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This is an article about the Greek city of Eretria on Euboea. It should not be confused with Eretria in western Magnesia, Greece or the modern African nation, Eritrea.Eretria () was a polis in
Ancient Greece, located on the western coast of the island of
Euboea (Evvoia or Evia), south of
Chalcis (Modern: Χαλκίδα or Halkida), facing the coast of
Attica across the narrow Euboian Gulf. Eretria was an important Greek polis in the 6th/5th century BC. However, it lost its importance already in antiquity. Excavations of the ancient city began in the 1890s and have been conducted since 1964 by the Greek Archaeological Service (11th Ephorate of Antiquities) and the
Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece (). Today, there is a
modern Greek town of the same name on the ancient site.
History
Prehistory
The first evidence for human activity in the area of Eretria are pottery sherds and stone artefacts from the late
Neolithic period (3500-3000 BC) found on the acropolis as well as in the plain. No permanent structures have yet been found. It is therefore unclear whether a permanent settlement existed at that time.
The first known settlement from the Early
Helladic period (3000-2000 BC) was located in the plain. A granary and several other buildings as well as a pottery kiln have been found so far. This settlement was moved to the top of the Acropolis in the Middle Helladic period (2000-1600 BC), because the plain was flooded by the nearby lagoon. In the Late Helladic period (1600-1100 BC), the population dwindled and the remains found so far have been interpreted as an observation post. The site was abandoned during the Dark Ages.
Archaic to Roman period
The oldest archaeological finds date the foundation of the city to the 9th century BC. It was probably founded as the harbour of
Lefkandi, which is located 15 km to the west. .The name Eretria comes from the
Greek: ἐρέτης (rower), which makes Eretria the "City of the Rowers". Eretria's population and importance increased after Lefkandi's destruction by fire in 825 BC.
The earliest surviving mention of Eretria was by
Homer (
Iliad 2.537), who listed Eretria as one of the Greek cities which sent ships to the
Trojan War. In the 8th century BC, Eretria and her near neighbour and rival,
Chalcis, were both powerful and prosperous trading cities. Eretria controlled the
Aegean islands of
Andros,
Tenos and
Ceos. They also held land in
Boeotia on the Greek mainland. Eretria was also involved in the Greek colonisation and founded the colonies of Pithekoussai and Cumae in Italy together with Chalcis.
At the end of the 8th century BC, however, Eretria and Chalcis fought a prolonged war (known mainly from the account in
Thucydides as the
Lelantine War) for control of the fertile Lelantine plain. Little is known of the details of this war, but it is clear that Eretria was defeated as had been her mother-city Lefkandi c. 825 B.C., perhaps in an earlier phase of the war. The city was destroyed and Eretria lost her lands in Boeotia and her Aegean dependencies. Neither Eretria nor Chalcis ever again counted for much in Greek politics.
As a result of this defeat, Eretria turned to colonisation. She planted colonies in the northern
Aegean, on the coast of
Macedon, in
Italy and
Sicily.
The Eretrians were
Ionians and were thus natural allies of
Athens. When the Ionian Greeks in
Asia Minor rebelled against
Persia in 499, Eretria joined Athens in sending aid to the rebels, because Miletus supported Eretria in the Lelantine War. As a result,
Darius made a point of punishing Eretria during his invasion of Greece. In 490 the city was sacked and burned by the Persians under the admiral
Datis and the population was deported to Mesopotamia. The Apollo Temple, which was build at around 510 BC was destroyed by the Persians. Parts of pediment were found in 1900, for example the torso of an Athena statue.
Eretria was rebuilt shortly afterwards and took part with 600 hoplites in the battle of Plataea (479 BC). During the 5th century BC the whole of Euboea became part of the
Delian League, which later became the
Athenian Empire. Eretria and other cities of Euboea rebelled unsuccessfully against Athens in 446 BC. During the
Peloponnesian War Eretria was an Athenian ally against her
Dorian rivals
Sparta and
Corinth. But soon the Eretrians, along with the rest of the Empire, found Athenian domination oppressive. When the Spartans defeated the Athenians at the battle of Eretria in 411 BC, the Euboian cities all rebelled.
After her eventual defeat by Sparta in 404 BC, Athens soon recovered and re-established her hegemony over Euboea, which was an essential source of grain for the urban population. The Eretrians rebelled again in 349 BC and this time the Athenians could not recover control. In 343 BC supporters of
Philip II of Macedon gained control of the city, but the Athenians under
Demosthenes recaptured it in 341 BC.
The
Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, in which Philip defeated the combined armies of the Greeks, marked the end of the Greek cities as independent states and Eretria dwindled to become a provincial town. In 198 BC it was plundered by the Romans. In 87 BC it was finally destroyed in the
Mithridatic Wars and abandoned.
Modern Revival
The modern town of Eretria was established in 1824, after
Greek independence, and is now a popular beachside resort. The historic and archaeological finds from Eretria and
Lefkandi are displayed in the , established by the
Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece.
The town can be reached from
Skala Oropou, Attica by ferry or via Halkida by car. It's an important station on the way to the south of the island. It has many taverns and a long beach promenade. The archaeological excavations are located on the northern edge of the modern town.
Historical population
Notable people
- Menedemus (345/4-261/0 BC), Greek philosopher
See also
