Dion ( el, Δίον; grc, Δῖον; la, Dium) is a village and municipal unit in the municipality of Dion-Olympos in the Pieria regional unit,

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 wit ...

. It is located at the foot of

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...

at a distance of 17 km from the capital city of Katerini. It is best known for its great ancient Macedonian sanctuary of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, ...

and the ancient city, much of which is visible in the Archaeological Park of Dion and the Archaeological Museum of Dion. Dion view of Olympus

History

The ancient city owes its name to the most important Macedonian sanctuary dedicated to

(''Dios'', "of Zeus"), leader of the gods who dwelt on Mount Olympus; as recorded by

Hesiod Hesiod (; grc-gre, Ἡσίοδος ''Hēsíodos'') was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. He is generally regarded by western authors as 'the first written poet i ...

's ''

Catalogue of Women The ''Catalogue of Women'' ( grc, Γυναικῶν Κατάλογος, Gunaikôn Katálogos)—also known as the ''Ehoiai '' ( grc, Ἠοῖαι, Ēoîai, )The Latin transliterations ''Eoeae'' and ''Ehoeae'' are also used (e.g. , ); see Title ...

'', Thyia, daughter of Deucalion, bore Zeus two sons, Magnes and

Makednos In Greek mythology, Makedon, also Macedon ( grc, Μακεδών) or Makednos (), was the eponymous ancestor of the ancient Macedonians according to various ancient Greek fragmentary narratives. In most versions, he appears as a native or immigra ...

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

s of Magnetes and Macedonians, who dwelt in Pieria at the foot of Mount Olympus. Hence from very ancient times, a large altar had been set up for the worship of Olympian Zeus and his daughters, the Muses, in a unique environment characterised by rich vegetation, towering trees, countless springs and a navigable river. For this reason Dion was the "sacred place" of the

Ancient Macedonians The Macedonians ( el, Μακεδόνες, ''Makedónes'') were an ancient tribe that lived on the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axios in the northeastern part of mainland Greece. Essentially an ancient Greek people,; ; ...

. It was the place where the kings made splendid sacrifices to celebrate the new year of the Macedonian calendar at the end of September. In the Spring, purification rites of the army and victory feasts were held. The first mention of Dion in history comes from

Thucydides Thucydides (; grc, , }; BC) was an Athenian historian and general. His '' History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of " scient ...

, who reports that it was the first city reached by the

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

n general Brasidas after crossing from

Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, The ...

into

Macedon Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled b ...

on his way through the realm of his ally Perdiccas II during his expedition against the Athenian colonies of

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

in 424 BC. According to

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history '' Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which ...

, it was

Archelaus I Archelaus I (; grc-gre, Ἀρχέλαος ) was king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from 413 to 399 BC. He was a capable and beneficent ruler, known for the sweeping changes he made in state administration, the military, and commerce. ...

who, at the end of the 5th century BC when the Macedonian state acquired great power and emerged onto the stage of history, gave the city and its sanctuary their subsequent importance by instituting a nine-day festival of games that included athletic and dramatic competitions in honor of Zeus and the

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

s, whose organisation was overseen by the Macedonian kings themselves. Philip II and

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

celebrated victories here, and Alexander assembled his armies and performed magnificent sacrifices here on the eve of his campaign to Asia in 334 BC. Many ancient authors speak of the sculptural bronze masterpiece by Lysippos made for Alexander depicting 25 mounted companions who fell at the

Battle of the Granicus The Battle of the Granicus in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great of Macedon and the Persian Achaemenid Empire. The battle took place on the road from Abydus to Dascylium, at the crossing of the G ...

and later taken to Rome by Metellus. A city was built adjacent to the sacred sites that acquired monumental form during the reigns of Alexander the Great's successors and

Cassander Cassander ( el, Κάσσανδρος ; c. 355 BC – 297 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 305 BC until 297 BC, and ''de facto'' ruler of southern Greece from 317 BC until his death. A son of Antipater and a contem ...

took a great interest in the city erecting strong walls and public buildings, so that in Hellenistic times Dion was renowned far and wide for its fortification and splendid monuments. Dion and its sanctuary was destroyed during the Social War in 219 BC by Aetolian invaders but was immediately rebuilt by

Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September ...

. Many of the dedications from the sanctuary that had been destroyed were buried in pits, including royal inscriptions and treaties, and these have been discovered recently. The fortification Wall, Ancient Dion (6948460798)

The fortification Wall, Ancient Dion (6948460798)

It fell to the Romans in 169 BC and the city was given a new lease of life in 32/31 BC when Octavian founded the Colony of here. Coins of colonial Dion survive. It experienced its second heyday during the reigns of 2nd- and 3rd-century AD Roman emperors who were fond of Alexander the Great. Dion's final important period was in the 4th and 5th centuries AD when it became the seat of a bishopric. It was abandoned following major earthquakes and floods. The modern village at the site was called ''Malathria'' until 1961, when it was renamed to ''Dion''.

Archaeology

The site of ancient Dion was first identified by the English traveler William Martin Leake on December 2, 1806, in the ruins adjoining the village of Malathria. He published his discovery in the third volume of his ''

Travels in Northern Greece Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. Travel(s) may also refer to: Music * ''Travel'' (Future of Forestry EP), 2009 * ''Travel'' (Mamamoo EP), 2020 * ''Travels'' (Defeater album), 2008 * ...

'' in 1835. Léon Heuzey visited the site during his famous Macedonian archaeological mission of 1855 and again in 1861 when he also detected the ancient Leivithra. Later, the epigraphist G. Oikonomos published the first series of inscriptions. Nevertheless, systematic archaeological exploration did not begin until 1928. From then until 1931, G. Sotiriadis carried out a series of surveys, uncovering a 4th-century BC Macedonian tomb and an early Christian basilica. Excavations were not resumed until 1960 under the direction of G. Bakalakis in the area of the theatre and the wall. Since 1973, Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis of the

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phi ...

has conducted archaeological research in the city. Dion is the site of a large temple dedicated to Zeus, as well as a series of temples to Demeter and to Isis (the Egyptian goddess was a favorite of

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

). Excavation of the magnificent House of Dionysos revealed a mosaic of exceptionally fine quality. Dion House of Dionysos Mosaic

A rare and unusual find in the museum is a bronze "hydraulis" or hydraulic musical pipe organ found in a former workshop. Dion hydraulis

In 2006, a statue of

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; grc-gre, Ἥρα, Hḗrā; grc, Ἥρη, Hḗrē, label=none in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she ...

was found built into the walls of the city. The statue, 2200 years old, had been used by the early Christians of Dion as filling for the city's defensive wall.Kantouris, Costas.
Greek archaeologists find Hera statue
''Associated Press''. March 1, 2007.

Administration

In October 1992, the Municipality of Dion (, ) was formed. At the 1997

Kapodistrias reform Kapodistrias reform ( el, Σχέδιο Καποδίστριας, "Kapodistrias Plan") is the common name of law 2539 of Greece, which reorganised the country's administrative divisions. The law, named after 19th-century Greek statesman Ioannis Kapod ...

, it was expanded with the former communities Agios Spyridonas, Karitsa,

Kondariotissa Kontariotissa ( el, Κονταριώτισσα, ''Kondariotissa'', formerly ''Κουντουριώτισσα'', ''Koundouriotissa'') is a village in the Pieria regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. It is located 9 km south of the Pierian capit ...

, Nea Efesos and Vrontou.EETAA local government changes
/ref> The administrative center was in the village of

. As part of Greece's 2011 local government reform Dion merged with the former municipalities East Olympos and

Litochoro Litochoro ( el, Λιτόχωρο, ''Litóchoro''; Katharevousa: Λιτόχωρον) is a town and a former municipality in the southern part of the Pieria regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it has been part of the Dio ...

to form the new municipality Dion-Olympos. Dion became a municipal unit of the newly formed

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

, and the former municipal districts became communities. The community of Dion consists of the village of the same name and

Platanakia Platanakia ( el, Πλατανάκια) is a settlement of the former municipality of Dio, which is part of the municipality of Dio-Olympos, in the Pieria regional unit, Central Macedonia, Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the ...

. The municipal unit has an area of , the community .

Historical population

Gallery

File:Dion archeological site7.jpg, View of the archeological site File:Ruins in Dion.jpg, Ruins at the archaeological site image:Dion archaeological site 111.jpg, Ancient column File:Dion Site1.jpg, Sanctuary of Isis File:View of the archeological site of Dion.jpg, View of the villa of Dionysus containing the large Dionysus mosaic File:Demeter sanctuary, Dion, Pieria, Greece.jpg, Sanctuary of Demeter File:The sacred spring with the sanctuary of Zeus Hypsistos in the background, Ancient Dion (7079652753).jpg, The sacred spring with the sanctuary of Zeus Hypsistos in the background File:Sanctuary of Isis, Ancient Dion (7080294715).jpg, Sanctuary of Isis File:The four-columned temple dedicated to Isis Lochia, Sanctuary of Isis, Ancient Dion (6934122740).jpg, Four-columned temple dedicated to Isis Lochia, Sanctuary of Isis File:The Hellenistic Theatre, Ancient Dion (6930195434).jpg, View of the Hellenistic theater File:Dion archaeological site 112.jpg, Baths of ancient Dion File:Eastern latrine, the public toilets along the central road, the Greath Baths complex, Ancient Dion (6948376030).jpg, Public toilets along the central road File:Dion Mosaic2.jpg, Mosaic floor in the Great Baths complex File:Dion Mosaic3.jpg, Detail of a mosaic floor, Great Baths complex File:The hypocaust of the Great Baths complex, Ancient Dion (7094483903).jpg, The hypocaust of the Great Baths complex File:Wall Shields on Dion.jpg, Shields dedicated by

on his victory over the Persians at the Granicus river File:Dion Mosaic6.jpg, Large mosaic at the Archaeological Museum of Dion File:Inscription from Dion.jpg, Inscription from the Archaeological Museum of Dion reading "ΒΑΣΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ"

ing Philip Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...

References

Notes

* F. Papazoglou, ''Les villes de Macédoine romaine'', ''Supplément'' 18 du ''BCH'', Paris, 1988. *

D. Pandermalis D. or d. may refer to, usually as an abbreviation: * Don (honorific), a form of address in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and their former overseas empires, usually given to nobles or other individuals of high social rank. * Date of death, as an abbreviat ...

, ''Dion, the archaeological site and the museum'', Athens, 1997.

External links

Municipality of Dion websiteOfficial website of the archaeological park of DionImages from the archaeological site
{{Municipality of Dio-Olympos Populated places established in the 5th century BC Populated places disestablished in the 5th century 1806 archaeological discoveries Populated places in Pieria (regional unit) Geography of ancient Pieria Culture of Macedonia (ancient kingdom) Argead colonies in Macedonia Archelaus I of Macedon Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Pieria Coloniae (Roman) Mount Olympus Holy cities