pharnabazus II Pharnabazus II (Old Iranian: ''Farnabāzu'', grc-gre, Φαρνάβαζος ; ruled 413-374 BC) was a Persian soldier and statesman, and Satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia. He was the son of Pharnaces II of Phrygia and grandson of Pharnabazus I ...

occupied Cythera and its inhabitants were sent to Laconia. Pharnabazus had the walls repaired and left a garrison under the command of the Athenian Nicophemus. In Strabo's time, Cythera was occupied as private property by the Spartan

Gaius Julius Eurycles Gaius Julius Eurycles or Eurycles of Sparta (b. Sparta, fl. 1st century BCE), was "''hegemon'' of the Lacedaemonians" (Λακεδαιμονίων ἡγεμών), a benefactor of Greek cities, and founder of the family of the Euryclids. Life Eur ...

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 ...

located the city of Cythera at ten '' stadia'' from Scandeia and mentions that the townsfolk worshiped

Aphrodite Urania Aphrodite Urania ( grc, Ἀφροδίτη Οὐρανία, Aphrodítē Ouranía) was an epithet of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, signifying "heavenly" or "spiritual", to distinguish her from her more earthly aspect of Aphrodite Pandemos, "Aphrodi ...

and that the origin of this cult was

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their his ...

n. Its site is located at Paleokastro.

References

Populated places in ancient Laconia Populated places in ancient Ionian Islands Former populated places in Greece Kythira {{AncientLaconia-geo-stub