 Remains of the town wall of Stagira | |
  Shown within Greece | |
| Alternative name | Stageira |
|---|---|
| Location | Olimpiada,Central Macedonia,Greece |
| Coordinates | 40°35′30″N23°47′41″E / 40.59167°N 23.79472°E /40.59167; 23.79472 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Ionian settlers fromAndros |
| Founded | 655 BC |
| Associated with | Aristotle |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Management | 16th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism |
Stagira (/stəˈdʒaɪrə/),Stagirus (/-rəs/), orStageira (Greek:Στάγειρα orΣτάγειρος) was anancient Greek city located near the eastern coast of thepeninsula ofChalkidice, which is now part of the Greek province ofCentral Macedonia. It is chiefly known for being the birthplace ofAristotle, theGreek philosopher and polymath, student ofPlato, and teacher ofAlexander the Great. The ruins of the city lie approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of the present-day village ofStagira, and adjacent to the town ofOlympiada.
Stagira was founded in 655 BC byIonian settlers fromAndros.[1]Xerxes I of Persia occupied it in 480 BC. The city later joined theDelian League, led byAthens, but left in 424 BC: as a result, the Atheniandemagogue Cleon laidsiege to it in 422 BC. However,Cleon was a poor strategist and his conduct of the siege was very inefficient: so much so that the ancient Greekcomedy writerAristophanessatirised him in the playThe Knights.[2] Cleon died in the same year, in thebattle of Amphipolis. Later, during thePeloponnesian War, Stagira sided withSparta against theAthenians.[1]
In 348 BC,Philip II of Macedon occupied and destroyed the city.[1] In return for Aristotle's tutoring of his sonAlexander, Philip later rebuilt the city and resettled the old city's inhabitants.[3] Many new structures were built at this time, including anaqueduct, twoshrines toDemeter, and many houses.
Tradition has it that the natives of Stageira transferred Aristotle's relics to the city, buried it there, and founded a festival in his honour which was called "Aristoteleia".[1]
Much later, the Danish archaeologistKarl Frederik Kinch made several explorations of Chalkidiki in 1886, and he identified the site of Stagira based on ancient descriptions of it.[4]
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