Laurium

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Laurium

Laurion redirects here. For the moth
Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
, see Laurion (moth).

Laurium, Laurion, or Laureion (?a????? or ?a??e???, Thoricum before early 1000s BC, Ergastiri 'workshop' from medieval times to 19th century) is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
and is one of the southernmost and the seat of the municipality of Lavreotiki
Lavreotiki

Lavreotiki or Lavriotiki is a Communities and Municipalities of Greece at the southeasternnmost tip of the Attica peninsula in the Greece prefecture of East Attica....
, famous in Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity

Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome....
for the silver
Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
mine
Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
s which were one of the chief sources of revenue of the Athenian
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
state, and were employed for coinage; and notorious for the treatment of the slaves who mined it.

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Encyclopedia

Laurion redirects here. For the moth
Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
, see Laurion (moth).

Laurium, Laurion, or Laureion (?a????? or ?a??e???, Thoricum before early 1000s BC, Ergastiri 'workshop' from medieval times to 19th century) is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
and is one of the southernmost and the seat of the municipality of Lavreotiki
Lavreotiki

Lavreotiki or Lavriotiki is a Communities and Municipalities of Greece at the southeasternnmost tip of the Attica peninsula in the Greece prefecture of East Attica....
, famous in Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity

Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome....
for the silver
Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
mine
Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
s which were one of the chief sources of revenue of the Athenian
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
state, and were employed for coinage; and notorious for the treatment of the slaves who mined it. In modern times, the town is also known as Lavrio or Lavrion. It is a sea port of much less importance than nearby Piraeus
Piraeus

Piraeus is a city in the periphery of Attica, Greece, and a municipality within Athens urban area, located 10 km southwest of its center....
.

It is located about 60 km SE of Athens, SE of Keratea
Keratea

Keratea is a municipality of the Greece prefecture of Attica. Keratea is linked with a 4-lane highway Keratea was founded between 700 and 500 BC, according to ancient sources....
and N of Cape Sounio.

Laurium is situated on a bay overlooking the island of Makronisos
Makronisos

Makronisos is an island in the Aegean sea, in Greece and is located close to the coast of Attica, facing the port of Lavrio. It has an elongated shape and its terrain is arid and rocky....
(ancient times: Helena) in the east. The port is in the middle and gridded streets cover the residential area of Lavrio. GR-91 runs through Lavrio and ends south in Sounio.

Communities
Ano Sounio
Aspro Lithari
Kato Sounio (pop. 193, 1991)
Kato Posidonia or Passas (pop.794, 2001)
Legrena
Thorikos

Historical population

History
After the battle of Marathon
Battle of Marathon

The Battle of Marathon, Greece during the Greco-Persian Wars took place in 490 BC and was the culmination of the first attempt by the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate Ancient Greece....
, Themistocles
Themistocles

Themistocles was an Ancient Athens soldier and statesman. As archon in 493 BC, he convinced the Athenians that a powerful fleet was needed to protect them against the Persians....
persuaded the Athenians to devote the anticipated revenue derived from a major silver vein strike in the mines circa 483 BC to expanding the Athenian fleet to 200 triremes, and thus laid the foundation of the Athenian naval power. The mines, which were the property of the state, were usually farmed out for a certain fixed sum and a percentage on the working; slave labour
Slavery in Ancient Greece

Slavery was common practice and an integral component of ancient Greece throughout its history, as it was in other societies of the time including ancient Israel and early Christian societies....
was exclusively employed. Towards the end of the 5th century
5th century BC

The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC....
the output was diminished, partly owing to the Sparta
Sparta

Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the Eurotas River in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From circa 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars....
n occupation of Decelea
Decelea

Decelea , modern Dekeleia or Dekelia, Deceleia or Decelia, previous name Tatoi, was an ancient village in northern Attica serving as a source of supplies and trade route connecting Euboea with Athens, Greece....
. But the mines continued to be worked, though Strabo
Strabo

Strabo was a Ancient Greeks history, geography and philosophy....
records that in his time the tailings were being worked over, and Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)

Pausanias was a Roman Greece traveller and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius....
speaks of the mines as a thing of the past. The ancient workings, consisting of shafts and galleries for excavating the ore, and pans and other arrangements for extracting the metal, may still be seen.

The mines were still worked in the early 20th century by French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
and Greek companies, but mainly for lead
Lead

Lead is a main-group Chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metal ....
, manganese
Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a Oxidation state in nature , and in many minerals....
and cadmium
Cadmium

Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. A relatively abundant , soft, bluish-white, transition metal, cadmium is known to cause cancer and occurs with zinc ores....
.

The population of the modern town was 10,007 in 1907.

It is now connected by the new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and Attiki Odos
Attiki Odos

Attiki Odos is a private-owned toll motorway in Greece. The Proastiakos high-speed suburban rail is almost entirely in the median through the main section....
. The nearest town is Keratea
Keratea

Keratea is a municipality of the Greece prefecture of Attica. Keratea is linked with a 4-lane highway Keratea was founded between 700 and 500 BC, according to ancient sources....
.

It used to have a nearby train station but the line was abandoned in the mid-20th century.

The mining town of Laurium, Michigan
Laurium, Michigan

Laurium is a village in Calumet Township, Michigan, Houghton County, Michigan in the U.S. state of Michigan, in the center of the Keweenaw peninsula....
was named after the famous Greek Laurium.

See also

List of municipalities of Attica

External links

North: Agios Konstantinos
Agios Konstantinos

Agios Konstantinos may refer to several places in Greece:*Agios Konstantinos, East Attica*Agios Konstantinos, Phthiotis*Agios Konstantinos Marmaris, a settlement in Euboea, Greece...
(commune) and Keratea
West: Keratea
Keratea

Keratea is a municipality of the Greece prefecture of Attica. Keratea is linked with a 4-lane highway Keratea was founded between 700 and 500 BC, according to ancient sources....

East: Petalides Gulf

Southwest: Saronic Gulf
Saronic Gulf

The Saronic Gulf or Gulf of Aegina in Greece forms part of the Aegean Sea and defines the eastern side of the isthmus of Corinth. It is the eastern terminus of the Corinth Canal, which cuts across the isthmus....

South: Aegean Sea