Methana Marginalis
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Methana (, ) is a town and a former
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' ...
on the
Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...
peninsula,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality
Troizinia-Methana Troizinia-Methana () is a municipality in the Islands regional unit, Attica, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Galatas. The municipality was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the two former municipalities ...
, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 50.161 km2. Methana is situated on a
volcanic A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often fo ...
(the
Methana Volcano The Methana volcano peninsula is situated approximately southwest of Athens in Greece. Geological history The Methana (Μέθανα) peninsula contains some 32 volcanoes, including the Methana volcano, that are mostly andesitic and dacitic la ...
)
peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
, attached to the Peloponnese. Administratively, it belongs to the
Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...
region. The town (pop. 892 in 2011) is located north of the road connecting to the rest of the Peloponnese and Galatas. The highest point is (Helona Mountain). The municipal unit has a land area of and a population of 1,352 inhabitants at the 2021 census.


Subdivisions

The municipal unit Methana is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets): *
Kounoupitsa Kounoupitsa () is a village and a community in the northern end of the Methana peninsula, northeastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is part of the municipality Troizinia-Methana. The community consists of the villages Kounoupitsa, Agios Georgios, Agios ...
(Kounoupitsa, Agios Georgios, Agios Nikolaos, Makrylongos, Palaia Loutra) * Kypseli (Kypseli, Agioi Theodoroi) *Loutropoli Methanon (Methana, Dritsaiika) * Megalochori (Megalochori, Vathy, Kaimeni Chora, Megalo Potami)


Historical population

Half of the entire peninsula's population lives in Methana town.


Volcanic activity

The peninsula is entirely of
volcanic A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often fo ...
origin and contains over 30 volcanic eruption centers. The last volcanic eruption occurred near present-day
Kameni Chora Megalochori () is a village and a community in the western part of the volcanic Methana peninsula, Greece. It is located 3km northwest of Methana town. The community consists of the villages Megalochori, Vathy, Kaimeni Chora and Megalo Potami. The ...
in 3rd century BC. Famous writers such as
Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...
,
Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...
and Pausanias reported the last volcanic eruption in Methana. The peninsula is the northwesternmost of the arc of the Aegean islands of which the active volcanic areas are Methana,
Milos Milos or Melos (; , ; ) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. It is the southwestern-most island of the Cyclades group. The ''Venus de Milo'' (now in the Louvre), the ''Poseidon of Melos'' (now in the ...
,
Santorini Santorini (, ), officially Thira (, ) or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southern ...
and
Nisyros Nisyros, also spelled Nisiros (; ), is a volcanic Greek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea. It is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, situated between the islands of Kos and Tilos. Its shape is approximately round, with a ...
. In the future, Methana (and the area of the
Saronic gulf The Saronic Gulf ( Greek: Σαρωνικός κόλπος, ''Saronikós kólpos'') or Gulf of Aegina in Greece is formed between the peninsulas of Attica and Argolis and forms part of the Aegean Sea. It defines the eastern side of the isthmus of C ...
) may expect other volcanic eruptions.


Geography

Since 1991, the peninsula has been investigated by the team of
ETH Zürich ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ra ...
geologically and cartographically. From this, a topographical map of the entire peninsula at a scale of 1:25,000 was made. An interactiv
3D map
was created and is on the World Wide Web. Also a rich photographic archive with about 10.000 color slides has been produced (see links below). The panorama of the northeastern part of
Argolis Argolis or Argolida ( , ; , in ancient Greek and Katharevousa) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese penin ...
, southeastern and eastern
Corinthia Corinthia (; ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Ge ...
along with the southern part of the
Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...
peninsula and the
Saronic Islands The Saronic Islands or Argo-Saronic Islands is an archipelago in Greece, named after the Saronic Gulf in which they are located, just off the Greek mainland. The main inhabited islands of this group are Salamis, Aegina, Agistri, and Poros. Th ...
of
Aegina Aegina (; ; ) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina (mythology), Aegina, the mother of the mythological hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and became its king. ...
and Salamis along with a smaller one and the mountains of the eastern tip of the neighboring peninsula. Much of the peninsula is mountainous and bushy and grassy. The mountain range covers the central part of the peninsula and has a small ridge north of the seat. The residential area is within the sea. The pastures are around Methana. A mountain ridge is founded in the west and is about long with a stream in the middle and a cliff in the south.


History

The earliest known settlement (near the village of Vathy) dates from 1500–1300 BC. The first survey was conducted by Michael Deffner, who discovered a large
throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign (or viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory ...
, among other artefacts. Many ancient sites were identified through the archaeological survey conducted in the 1980s by the University of Liverpool in association with the British School at Athens. The Acropolis Palaiokastro is located near the village of Vathy but the main port is at Methana, also called Arsinoe in Ptolemaic times, with a fort on the islet of Nisaki. A coastal fortress called Akropolis Oga is located near Kypseli. A Mycenaean settlement was excavated by Helene Konstolakis-Jiannopoulou in 1990 along with the chapel of Agios Konstantinos and Elenis. Selected artifacts can be visited in the museums of Poros island and in Piraeus. This site dates between 1500 and 1300 BC. The name of the town appears to be in the so-called "Aegean List" from the
Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III The Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, also known as Kom el-Hettân, was built by the main architect Amenhotep, son of Hapu, for Pharaoh Amenhotep III during the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom. The mortuary temple is located on the Western bank ...
in
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, dating to 14th century BCE, where it is recorded as . Methana (, ), Methone (, ), or Methene (, ) was in the territory of
Troezen Troezen (; ancient Greek: Τροιζήν, modern Greek: Τροιζήνα ) is a small town and a former municipality in the northeastern Peloponnese, Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the munic ...
. In his ''
History of the Peloponnesian War The ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' () is a historical account of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), which was fought between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Classical Athens, Athens). The account, ...
'',
Thucydides Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...
tells of an Athenian expeditionary force under
Nicias Nicias (; ; 470–413 BC) was an Athenian politician and general, who was prominent during the Peloponnesian War. A slaveowning member of the Athenian aristocracy, he inherited a large fortune from his father, and had investments in the silv ...
that after defeating Corinth (in 425 BC) built a wall across the isthmus to cut the Methana peninsula off from the mainland. In the
Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...
period, the peninsula became one of the Ptolemaic bases in the Aegean when it was renamed Arsinoe. When Pausanias visited in the 2nd century, he saw a temple of
Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
, and statutes of
Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...
and
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 ...
in 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 ...
. There are no written references to Methana in the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Ruins of basilicas and churches from the late 6th or early 7th century have been found. It seems that there were two settlements in Methana in the Byzantine period, one at Panagitsa and another at Prophet Elias and at Helona. Another settlement seems to have existed west of
Kounoupitsa Kounoupitsa () is a village and a community in the northern end of the Methana peninsula, northeastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is part of the municipality Troizinia-Methana. The community consists of the villages Kounoupitsa, Agios Georgios, Agios ...
, where the church of Agia Barbara is located and the churches of Agios Dimitrios and Agios Ioannis the Theologian, built in the 13th century and frescoed, are located. It seems that the peninsula was not affected by Slavic invasions, but later in medieval times it was affected by raids. During the 14th century, a period in which the population of the region was diluted,
Arvanites Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They are bilingual, traditionally speaking Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded ...
settled on the Methana peninsula. During the
Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...
, hundreds of refugees, mainly women and children, found refuge in the sparsely populated peninsula of Methana, so that the population of Methana rose from 500-600 in the pre-revolution years to 1,349 in 1830. In 1826-27 Charles Fabvier built a fortress on the isthmus of Methana, probably to protect his troops. In 1834 Methana became a municipality which was annexed to the province of Kalavria, consisting of the municipalities of Methana, Troizina, Dryopi and Kalavria.


Notable People

*
Giorgos Batis Yiorgos Batis (, also Giorgos Batis) (1885 – 10 March 1967) was one of the first rebetes influential to ''rebetiko'' music. His real name was Yiorgos Tsoros although he was known as Yiorgos Ampatis. He had a great love for music and musical ...
(1885–1967) singer *
Lina Nikolakopoulou Evangelia (Lina) Nikolakopoulou (Λίνα Νικολακοπούλου) is widely recognised as one of the foremost lyricists in Greece. She was born in Methana on 30 June 1957 and studied social and political sciences at the Panteion University ...


See also

*
List of settlements in Attica This is a list of settlements in the region of Attica, Greece. Mainland Attica * Acharnes * Afidnes * Agia Paraskevi * Agia Varvara * Agioi Anargyroi * Agios Dimitrios * Agios Ioannis Rentis * Agios Konstantinos * Agios Stefanos * Aig ...


Further reading

*


References


External links

*
Official website

The alternative Methana Website Project
{{Authority control Spa towns in Greece Volcanoes of Greece Subduction volcanoes Stratovolcanoes Lava domes Troizinia-Methana Landforms of Islands (regional unit) Landforms of Attica Populated places in ancient Argolis Populated places in Islands (regional unit) Arvanite settlements