Aegina (/ɪˈdʒaɪnə/;[3]Greek:Αίγιναpronounced[ˈeʝina];Ancient Greek:Αἴγῑνα)[a] is one of theSaronic Islands ofGreece in theSaronic Gulf, 27 km (17 mi) fromAthens. Tradition derives the name fromAegina, the mother of the mythological heroAeacus, who was born on the island and became its king.[4] In classical antiquity Aegina was a powerful city-state and at one point a rival of Athens. In modern times Aegina is known for the temple of Aphaia, pistacho production, and the pilgrimage site of St. Nektarios. Many Athenians have established vacation homes in Aegina.
The municipality of Aegina consists of the island of Aegina and a few offshore islets. It is part of theIslands regional unit,Attica region. The municipality is subdivided into the following five communities (population in 2021 in parentheses):[2]
Aegina (6,976)
Kypseli (2,166)
Mesagros (1,473)
Perdika (847)
Vathy (1,449)
The regional capital is the town of Aegina, situated at the northwestern end of the island. Due to its proximity toAthens, it is a popular vacation place during the summer months, with quite a few Athenians owning second houses on the island. The buildings of the island are examples of Neoclassical architecture with a strong folk element, built in the 19th century.
The province of Aegina (Greek:Επαρχία Αίγινας) was one of theprovinces of the Attica Prefecture and was created in 1833 as part ofAttica and Boeotia Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipalities Aegina andAgkistri until its abolishment in 2006.[5]
Aegina is roughly triangular in shape, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) from east to west and 10 km (6.2 mi) from north to south, with an area of 87.41 km2 (33.75 sq mi).[6]
Anextinct volcano constitutes two-thirds of Aegina. The northern and western sides consist of stony but fertileplains, which are well cultivated and produce luxuriant crops of grain, with some cotton,vines,almonds,olives andfigs,[4] but the most characteristic crop of Aegina today (2000s) ispistachio. Economically, thesponge fisheries are of importance. The southern volcanic part of the island is rugged and mountainous, and largely barren. Its highest rise is the conicalMount Oros (531 m) in the south, and the Panhellenian ridge stretches northward with narrow fertile valleys on either side.
The beaches are also a popular tourist attraction.Hydrofoil ferries fromPiraeus take only forty minutes to reach Aegina; the regular ferry takes about an hour. There are regular bus services from Aegina town to destinations throughout theisland such asAgia Marina.Portes is a fishing village on the east coast.
A panorama of the island of Aegina, from the Mediterranean sea.
Aegina, according toHerodotus,[11] was a colony ofEpidaurus, to which state it was originally subject. Its placement betweenAttica and thePeloponnesus made it a site of trade even earlier, and its earliest inhabitants allegedly came from Asia Minor.[12]
The most important Early Bronze Age settlement was Kolonna, stone-built fortified site.[13] The main connections were with the Greek mainland, but there were found also influences from Cyclades and Crete.[14]
Another important deposit of Early Bronze Age golden and silver jewellery was discovered by Austrian archaeologists.[15]
The discovery on the island of a number of gold ornaments belonging to the last period ofMycenaean art suggests that Mycenaean culture existed in Aegina for some generations after theDorian conquest ofArgos andLacedaemon.[18]
At Mount Ellanio, a Mycenaean refuge has been found dating to the end of theLate Bronze Age.[19]
It is probable that the island was not Doricised before the 9th century BC.
One of the earliest historical facts is its membership in theAmphictyony orLeague of Calauria, attested around the 8th century BC. This ostensibly religious league included, besides Aegina,Athens, theMinyan (Boeotian)Orchomenos,Troezen,Hermione,Nauplia, andPrasiae. It was probably an organisation of city-states that were still Mycenaean, for the purpose of suppressingpiracy in the Aegean that began as a result of the decay of the naval supremacy of the Mycenaean princes.
Aegina seems to have belonged to theEretrian league during theLelantine War; this, perhaps, may explain the war withSamos, a major member of the rivalChalcidian League during the reign of KingAmphicrates (Herod. iii. 59), i.e. not later than the earlier half of the 7th century BC.[4]
Silverstater of Aegina, 550–530 BC. Obv.Sea turtle with large pellets down centre. Rev. incuse square punch with eight sections.
Silverdrachma of Aegina, 404–340 BC. Obverse: Landtortoise. Reverse: inscription ΑΙΓ(INA) "Aegina" and dolphin.
Its early history reveals that the maritime importance of the island dates back to pre-Dorian times. It is usually stated on the authority ofEphorus, thatPheidon ofArgos established a mint in Aegina, the first city-state to issue coins in Europe, the Aegineticstater. One stamped stater (having the mark of some authority in the form of a picture or words) can be seen in theBibliothèque Nationale of Paris. It is anelectrum stater of a turtle, an animal sacred toAphrodite, struck at Aegina that dates from 700 BC.[20] Therefore, it is thought that the Aeginetes, within 30 or 40 years of the invention of coinage inAsia Minor by theIonian Greeks or theLydians (c. 630 BC), might have been the ones to introduce coinage to theWestern world. The fact that the Aeginetic standard of weights and measures (developed during the mid-7th century) was one of the two standards in general use in the Greek world (the other being the Euboic-Attic) is sufficient evidence of the early commercial importance of the island.[4] The Aeginetic weight standard of about 12.2 grams was widely adopted in the Greek world during the 7th century BC. The Aeginetic stater was divided into two drachmae of 6.1 grams of silver.[21] Staters depicting a sea-turtle were struck up to the end of the 5th century BC. During theFirst Peloponnesian War, by 456 BC, it was replaced by the landtortoise.[22]
During the naval expansion of Aegina during theArchaic Period,Kydonia was an ideal maritime stop for Aegina's fleet on its way to otherMediterranean ports controlled by the emerging sea-power Aegina.[23] During the next century Aegina was one of the three principal states trading at theemporium ofNaucratis in Egypt, and it was the only Greek state near Europe that had a share in this factory.[24] At the beginning of the 5th century BC it seems to have been an entrepôt of thePontic grain trade, which, at a later date, became an Athenian monopoly.[25]
Unlike the other commercial states of the 7th and 6th centuries BC, such asCorinth,Chalcis,Eretria andMiletus, Aegina did not found any colonies. The settlements to which Strabo refers (viii. 376) cannot be regarded as any real exceptions to this statement.[4]
The known history of Aegina is almost exclusively a history of its relations with the neighbouring state of Athens, which began to compete with thethalassocracy (sea power) of Aegina about the beginning of the 6th century BC.Solon passed laws limiting Aeginetan commerce in Attica. The legendary history of these relations, as recorded by Herodotus (v. 79–89; vi. 49–51, 73, 85–94), involves critical problems of some difficulty and interest. He traces the hostility of the two states back to a dispute about the images of the goddessesDamia andAuxesia, which the Aeginetes had carried off fromEpidauros, their parent state.
Colour depiction of theTemple of Aphaea, sacred to a mother goddess, particularly worshiped on Aegina.TheTemple of Aphaea (about 490 BC)
In the early years of the 5th century BC theThebans, after the defeat by Athens about 507 BC, appealed to Aegina for assistance.[26] The Aeginetans at first contented themselves with sending the images of theAeacidae, thetutelary heroes of their island. Subsequently, however, they contracted an alliance, and ravaged the seaboard of Attica. The Athenians were preparing to make reprisals, in spite of the advice of theDelphic oracle that they should desist from attacking Aegina for thirty years, and content themselves meanwhile with dedicating a precinct toAeacus, when their projects were interrupted by theSpartan intrigues for the restoration ofHippias.
In 491 BC Aegina was one of the states which gave the symbols of submission ("earth and water") toAchaemenid Persia. Athens at once appealed to Sparta to punish this act ofmedism, andCleomenes I, one of the Spartan kings, crossed over to the island, to arrest those who were responsible for it. His attempt was at first unsuccessful; but, after the deposition ofDemaratus, he visited the island a second time, accompanied by his new colleagueLeotychides, seized ten of the leading citizens and deposited them at Athens as hostages.
After the death of Cleomenes and the refusal of the Athenians to restore the hostages to Leotychides, the Aeginetes retaliated by seizing a number of Athenians at a festival atSounion. Thereupon the Athenians concerted a plot withNicodromus, the leader of the democratic party in the island, for the betrayal of Aegina. He was to seize the old city, and they were to come to his aid on the same day with seventy vessels. The plot failed owing to the late arrival of the Athenian force, when Nicodromus had already fled the island. An engagement followed in which the Aeginetes were defeated. Subsequently, however, they succeeded in winning a victory over the Athenian fleet.
All the incidents subsequent to the appeal of Athens to Sparta are referred expressly by Herodotus to the interval between the sending of the heralds in 491 BC and the invasion ofDatis andArtaphernes in 490 BC (cf. Herod. vi. 49 with 94).
There are difficulties with this story, of which the following are the principal elements:
Herodotus nowhere states or implies that peace was concluded between the two states before 481 BC, nor does he distinguish between different wars during this period. Hence it would follow that the war lasted from soon after 507 BC until the congress at theIsthmus of Corinth in 481 BC
It is only for two years (491 and 490 BC) out of the twenty-five that any details are given. It is the more remarkable that no incidents are recorded in the period between the battles ofMarathon andSalamis, since at the time of the Isthmian Congress the war was described as the most important one then being waged in Greece,[27]
It is improbable that Athens would have sent twenty vessels to the aid of the Ionians in 499 BC if at the time it was at war with Aegina.
There is an incidental indication of time, which indicates the period after Marathon as the true date for the events which are referred by Herodotus to the year before Marathon, viz. the thirty years that were to elapse between the dedication of the precinct to Aeacus and the final victory of Athens.[28] As the final victory of Athens over Aegina was in 458 BC, the thirty years of the oracle would carry us back to the year 488 BC as the date of the dedication of the precinct and the beginning of hostilities. This inference is supported by the date of the building of the 200 triremes "for the war against Aegina" on the advice ofThemistocles, which is given in theConstitution of Athens as 483–482 BC.[29]
The real occasion of the beginning of the war was the refusal of Athens to restore the hostages some twenty years later. There was but one war, and it lasted from 488 to 481 BC. That Athens had the worst of it in this war is certain. Herodotus had no Athenian victories to record after the initial success, and the fact that Themistocles was able to carry his proposal to devote the surplus funds of the state to the building of so large a fleet seems to imply that the Athenians were themselves convinced that a supreme effort was necessary.
In confirmation of this opinion, that the naval supremacy of Aegina is assigned by the ancient writers on chronology to precisely this period, i.e. the years 490–480 BC.[4][30]
In the repulse ofXerxes I it is possible that the Aeginetes played a larger part than is conceded to them by Herodotus. The Athenian tradition, which he follows in the main, would naturally seek to obscure their services. It was to Aegina rather than Athens that the prize of valour at Salamis was awarded, and the destruction of the Persian fleet appears to have been as much the work of the Aeginetan contingent as of the Athenian (Herod. viii. 91). There are other indications, too, of the importance of the Aeginetan fleet in the Greek scheme of defence. In view of these considerations it becomes difficult to credit the number of the vessels that is assigned to them by Herodotus (30 as against 180 Athenian vessels, cf.Greek History, sect. Authorities). During the next twenty years the Philo-Laconian policy ofCimon secured Aegina, as a member of the Spartan league, from attack. The change in Athenian foreign policy, which was consequent upon the ostracism of Cimon in 461 BC, resulted in what is sometimes called the First Peloponnesian War, during which most of the fighting was experienced by Corinth and Aegina. The latter state was forced to surrender to Athens after a siege, and to accept the position of a subject-ally (c. 456 BC). The tribute was fixed at 30 talents.
By the terms of theThirty Years' Peace (445 BC) Athens promised to restore to Aegina her autonomy, but the clause remained ineffective. During the first winter of thePeloponnesian War (431 BC) Athens expelled the Aeginetans and established acleruchy in their island. The exiles were settled by Sparta inThyreatis, on the frontiers of Laconia and Argolis. Even in their new home they were not safe from Athenian rancour. A force commanded byNicias landed in 424 BC, and killed most of them. At the end of the Peloponnesian WarLysander restored the scattered remnants of the old inhabitants to the island,[31][32] which was used by the Spartans as a base for operations against Athens during theCorinthian War.
It is probable that the power of Aegina had steadily declined during the twenty years after Salamis, and that it had declined absolutely, as well as relatively to that of Athens. Commerce was the source of Aegina's greatness, and her trade, which seems to have been principally with the Levant, must have suffered seriously from the war with Persia. Aegina's medism in 491 is to be explained by its commercial relations with the Persian Empire. It was forced into patriotism in spite of itself, and the glory won by theBattle of Salamis was paid for by the loss of its trade and the decay of its marine. The loss of the state's power is explained by the conditions of the island, which was based on slave labour.
The remains of the 4th century synagogue at the Archaeological Museum of Aegina
Aegina with the rest of Greece became dominated successively by theMacedonians (322–229 BC), theAchaeans (229–211 BC),Aetolians (211–210 BC),Attalus of Pergamum (210–133 BC) and theRomans (after 133 BC).[4] A sign at the Archaeological Museum of Aegina is reported to say that aJewish community was established in Aegina "at the end of the second and during the 3rd century AD" by Jews fleeing thebarbarian invasions of the time in Greece.[33] However, the first phases of those invasions began in the 4th century. The Romaniote Jewish community erected an elaborate synagogue in rectangle form with an apse on the eastern wall with a magnificent mosaic decorated with geometric motifs, still preserved in the courtyard of the Archaeological Museum of Aegina. The synagogue dates from the 4th century AD and was in use until the 7th century AD.[34] Local Christian tradition has it that a Christian community was established there in the 1st century. There are written records of participation by later bishops of Aegina, Gabriel and Thomas, in theCouncils of Constantinople in 869 and879. The see was at first asuffragan of themetropolitan see of Corinth, but was later given the rank ofarchdiocese.[35][36] No longer a residential bishopric, Aegina is today listed by theCatholic Church as atitular see.[37]
According to the 12th-century bishop of Athens,Michael Choniates, by his time the island had become a base for pirates.[38] This is corroborated byBenedict of Peterborough's graphic account of Greece, as it was in 1191; he states that many of the islands were uninhabited for fear of pirates and that Aegina, along with Salamis andMakronisos, were their strongholds.
The former catholic church known as Saint George of the Forum inPaliachora, the medieval capital of Aegina.
After the dissolution and partition of the Byzantine Empire by theFourth Crusade in 1204, Aegina was accorded to theRepublic of Venice. In the event, it became controlled by theDuchy of Athens. TheCatalan Company seized control of Athens, and with it Aegina, in 1317, and in 1425 the island became controlled by the Venetians,[40] when Alioto Caopena, at that time ruler of Aegina, placed himself by treaty under the Republic's protection to escape the danger of a Turkish raid. The island must then have been fruitful, for one of the conditions by which Venice accorded him protection was that he should supply grain to Venetian colonies. He agreed to surrender the island to Venice if his family became extinct.Antonio II Acciaioli opposed the treaty for one of his adopted daughters had married the future lord of Aegina, Antonello Caopena.
In 1451, Aegina became Venetian. The islanders welcomed Venetian rule; the claims of Antonello's uncle Arnà, who had lands inArgolis, were satisfied by a pension. A Venetian governor (rettore) was appointed, who was dependent on the authorities of Nauplia. After Arnà's death, his son Alioto renewed his claim to the island but was told that the republic was resolved to keep it. He and his family were pensioned and one of them aided in the defence of Aegina against the Turks in 1537, was captured with his family, and died in a Turkish dungeon.
Aegina obtained money for its defenses by reluctantly sacrificing its cherished relic, the head ofSt. George, which had been carried there from Livadia by the Catalans. In 1462, the Venetian Senate ordered the relic to be removed to St. Giorgio Maggiore in Venice and on 12 November, it was transported from Aegina by Vettore Cappello, the famous Venetian commander. In return, the Senate gave the Aeginetes 100ducats apiece towards fortifying the island.
In 1519, the government was reformed. The system of having two rectors was found to result in frequent quarrels and the republic thenceforth sent out a single official styled Bailie and Captain, assisted by twocouncillors, who performed the duties ofcamerlengo by turns. The Bailie's authority extended over the rector of Aegina, whereasKastri (opposite the islandHydra) was granted to two families, thePalaiologoi and theAlberti.
Society at Nauplia was divided into three classes: nobles, citizens and plebeians, and it was customary for nobles alone to possess the much-coveted local offices, such as the judge of the inferior court and inspector of weights and measures. The populace now demanded its share and the home government ordered that at least one of the three inspectors should be a non-noble.
Latin inscription over the entrance of St. George the Catholic inPaliachora, recording the visit of Antonio Barbaro, the Venetian captain of Nauplia, on 1 April 1533.
Aegina had always been exposed to the raids ofcorsairs and had oppressive governors during these last 30 years of Venetian rule. Venetian nobles were not willing to go to this island. In 1533, three rectors of Aegina were punished for their acts of injustice and there is a graphic account of the reception given by the Aeginetans to the captain of Nauplia, who came to command an enquiry into the administration of these delinquents (vid. inscription over the entrance of St. George the Catholic in Paliachora). The rectors had spurned their ancient right to elect an islander to keep one key of the money-chest. They had also threatened to leave the island en masse with the commissioner, unless the captain avenged their wrongs. To spare the economy of the community, it was ordered that appeals from the governor's decision should be made on Crete, instead of in Venice. The republic was to pay abakshish to the Turkish governor of the Morea and to thevoivode who was stationed at the frontier of Thermisi (opposite Hydra). The fortifications too, were allowed to become decrepit and were inadequately guarded.[citation needed]
The ruins ofPaliachora. Walls, houses, and castle have been destroyed, only the chapels were restored.
After the end of the Duchy of Athens and theprincipality of Achaia, the only Latin possessions left on the mainland of Greece were the papal city of Monemvasia, the fortress ofVonitsa, the Messenian stations Coron and Modon, Lepanto, Pteleon, Navarino, and the castles of Argos and Nauplia, to which the island of Aegina was subordinate.
In 1502–03, the new peace treaty left Venice with nothing but Cephalonia, Monemvasia and Nauplia, with their appurtenances in the Morea. And against the sack of Megara, it had to endure the temporary capture of the castle of Aegina byKemal Reis and the abduction of 2000 inhabitants. This treaty was renewed in 1513 and 1521. All supplies of grain from Nauplia and Monemvasia had to be imported from Turkish possessions, while corsairs rendered dangerous all traffic by sea.
In 1537, sultanSuleiman declared war upon Venice and his admiralHayreddin Barbarossa devastated much of theIonian Islands, and in October invaded the island of Aegina. On the fourth day Paliachora was captured, but the Latin church of St George was spared. Hayreddin Barbarossa had the adult male population massacred and took away 6,000 surviving women and children as slaves.
With the peace of 1540, Venice ceded Nauplia (including Aegina) and Monemvasia. In 1579, the island was repopulated by Greeks form the mainland and a small numberAlbanians.[41] The Albanians settled in the southwest of the island in the village of Perdika and would eventually assimilate into the Greek population.[42] The island was attacked and left desolate byFrancesco Morosini during theCretan War (1654).
In 1684, the beginning of theMorean War between Venice and theOttoman Empire resulted in the temporary reconquest of a large part of the country by the Republic. In 1687 the Venetian army arrived in Piraeus and captured Attica. The number of the Athenians at that time exceeded 6,000, whilst in 1674 the population of Aegina did not seem to exceed 3,000 inhabitants, two thirds of which were women. The Aeginetans had been reduced to poverty to pay their taxes. A significant plague epidemic began in Attica during 1688, an occasion that caused the massive migration of Athenians toward the south; most of them settled in Aegina. In 1693 Morosini resumed command, but his only acts were to refortify the castle of Aegina, which he had demolished during the Cretan war in 1655, the cost of upkeep being paid as long as the war lasted by the Athenians, and to place it and Salamis under Malipiero as Governor. This caused the Athenians to send him a request for the renewal of Venetian protection and an offer of an annual tribute. He died in 1694 and Zeno was appointed at his place.
In 1699, thanks to English mediation, the war ended with thepeace of Karlowitz by which Venice retained possession of the 7 Ionian islands as well as Butrinto andParga, the Morea,Spinalonga andSuda, Tenos,Santa Maura and Aegina and ceased to pay a tribute forZante, but which restored Lepanto to theOttoman sultan.Cerigo and Aegina were united administratively since the peace with Morea, which not only paid all the expenses of administration but furnished a substantial balance for the naval defense of Venice, in which it was directly interested.
During the early part of theOttoman–Venetian War of 1714–1718 the Ottoman Fleet commanded by Canum Hoca captured Aegina. Ottomans rule in Aegina and the Morea was resumed and confirmed by theTreaty of Passarowitz, and they retained control of the island with the exception of a brief Russian occupationOrlov Revolt (early 1770s), until the beginning of theGreek War of Independence in 1821.
Throughout the 19th century, most Aeginitans spoke a distinct Greek dialect known asOld Athenian, which was also found in neighboring Megara and Athens.[43] A very small minority of Arvanites lived on the island, who were bilingual inArvanitika and Greek (spoken more by men and less by women), up until the early 20th century.[44][45]
In the 19th century, pistachio production was introduced to island, with great success. In current times, Aegina is a popular tourist destination and there has been a construction boom of vacation homes.
Panorama of Aegina's port.View of the port.Traditional street in the townThe cathedral ofSaint Nectarios of Aegina.Aegina town centre.A bust of Kapodistrias
Temple of Aphaea, dating from about 490 BC, it is the oldest surviving temple in Greece.[46] It was dedicated to its namesake, a goddess who was later associated withAthena; the temple was part of an equilateral holy triangle of temples including the AthenianParthenon and the temple ofPoseidon atSounion.[citation needed]
A statue in the principal square commemoratesIoannis Kapodistrias (1776–1831), the first administrator of free modern Greece.
The Orphanage of Kapodistrias is a large building, known locally asThe Prison (Οι Φυλακές, Oi Filakes), constructed in 1828–29 by Ioannis Kapodistrias as a home for children orphaned as a result of the Greek War of Independence. The building also housed schools, vocational workshops, the National Public Library, the National Archaeological Museum, a military academy, the National Printing Office and the National Conservatory for Choir and Orchestra. From about 1880 it was used as a prison, and housed political prisoners during the Greek Junta (1967–1974) - hence its local name. There are currently plans to restore the building as a museum.[47]
The Tower of Markellos was probably built during the second Venetian occupation, 1687–1714, as a watch tower in anticipation of a Turkish siege. A castle, fortified walls and numerous watchtowers were built at this time. The tower was abandoned after the Turkish occupation of 1714, until revolutionary leader Spyros Markellos bought the tower as his residence in around 1802. In 1826-28 it was the headquarters of the temporary government of the embryonic Greek state. It subsequently was used as a police headquarters and housed various government agencies until it was abandoned again in the mid 19th century. It is currently owned by the Municipality of Aegina.[48]
Temple of Zeus Hellanios, near the village of Pachia Rachi, is a 13th-century Byzantine church, built on the ruins of the ancient temple to Zeus Hellanios, built in the 4th century BC. The staircase leading up to the church, some of the original walls, and loose stones from the earlier temple remain.
Colona, Located to the north of the town of Aegina.[49] Acropolis with the sanctuary of Apollo andByzantine settlement. The name Colona was given by the Venetian sailors, who used the columns of the pavilion of the Doric temple ofApollo (6x11 columns) as a sign of orientation. The foundations and one column from the rear building are preserved. The temple with the buildings related to the function of the sanctuary dominates the ancientacropolis on the hill. It was built at the end of the 6th century when Aegina, one of the most important commercial centers, emerged as a rival of Athens. Excavations from the 19th century onwards made it clear that the architectural remains of the archaic-Hellenistic acropolis, which are only partially preserved, are based on the impressive buildings of the prehistoric era, with at least ten successive building phases.
Paliachora, known as "the Mystras of Aegina," an abandoned city which was the main settlement on the island in Byzantine and Venetian times. Over 35 churches survive, many decorated with wall paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries or earlier.
In 1896, the physician Nikolaos Peroglou introduced the systematic cultivation of pistachios, which soon became popular among the inhabitants of the island. By 1950, pistachio cultivation had significantly displaced the rest of the agricultural activity due to its high profitability but also due to thephylloxera that threatened thevineyards that time. As a result, in the early 60s, the first pistachio peeling factory was established in the Plakakia area by Grigorios Konidaris. The quality of "Fistiki Aeginis" (Aegina Pistachios), a name that was established as a product ofProtected Designation of Origin (PDO) in 1996, is considered internationally excellent and superior to several foreign varieties, due to the special climatic conditions of the island (drought) as well as soil's volcanic characteristics. Pistachios have made Aegina famous all over the world. Today, half of the pistachio growers are members of the Agricultural Cooperative of Aegina's Pistachio Producers. It is estimated that pistachio cultivation covers 29,000 acres of the island while the total production reaches 2,700 tons per year. In recent years, in mid-September, the Pistachio Festival has been organized every year under the name "Fistiki Fest".[50]
InGreek mythology,Aegina was a daughter of the river godAsopus and thenymphMetope. She bore at least two children:Menoetius byActor, andAeacus by the godZeus. When Zeus abducted Aegina, he took her toOenone, an island close toAttica. Here, Aegina gave birth to Aeacus, who would later become king of Oenone; thenceforth, the island's name was Aegina.
Aegina was the gathering place of Myrmidons; in Aegina they gathered and trained. Zeus needed an elite army and at first thought that Aegina, which at the time did not have any villagers, was a good place. So he changed some ants (Ancient Greek:Μυρμύγια, Myrmigia) into warriors who had six hands and wore black armour. Later, theMyrmidons, commanded byAchilles, were known as the most fearsome fighting unit inGreece.
^Reinholdt, Claus (2008).Der frühbronzezeitliche Schmuckhortfund von Kap Kolonna: Ägina und die Ägäis im Goldzeitalter des 3. Jahrtausends v. Chr. Ägina - Kolonna. Wien: Verl. der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.ISBN978-3-7001-3948-5.
^Xenophon.Hellenica, 2.2.9: "Meantime Lysander, upon reaching Aegina, restored the state to the Aeginetans, gathering together as many of them as he could, and he did the same thing for the Melians also and for all the others who had been deprived of their native states."
^Plutarch.Life of Lysander, 14.3: "But there were other measures of Lysander upon which all the Greeks looked with pleasure, when, for instance, the Aeginetans, after a long time, received back their own city, and when the Melians and Scionaeans were restored to their homes by him, after the Athenians had been driven out and had delivered back the cities."
^Jochalas, Titos P. (1971): Über die Einwanderung der Albaner in Griechenland: Eine zusammenfassene Betrachtung ["On the immigration of Albanians to Greece: A summary"]. München: Trofenik. pg. 89–106.
^Trudgill, Peter (2003)."Modern Greek dialects: A preliminary classification"(PDF).Journal of Greek Linguistics.4: 54, 59.doi:10.1075/jgl.4.04tru.They are: the four 'oasis' dialects on the edges of or surrounded by the Arvanitika-speaking area, as described above — Kimi, Aegina, Megara, and Old Athenian; ...
^Sasse, Hans-Jürgen (1974)."Arvanitika: the long Hellenic centuries of an Albanian variety".International Journal of the Sociology of Language (132–134):52–53.The chief propagandists of this more rigorous gait in language policy thus were the school teachers, who systematically forced parents to abandon Arvanitika as a home language and to prevent children from learning it. Parents seem to have readily conformed to this in some of the more sophisticated regions of the Arvanitika-speaking community. ... According to contemporary reports, collective bilingualism, particularly among the male population, was the rule on the islands (Aegina, Salamis, Hydra, Poros, and Spetses, as well as Andros) and in Southern Attica from the mid-nineteenth century on. The women lagged somewhat behind but soon joined in (cf. Hahn's observations cited above). Thus one can say that this part of the community was already well prepared for language shift at the turn of this century. ... This is also true of ... Aegina (which had only a small contingent of Arvanites at any rate). In these villages, Arvanitika was already near extinct in the early 1930s (...).
Miller William,Essays on the Latin orient, Rome 1921 (reprint: Amsterdam 1964).Essays on the Latin Orient
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