 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Troezen" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Troezen Τροιζήνα | |
|---|---|
 Central square of Troezen | |
 Location within the regional unit | |
  Troezen | |
| Coordinates:37°29′N23°21′E / 37.483°N 23.350°E /37.483; 23.350 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Attica |
| Regional unit | Islands |
| Municipality | Troizinia-Methana |
| Area | |
| • Municipal unit | 190.697 km2 (73.629 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 23 m (75 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • Municipal unit | 4,668 |
| • Municipal unit density | 24.48/km2 (63.40/sq mi) |
| • Community | 734 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 180 20 |
| Area code | 22980 |
| Website | www.dimos-trizinas.gr |
Troezen (/ˈtriːzən/;ancient Greek: Τροιζήν,modern Greek: Τροιζήνα[tri'zina]) is a small town and a former municipality in the northeasternPeloponnese,Greece, on theArgolid Peninsula. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipalityTroizinia-Methana, of which it is a municipal unit. It is part of theIslands regional unit.[2] In the 2021 census it had a population of 4,668.
Troezen is located southwest ofAthens, across theSaronic Gulf, and a few miles south ofMethana. The seat of the formermunicipality was inGalatas. Before 2011, Troizina was part of the Argolis and Korinthos prefecture from 1833 to 1925, Attica prefecture from 1925 to 1964, Piraeus Prefecture from 1964 to 1972 and then back in Attica prefecture (in antiquity it was part ofArgolis). The municipality had a land area of 190.697 km2.[3] Its largest towns and villages wereGalatás, Kalloní, Troizína, Taktikoúpoli, Karatzás, Dryópi, Ágios Geórgios, and Agía Eléni. It included numerous smaller settlements as well.
According toGreek mythology, Troezen came into being as a result of two ancient cities, Hyperea andAntheia, being unified byPittheus, who named the new city in honor of his deceased brother,Troezen.[4]
Troezen was whereAethra, daughter of Pittheus, slept with bothAegeus andPoseidon on the same night and fell pregnant with the great Greek heroTheseus. Before returning to Athens, Aegeus left his sandals and sword under a large boulder in Troezen and requested that when the child was able to prove himself by moving the boulder, he must return the items to his father in Athens; Theseus lifted the boulder when he came of age.[5]
Troezen is the setting ofEuripides' tragedyHippolytus, which recounts the story of the eponymous son of Theseus who becomes the subject of the love of his stepmother,Phaedra. While fleeing the city, Hippolytus is killed when his chariot is attacked by a bull rising from the sea.[6] Other plays on the same subject have been written bySeneca andJean Racine, which are also set in Troezen.
The ancient city had a spring that was supposedly formed where the winged horsePegasus once came to ground.
A cult built up in the ancient city around the legend of Hippolytus. Troezen girls traditionally dedicated a lock of their hair to him before their marriage.
Sybaris inMagna Graecia was a Troezenian colony (founded 720 BC).[7]
Before theBattle of Salamis (480 BC), Athenian women and children were sent to Troezen for safety on the instructions of the Athenian statesmanThemistocles. In 1959, astele was found in a coffee house in Troezen, depicting theDecree of Themistocles, the order to evacuate Athens. The stele has since been dated to some 200 years after the Battle of Salamis, indicating that it is probably a commemorative copy of the original order.
The temple ofIsis was built by theHalicarnassians in Troezen because it was their mother-city, but the image of Isis was dedicated by the people of Troezen. The city also bore the nameApollonia (Ancient Greek:Ἀπολλωνία) in antiquity.[8][9]
In theMiddle Ages, it was known asDamala (Δαμαλᾶ) and was the seat of abarony of thePrincipality of Achaea.
The city fell underFrankish Occupation after thefourth Crusade in the 13th century, and became a part of theDuchy of Athens. At that time it was known asDamalet (Νταμαλέτ) orElamala (Ελαμάλα).[10]
It was conquered by theOttoman Empire sometime prior to the 16th century[10] and it remained under Ottoman rule until its liberation in 1821 during theGreek War of Independence.[11] In 1827 it housed theThird National Assembly, which ratified the first definitiveConstitution of Greece and elected the first governor of the country.[12]
| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
