aegina

History of Aegina

According to Herodotus, Aegina was a colony of Epidaurus. Its strategic location in antiquity seems to have been the reason it was inhabited before 3,500 BC. In the area of Kolona, on a low hill, a settlement of the Proto-Hellenic era (around 2500-1600 BC) has been identified.

Among the findings, the administrative buildings stand out, such as the house on the Rock and the slightly later White House. Then, around 2200-2050 BC. the settlement expands in a concentric manner and is fortified. In excavations that have been carried out, Minoan ceramics from 2000 BC have been found. about, as well as gold jewelry belonging to the late period of Mycenaean art, which supports the version of the preservation of Mycenaean culture for a few generations after the descent of the Dorians, who seem to have conquered the island around 950 BC.

In the 7th century BC Aegina participated in the political federation under the name Amphictyonia of Kalauria together with Athens, Boeotian Orchomenos, Troizena, Hermione, Nafplio and Prasia, with the aim of suppressing the flourishing piracy in the Aegean, due to the decline of the Mycenaeans.

During the archaic era (734 – 459 BC) Aegina experienced great prosperity, developing into an important naval and commercial power of the time, developing export trade in domestically produced clay vessels and perfumes. The Aeginites were the first to mint silver coins in Greece, a few decades after the coin was invented by the Lydians.

It should be noted that the Aeginites had important interests in the Hellespont while they were shareholders in the commercial station of the Egyptian city of Naukratis.

During the Greek revolution thousands of inhabitants of Central Greece, the Peloponnese and the Eastern Aegean and especially the regions of Galaxidi, Psara and Athens took refuge in Aegina. It is estimated that around 400 Aeginites participated in the revolution.

Its strategic location in antiquity seems to have been the reason it was inhabited before 3,500 BC. In the area of Kolona, on a low hill, a settlement of the Proto-Hellenic era has been identified.
Among the findings, the administrative buildings stand out, such as the house on the Rock and the slightly later White House.

Then, around 2200-2050 BC. the settlement expands in a concentric manner and is fortified.[12] In excavations that have been carried out, Minoan ceramics from 2000 BC have been found, as well as gold jewelry belonging to the late period of Mycenaean art, which supports the version of the preservation of Mycenaean culture for a few generations after the descent of the Dorians, who seem to have conquered the island around 950 BC.

In the 7th century BC Aegina participated in the political federation under the name Amphictyonia of Calauria together with Athens, Boeotian Orchomenos, Troizena, Hermione, Nafplio and Prasia, with the aim of suppressing the flourishing piracy in the Aegean, due to the decline of the Mycenaeans.

During the archaic era (734 – 459 BC) Aegina experienced great prosperity developing into an important naval and commercial power of the time developing export trade in clay vessels and domestically produced perfumes.

The Aeginites were the first to mint silver coins in Greece, a few decades after the coin was invented by the Lydians. It should be noted that the Aeginites had important interests in the Hellespont while they were shareholders in the commercial station of the Egyptian city of Naukratis.

The naval primacy of Aegina and the consolidation of the oligarchic faction in power constituted an obstacle to the aspirations of Athens with the result that already from the end of the 6th century BC. to observe tension in the relations between them.

Although during the Median Wars they had supported Darius, in the Persian Wars they allied themselves with the rest of the Greek cities, taking the lead together with the Athenians.

After the end of the war, Aegina allied itself with Sparta and Corinth, resulting in a definitive conflict with Athens, which attacked in 458 BC. against Aegina. In the naval battle that followed, the Aeginites were defeated and their capital was captured.

The result of the defeat was the demolition of the city walls, the surrender of the ships and the imposition of a servitude tax.[13] During the Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 BC) the Aeginites were expelled to the Peloponnese to return only after the end of the war.

In the years that followed, Aegina lost all its glory, successively ending up in the hands of the Aetolians, the Pergamenians and the Romans. According to Pausanias, who passed through the island in 150 AD, there was nothing of note in Aegina while its historic port had been completely destroyed.

The island of Aegina was originally called Oinoni. It was named Aegina after Asopus’ daughter, Aegina. Tradition states that Zeus grabbed Aegina and brought her to the island, where he settled her. He had a son with her, Aiakos, who became king of the island.

Around 1000 BC the Dorians came here. Shipping and trade developed and Pheidon, king of Argos, struck the first silver coin here. With the introduction of the currency, Aegina became an unrivaled commercial power. Its prosperity caused the envy and rivalry of the Athenians.

The Aeginites during the Persian wars helped the Athenians. In the naval battle of Salamis they took part with 30 triremes and distinguished themselves for their bravery.

Also in the battle of Plataea they fought with 500 hoplites. Later during the Peloponnesian war, the Athenians landed on the island, persecuted the inhabitants and sent Athenian clergy to settle them. After the end of the war, the exiled Aeginites returned home, but Aegina never again became the thriving commercial power it once was.

The great comic poet Aristophanes is said to have been born in Aegina.

The archaeological investigations brought to light the ruins of an ancient city, the famous temple of Afaia, remains of settlements from the Neolithic period to the Byzantine era, tombs, inscriptions and other interesting findings.

Most of the finds are gathered in the local museum, while some have been transferred to the National Archaeological Museum, in Athens. The pediments of the temple of Aphaia were discovered in 1811 by foreign archaeologists, sold to the Bavarians and today adorn the sculpture gallery of Munich, Germany.

From the excavations it is concluded that Aegina, during its heyday, cultivated the fine arts and sculpture in particular. Its oldest notable artist was Smilis.

Byzantine times

During Byzantine times, the island belonged to the subject of Greece. It experienced many pirate raids, as a result of which a large area was deserted. In the following years, many conquerors passed through here, such as the Franks, the Turks and the Venetians.

Due to the raids of the Goths and Herulians in Central Greece and the Peloponnese, large populations moved to Aegina, which experienced a second heyday. During the 10th century, the raids of pirates forced a part of the inhabitants to emigrate, while at that time the transfer of the capital to the interior, specifically to Palaia Chora, took place.

During the last decades of the 12th century, when piracy became widespread, due to the decision of John II Komnenos to cut off funds to the navy, Aegina became a key base of the pirates, especially for their attacks towards Attica, whose inhabitants they terrorize by seizing material goods, animals, people for slaves or for ransom, and of course they kill many inhabitants often in a torturous way or simply mutilate them.

The most important destruction was carried out by Hayredin Barbarossa, who plundered the capital and captured about 4,000 to 7,000 thousand Aeginites. At the end of the 18th century, the Aeginites left the Old Town and settled on the site of the ancient city of Aegina.

Before and after the Greek Revoloution

Finally, in 1715, with the Treaty of Pasarovich, Aegina came under the possession of the Turks and together with Hydra, Spetses, Poros and Salamis constituted an administrative region.

In 1792, when Lambros Katsoni’s revolution took place, a ship with Androutsos’ men arrived on the island. The Turks of the island prevented the ship from sinking and attacked its men.

Then Theodoros Kolokotronis and Zacharias with their warriors boarded ships from Spetsia, came to the island and slaughtered many Turks. During the revolution of 1821, Aegina became the refuge of many Greeks. The Aeginites fought for the destruction of Dramalis and took part in many other battles until the liberation of Greece.

During the revolution in Aegina thousands of inhabitants of Central Greece, the Peloponnese and the Eastern Aegean and especially the regions of Galaxidi, Psara and Athens took refuge.

It is estimated that around 400 Aeginites participated in the revolution. In the period 1826-1827, the Greek government settled on the island, since the designated capital city of Nafplion[20] did not provide the necessary security at the time.

In 1827, Aegina was officially designated as the -temporary- first capital of of the newly established Greek state, a status it maintained until 1829, with the transfer of the capital to Nafplion.

According to the historian Edgar Quinet, at the time of Kapodistrias the population reached ten thousand inhabitants together with the refugees (who made up 70% of the inhabitants), while according to government estimates the population reached forty thousand. Then the buildings of the Orphanage were built, which housed the co-educational school and the national printing house, the archaeological museum, the governorate, which housed the country’s first librar. After the transfer of the capital, Aegina began to decline, while its population was reduced by half.

Modern History

During the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas, the construction of naval forts in Perdika and Tourlos was foreseen, which, together with the naval fort of Flevo and the artillery of Punta and Keramos, formed the part of the Greek coastal defense, which became known as “Naval Forts of Saronic” .

In 1940, the Navy proceeded to lay mines in the sea areas of Tours – Flevo and Mons Aegini – Agios Georgios Methanas thus creating a protected front. In April 1941 German Stuka planes bombed the island of Aegina three times destroying the two jetties in the port.