Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

ERETRIA (mod. Aletria)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V09, Page 736 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

ERETRIA (mod. Aletria) , an See also:ancient See also:coast See also:town of See also:Euboea about 15 M. S.E. of See also:Chalcis, opposite to See also:Oropus. Eretria, like its See also:neighbour Chalcis (q.v.), See also:early entered upon a commercial and colonizing career. Besides See also:founding townships in the See also:west and See also:north of See also:Greece, it acquired dependencies among the See also:Cyclades and joined the See also:great See also:mercantile See also:alliance of See also:Miletus and See also:Aegina. Since the so-called. Lelantine See also:War (7th See also:century B.C.) against the coming See also:league of Chalcis, it began to be overshadowed by its rivals. The interference of Eretria in the Ionian revolt (498) brought upon it the vengeance of the Persians, who captured and destroyed it shortly before the See also:battle of See also:Marathon (490). The See also:city was soon rebuilt, and as a member of both the Delian Leagues attached itself by numerous See also:treaties to the Athenians. The latter, through their See also:general See also:Phocion, rescued it from the tyrants suborned by See also:Philip of Macedon (354 and 341). Under Macedonian and See also:Roman See also:rule Eretria See also:fell into insignificance; for a See also:short See also:period under See also:Mark Antony, the triumvir, it became a See also:possession of See also:Athens. Eretria was the birthplace of the tragedian Achaeus and of the " Megarian " philosopher See also:Menedemus.

The See also:

modern See also:village, which is sometimes called Nea Psarra because the inhabitants of See also:Nara were transferred there in 1821, is on unhealthy See also:low-lying ground near the See also:sea. The excavation of the site was carried out by the See also:American School of Athens (1890-1895). At the See also:foot of the See also:Acropolis See also:Hill, where the ground begins to rise, the See also:theatre lies; and though the material of which this was built is rough, and only seven imperfect rows of seats remain, a See also:good See also:part of the scena and of the See also:chambers behind it is preserved, and beneath these there runs a See also:tunnel, which, together with other See also:peculiar features, has raised interesting questions in connexion with the arrangement of the See also:Greek theatre, the See also:orchestra being at See also:present on a level about 12 ft. below that of the rooms in the scena. Near by are the substructions of a See also:temple of See also:Dionysus and a large See also:altar, and also a gymnasium with arrangements for bathing. Besides these, in 'goo the substructions of a temple of See also:Apollo Daphnephoros were unearthed. Both the See also:northern and the See also:southern See also:side of the hill are flanked by walls, which seem to have reached the sea, where there was a See also:mole and a See also:harbour; and the See also:wall of the acropolis itself remains in one part to the height of eight courses.

End of Article: ERETRIA (mod. Aletria)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
ERESHKIGAL 		[next]
ERETRIAN SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY

Site © 2006 - Net Industries