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Megara (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
: , "Big Houses") is an ancient city (pop. 23,032 in 2001) in Attica
Attica

Attica is a Peripheries of Greece in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece. Attica is subdivided into the prefectures of Greece of Athens Prefecture, Piraeus Prefecture, East Attica and West 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....
. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth
Isthmus of Corinth

The Isthmus of Corinth is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth....
 opposite the island of Salamis
Salamis Island

Salamis is the largest Greece island in the Saronic Gulf, about 1 nautical mile off-coast from Piraeus and about 16 km west of Athens. Due to its roughly crescent shape, the island is also locally known as Koulouri, after the koulouri....
, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King Pandion II
Pandion II

In Greek mythology, Pandion II was son and heir of Cecrops II, King of Athens. and his wife Metiadusa. He was exiled from Athens, Greece by the sons of his uncle Metion who sought to put Metion on the throne....
, of whom Nisos
Nisos

In Greek mythology, Nisos was the King of Megara, and one of the four sons of Pandion II, King of Athens.He was married to Abrota, and when she died, Nisos commanded that the Megarian women wear clothes like she had....
 was the ruler of Megara. Megara was also a trade port, its people using their ships and wealth as a way to gain leverage on armies of neighboring polises.






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Megara (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
: , "Big Houses") is an ancient city (pop. 23,032 in 2001) in Attica
Attica

Attica is a Peripheries of Greece in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece. Attica is subdivided into the prefectures of Greece of Athens Prefecture, Piraeus Prefecture, East Attica and West 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....
. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth
Isthmus of Corinth

The Isthmus of Corinth is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth....
 opposite the island of Salamis
Salamis Island

Salamis is the largest Greece island in the Saronic Gulf, about 1 nautical mile off-coast from Piraeus and about 16 km west of Athens. Due to its roughly crescent shape, the island is also locally known as Koulouri, after the koulouri....
, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King Pandion II
Pandion II

In Greek mythology, Pandion II was son and heir of Cecrops II, King of Athens. and his wife Metiadusa. He was exiled from Athens, Greece by the sons of his uncle Metion who sought to put Metion on the throne....
, of whom Nisos
Nisos

In Greek mythology, Nisos was the King of Megara, and one of the four sons of Pandion II, King of Athens.He was married to Abrota, and when she died, Nisos commanded that the Megarian women wear clothes like she had....
 was the ruler of Megara. Megara was also a trade port, its people using their ships and wealth as a way to gain leverage on armies of neighboring polises. It possessed two harbors, Pegae, to the west on the Corinthian Gulf and Nisaea, to the east on the 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....
 of the Aegean Sea.

Early history

In historical times, Megara was an early dependency of Corinth
Corinth

Corinth, or Korinth Corinth is now the capital of the Prefectures of Greece of Corinthia. The city is surrounded by the coastal townlets of Lechaio, Isthmia, Kechries, and the inland townlets of Examilia and the archaeological site....
, in which capacity colonists from Megara founded Megara Hyblaea
Megara Hyblaea

Megara Hyblaea – perhaps identical with Hybla Major – is the name of an ancient Ancient Greece colony in Sicily, situated near Augusta, Italy on the east coast, 20 km north-northwest of Syracuse, Italy, Italy, on the deep bay formed by the Xiphonian promontory....
, a small polis north of Syracuse
Syracuse, Italy

Syracuse is a historic city in southern Italy, the Capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is noted for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture and association to Archimedes, playing an important role in ancient times as one of the top powers of the Mediterranean world; it is over 2,700 years old....
 in Sicily. Megara then fought a war of independence with Corinth, and afterwards founded (c. 667 BC) Byzantium
Byzantium

Byzantium was an Ancient Greece city, which was founded by Greeks colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas ....
, as well as Chalcedon
Chalcedon

Chalcedon was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Anatolia, almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of ?sk?dar . Today, in modern Turkish language, Chalcedon is called Kadik?y, and is a district of Istanbul, Turkey....
. Megara was known for its money in historical times.

In the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War

The Peloponnesian War which lasted from 431-404BC was an Ancient Greece military conflict, fought by Athens and its Athenian empire against the Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta....
 (c. 431 BC-404 BC), Megara was an ally of 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....
. The Megarian decree
Megarian decree

The Megarian Decree was a set of economic sanctions levied upon Megara circa 432 BC by the Athenian Empire shortly before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War....
 is considered to be one of several contributing "causes" of the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War

The Peloponnesian War which lasted from 431-404BC was an Ancient Greece military conflict, fought by Athens and its Athenian empire against the Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta....
.

The most famous citizen of Megara in antiquity was Byzas
Byzas

In Ancient Greece legend, Byzas was the eponymous founder of Byzantium , the city later known as Constantinople and Istanbul....
, the legendary founder of Byzantium
Byzantium

Byzantium was an Ancient Greece city, which was founded by Greeks colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas ....
 in the 7th century BC. The 6th century BC poet Theognis
Theognis of Megara

Theognis of Megara was an ancient Greece poet. More than half of the extant elegiac poetry of Greece before the Alexandrian period is included in the 1,400 verses ascribed to Theognis....
 also came from Megara. In the early 4th century BC, Euclid of Megara
Euclid of Megara

Euclid of Megara, , was a Ancient Greece Socrates philosopher who founded the Megarian school of philosophy. He was a pupil of Socrates in the late 5th century BC, and was present at his death....
 founded the Megarian school of philosophy
Megarian school of philosophy

The Megarian school of philosophy, which flourished in the 4th century BC, was founded by Euclid of Megara, one of the pupils of Socrates. Its ethical teachings were derived from Socrates, recognizing a single Form of the Good, which was apparently combined with the Eleatic doctrine of monism....
 which flourished for about a century, and became famous for the use of logic
Logic

Logic is the study of the principles of valid demonstration and inference. Logic is a branch of philosophy, a part of the classical Trivium . The word derives from Greek language ?????? , fem....
 and dialectic
Dialectic

Dialectic is a method of argument, which has been central to both Eastern and Western philosophy since ancient times. The word "dialectic" originates in Ancient Greece, and was made popular by Plato's Socratic dialogues....
.

The Megarans were proverbial for their generosity in building and endowing temples. Jerome
Jerome

Saint Jerome was a Christian priest and Christian apologetics best known for translating the Vulgate. He is recognized by the Catholic Church as a canonized saint and Doctor of the Church, and his version of the Bible is still an important text in Catholicism....
 reports "There is a common saying about the Megarians […:] 'They build as if they are to live forever; they live as if they are to die tomorrow.'"

Geography

A population of 28,195 live within the municipality. It is located 42 km (WNW) of Athens in the southwestern part of West Attica
West Attica

West Attica is one of the prefectures of Greece. It is part of the peripheries of Greece of Attica. The capital of the prefecture is the town of Elefsina....
 Prefecture, and is linked by a highway connecting the Peloponnese, Western Greece, and Athens. It is now linked by a high-speed rail line suburban railway
Proastiakos

Proastiak?s is the name used for the suburban railway services of Organism?s Sidirodr?mon Ell?dos in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece. In Athens it connects Piraeus and Athens Central Railway Station with Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and Kiato ....
. Megara lies in the Megaris
Megaris

This is also the ancient Greek name of Megaris , site of the Castel dell'Ovo.Megaris, a small but populous state of ancient Greece, west of Attica and north of Corinthia, whose inhabitants were adventurous seafarers, credited with deceitful...
 plain. It has the largest land area of any municipality in the Attica periphery, and the largest population in West Attica. Agriculture used to dominate before housing began to expand in Megara in the 1960s and the 1970s.

3 km south of Megara is a small community called Pachi, which is famous for its fish tavernas and is visited by people from all over Greece. Nea Peramos
Nea Peramos

Nea Peramos , is a suburb in the west northwestern part of Athens, Greece. The suburban city is situated in the eastern portion of the Megaris plain....
 is the neighboring city to the east of Megara and Kakia Skala to the west of Megara. There is a military airport to the south. South of Megara is the Gulf of Megara. The largest other towns in the municipality are Kinéta (pop. 1,972), Spárta (712), Vlycháda (694), and Aigeiroúses (479). The municipality is unusual for one its geographical size, in that it has only one municipal district, the third-largest in Greece (after the Sílis district in Paranesti
Paranesti

Paranesti is a Communities and Municipalities of Greece in the Rhodope Mountains of northeastern Drama Prefecture, Greece. Population 1,646 . The municipality has a land area of 788.394 km? and is the second-largest in all of Greece ....
 and the Mikró Déreio district in Orfeas
Orfeas

Orfeas , named after the mythical musician Orpheus, is the third-largest municipality in Greece with a land area of 643.266 km? and a 2001 census population of 6,146 inhabitants....
) if Mount Athos
Mount Athos

Mount Athos is a mountain on the peninsula of the same name in Macedonia , of northern Greece, called in Greek language Agion Oros , or in English, "Holy Mountain"....
 is not counted. There are, however, 14 towns or villages in the municipality.

Towns and villages


  • Lîchymaniő


Historical population

Year Town population Change Municipal population Density
1971 17,584 - - -
1981 20,814 +3230/+16.7% 21,245 73.4/km˛
1991 20,403 -411/-1.97% 25,061 77.8/km˛
2001 23,032
2,629/+12.89%
28,195 87.5/km˛


Notable people


  • Byzas
    Byzas

    In Ancient Greece legend, Byzas was the eponymous founder of Byzantium , the city later known as Constantinople and Istanbul....
    , (7th century BC), founder of Byzantium
    Byzantium

    Byzantium was an Ancient Greece city, which was founded by Greeks colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas ....
  • Theognis of Megara
    Theognis of Megara

    Theognis of Megara was an ancient Greece poet. More than half of the extant elegiac poetry of Greece before the Alexandrian period is included in the 1,400 verses ascribed to Theognis....
    , (6th century BC), elegiac
    Elegiac

    Elegiac refers either to those compositions that are like elegy or to a specific poetic meter used in Classical elegies. The Classical elegiac meter has two lines, making it a couplet: a line of dactylic hexameter, followed by a line of dactylic pentameter....
     poet
  • Eupalinos
    Eupalinos

    Eupalinos of Megara, was an ancient Greek engineer who built the Tunnel of Eupalinos on Samos Island in the 6th century BC.The tunnel, presumably completed between 550 and 530 BC, is the second known tunnel in history which was excavated from both ends and the first with a methodical approach in doing so....
    , (6th century BC), engineer
    Engineer

    An engineer is a person professionally engaged in a field of engineering. Engineers are concerned with developing economical and safe solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics and scientific knowledge while considering technical constraints....
     who built the Tunnel of Eupalinos on Samos
    Samos Island

    Samos is a Greece island in the North Aegean sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the Ionian coast of Turkey....
  • Theagenes
    Theagenes

    There are merely a few references to the life of Theagenes of Megara amongst the ancient authors, which makes outlining a vague biography almost impossible....
    , (c. 600 BC), Tyrant of Megara
  • Euclid of Megara
    Euclid of Megara

    Euclid of Megara, , was a Ancient Greece Socrates philosopher who founded the Megarian school of philosophy. He was a pupil of Socrates in the late 5th century BC, and was present at his death....
    , (c. 400 BC), founder of the Megarian school of philosophy
    Megarian school of philosophy

    The Megarian school of philosophy, which flourished in the 4th century BC, was founded by Euclid of Megara, one of the pupils of Socrates. Its ethical teachings were derived from Socrates, recognizing a single Form of the Good, which was apparently combined with the Eleatic doctrine of monism....
  • Stilpo
    Stilpo

    Stilpo , Hellenistic Greece philosopher of the Megarian school of philosophy , was a contemporary of Theophrastus and Crates of Thebes. None of his writings survive, he was interested in logic and dialectic, and his ethical teachings approached that of the Cynics and Stoics....
    , (c. 325 BC), philosopher of the Megarian school
    Megarian school of philosophy

    The Megarian school of philosophy, which flourished in the 4th century BC, was founded by Euclid of Megara, one of the pupils of Socrates. Its ethical teachings were derived from Socrates, recognizing a single Form of the Good, which was apparently combined with the Eleatic doctrine of monism....


See also


  • Communities of Attica
  • List of traditional Greek place names
    List of traditional Greek place names

    This is a list of Greek place names. That is, a list of the toponym as they exist in the Greek language. This list includes:* Places involved in the history of Greek culture, including but not limited to:...


External links