Melite () was a

deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or (, plural: ''demoi'', δήμοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Classical Athens, Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside existed in the 6th century BC and earlier, bu ...

ancient Attica The regions of ancient Greece were sub-divisions of the Hellenic world as conceived by the ancient Greeks, shown by their presence in the works of ancient historians and geographers or in surviving legends and myths. Conceptually, there is no cl ...

, located in the city centre of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, within the walls erected by

Themistocles Themistocles (; ; ) was an Athenian politician and general. He was one of a new breed of non-aristocratic politicians who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy. As a politician, Themistocles was a populist, having th ...

and to the west of the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

. It included 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 ...

and the Pnyx. It belonged to the tribe of

Kekropis Kekropis () was one of the phylai (tribes) of classical Athens, created during the reforms of Cleisthenes Cleisthenes ( ; ), or Clisthenes (), was an ancient Athenian lawgiver credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and set ...

Etymology

The name of the deme derives from Melite, daughter of Myrmex. It was said that she had initiated

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

to the

Eleusinian Mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries () were initiations held every year for the Cult (religious practice), cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis in ancient Greece. They are considered the "most famous of the secret rel ...

and some sources portray her as the mother of Heracles' son,

Hyllus In Greek mythology, Hyllus (; Ancient Greek: Ὕλλος, ''Hyllos'') or Hyllas (Ὕλλᾱς, ''Hyllas'') was a son of Heracles and Deianira and the husband of Iole. Mythology Heracles, whom Zeus had originally intended to be ruler of Arg ...

.Scoliast. ad Aristophanes,

The Frogs ''The Frogs'' (; , often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in Athens, in 405 BC and received first place. The pla ...

504. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it was believed that the name had a Phoenician influence, in fact it is homophone of the ancient names of the island of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

and of

Samothrace Samothrace (also known as Samothraki; , ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is long, in size and has a population of 2,596 (2021 census). Its main industries ...

; today, however, it is believed that the toponym derives from the word "honey" ().

Description

Besides the Pnyx and the public buildings of the agora, in Melite there was also the

Temple of Hephaestus The Temple of Hephaestus or Hephaisteion (also "Hephesteum" or "Hephaesteum"; , , and formerly called in error the Theseion or "Theseum"; , ), is a well-preserved Greek temple dedicated to Hephaestus; it remains standing largely intact today. I ...

. There was also a sanctuary of

, with a statue by

Phidias Phidias or Pheidias (; , ''Pheidias''; ) was an Ancient Greek sculptor, painter, and architect, active in the 5th century BC. His Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Phidias also designed the statues of ...

or his teacher

Ageladas Ageladas ( ''Agelā́dās'') or Hagelaedas ( ''Hagelā́idās'') was a celebrated Greek ( Argive) sculptor, who flourished in the latter part of the 6th and the early part of the 5th century BC. Ageladas' fame is enhanced by his having been the ...

erected to commemorate the end of an epidemic in 429 BCE. Eurysaces, son of

Ajax the Great Ajax () or Aias (; , ''Aíantos''; Archaic Greek alphabets, archaic ) is a Greek mythology, Greek mythological Greek hero cult, hero, the son of King Telamon and Periboea, and the half-brother of Teucer. He plays an important role in the T ...

, was the owner of a sanctuary in which he was venerated along with his father. It was said that he migrated with his brother to Athens and granted to the Athenians the island of Salamis in exchange for citizenship; this myth was probably current in the 6th century BCE to justify the Athenian conquest of Salamis. Among the descendants of Eurysaces were many priests and important aristocrats, including

Alcibiades Alcibiades (; 450–404 BC) was an Athenian statesman and general. The last of the Alcmaeonidae, he played a major role in the second half of the Peloponnesian War as a strategic advisor, military commander, and politician, but subsequently ...

. In the deme there was also a temple of

Theseus Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes desc ...

, which it was said contained his grave. Tradition said that the original inhabitants of the deme emigrated to Diomea, where they brought with them the cult of Heracles. Melite was a very populous place: among the non-native inhabitants of here there were

Epicurus Epicurus (, ; ; 341–270 BC) was an Greek philosophy, ancient Greek philosopher who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy that asserted that philosophy's purpose is to attain as well as to help others attain tranqui ...

, who left his home to the successive heads of his school;

Callias II Callias () was an Ancient Greek statesman, soldier and diplomat active in 5th century BC. He is commonly known as Callias II to distinguish him from his grandfather, Callias I, and from his grandson, Callias III, who apparently squandered the fami ...

;

Phocion Phocion (; ''Phokion''; c. 402 – c. 318 BC), nicknamed The Good (, was an Athens, Athenian wikt:statesman, statesman and strategos, and the subject of one of Plutarch's ''Parallel Lives''. Phocion was a successful politician of Athens. He beli ...

;

, who had a temple to

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

built near his house.

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

, ''Themistocles'' 22.

References

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