Styra ( grc, τὰ Στύρα) was a town of
ancient Euboea, on the west coast, north of
Carystus, and nearly opposite the promontory of
Cynosura in
Attica. The town stood near the shore in the inner part of the bay, in the middle of which is the island
Aegileia
Stouronisi ( el, Στουρονήσι) or Styronisi (Στυρονήσι, "island of Styra") is a small island in the Euboean Sea. It is located in the South Euboean Gulf opposite Styra. It is the largest island of a small island complex comprising ...
, now called Stouronisi. Styra is mentioned by
Homer along with Carystus in the
Catalogue of Ships
The Catalogue of Ships ( grc, νεῶν κατάλογος, ''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 na ...
in the ''
Iliad''. Its inhabitants were originally
Dryopians Dryopes (; grc, Δρύοπες) or Dryopians () were one of the aboriginal tribes of ancient Greece. According to Herodotus, their earliest abode is said to have been on Mount Oeta and its adjacent valleys, in the district called after them, Dry ...
, though they denied this origin, and claimed to be descended from the
deme of
Steiria
''Steiria'' is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae
The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many o ...
in Attica. In the
First Persian War
The first Persian invasion of Greece, during the Greco-Persian Wars, began in 492 BC, and ended with the decisive Athenian victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. The invasion, consisting of two distinct campaigns, was ordered b ...
(490 BCE) the
Persians landed at Aegileia, which belonged to Styra, the prisoners whom they had taken at
Eretria. In the
Second Persian War
The second Persian invasion of Greece (480–479 BC) occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars, as King Xerxes I of Persia sought to conquer all of Greece. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat of the first Persian invasion ...
(480-479 BCE) the Styrians fought at the battles of
Artemisium,
Salamis, and
Plataeae. They sent two ships to the naval engagements, and at Plataeae they and the Eretrians amounted together to 600 men. They afterwards became the subjects of
Athens, and paid a yearly tribute of 1200 drachmae. The Athenian fleet was stationed here in 356 BCE.
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 "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
relates that the town was destroyed in the "Maliac War" by the Athenian
Phaedrus Phaedrus may refer to:
People
* Phaedrus (Athenian) (c. 444 BC – 393 BC), an Athenian aristocrat depicted in Plato's dialogues
* Phaedrus (fabulist) (c. 15 BC – c. AD 50), a Roman fabulist
* Phaedrus the Epicurean (138 BC – c. 70 BC), an Epic ...
, and its territory given to the Eretrians; but as the Maliac War is not mentioned elsewhere, we ought probably to substitute
Lamian War for it.
Its site is located within the borders of the modern
Styra, Greece
Styra ( el, Στύρα) is a village and a former municipality on the island Euboea, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Karystos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 188.583 ...
.
References
Populated places in ancient Euboea
Former populated places in Greece
Locations in the Iliad
Members of the Delian League
{{AncientEuboea-geo-stub