30 Facts About Ancient Argos

Since the 2011 local government reform it has been part of the municipality of Ancient Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit.

In classical times, Ancient Argos was a powerful rival of Sparta for dominance over the Peloponnese, but was eventually shunned by other Greek city-states after remaining neutral during the Greco-Persian Wars.

Since that time, Ancient Argos has been continually inhabited at the same geographical location.

Ancient Argos was a major stronghold of Mycenaean times, and along with the neighbouring acropolis of Mycenae and Tiryns became a very early settlement because of its commanding positions in the midst of the fertile plain of Argolis.

Ancient Argos experienced its greatest period of expansion and power under the energetic 7th century BC ruler King Pheidon.

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Under Pheidon, Ancient Argos regained sway over the cities of the Argolid and challenged Sparta's dominance of the Peloponnese.

In 494 BC, Ancient Argos suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of its regional rival, Sparta, at the Battle of Sepeia.

Ancient Argos did not participate in the Hellenic Alliance against the Persian Invasion of 480 BC.

In 462 BC, Ancient Argos joined a tripartite alliance with Athens and Thessaly.

Ancient Argos remained neutral or the ineffective ally of Athens during the Archidamian War between Sparta and Athens.

Ancient Argos' neutrality resulted in a rise of its prestige among other Greek cities, and Ancient Argos used this political capital to organize and lead an alliance against Sparta and Athens in 421 BC.

Ancient Argos played a minor role in the Corinthian Wars against Sparta, and for a short period of time considered uniting with Corinth to form an expanded Argolid state.

Ancient Argos escaped occupation by Macedon during the reigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great and remained unscathed during the Wars of the Diadochi, however in 272 it was attacked by Pyrrhus of Epirus at the Battle of Ancient Argos, in which Pyrrhus was killed.

Ancient Argos was a democracy for most of the classical period, with only a brief hiatus between 418 and 416.

Sites said to have been destroyed in Ancient Argos include the Hypostyle hall, parts of the agora, the odeion, and the Aphrodision.

In 1397, the Ottomans plundered Ancient Argos, carrying off much of the population, to sell as slaves.

Together with the Greeks of Ancient Argos, they supplied stratioti troops to the armies of Venice.

Ancient Argos grew exponentially during this time, with its sprawl being unregulated and without planning.

At that time, as part of the general uprising, many local governing bodies were formed in different parts of the country, and the "Consulate of Ancient Argos" was proclaimed on 28 March 1821, under the Peloponnesian Senate.

Later, Ancient Argos accepted the authority of the unified Provisional Government of the First National Assembly at Epidaurus, and eventually became part of the Kingdom of Greece.

Mythological kings of Ancient Argos are: Inachus, Phoroneus, Apis, Argus, Criasus, Phorbas, Triopas, Iasus, Agenor, Crotopus, Sthenelus, Gelanor AKA Pelasgus, Danaus, Lynceus, Abas, Proetus, Acrisius, Perseus, Megapenthes, Argeus and Anaxagoras.

An alternative version supplied by Tatian of the original 17 consecutive kings of Ancient Argos includes Apis, Argios, Kriasos and Phorbas between Argus and Triopas, explaining the apparent unrelation of Triopas to Argus.

City of Ancient Argos was believed to be the birthplace of the mythological character Perseus, the son of the god Zeus and Danae, who was the daughter of the king of Ancient Argos, Acrisius.

Ancient Argos's successor, Thales, was a signatory of the letter that the bishops of the Roman province of Hellas sent in 458 to Byzantine Emperor Leo I the Thracian to protest the killing of Proterius of Alexandria.

Under 'Frankish' Crusader rule, Ancient Argos became a Latin Church bishopric in 1212, which lasted as a residential see until Ancient Argos was taken by the Ottoman Empire in 1463 but would be revived under the second Venetian rule in 1686.

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City of Ancient Argos is delimited to the north by dry river Xerias, to the east by Inachos river and Panitsa stream, to the west by the Larissa hill (site of homonymous castle and of a monastery called Panagia Katakekrymeni-Portokalousa) and the Aspida Hill (unofficially Prophetes Elias hill), and to the south by the Notios Periferiakos road.

Great number of archaeological findings, dating from the prehistoric ages, can be found at the Ancient Argos museum, housed at the old building of Dimitrios Kallergis at Saint Peter's square.

The Ancient Argos airport, located in an homonymous area in the outskirts of the city is worth mentioning.

Ancient Argos is connected via regular bus services with neighbouring areas as well as Athens.

Ancient Argos has a wide range of educational institutes that serve neighbouring sparsely populated areas and villages.