Listed 5 sub titles with search on: History for destination: "POROS Island GREECE".
Poros was known in ancient times as Kalavria. Sferia, where the city
of Poros is situated today, was uninhabited. Neolithic findings have been
located on the Methana peninsula and in Poros near the Poseidon
sanctuary.
Kalavria was the sacred site, where Poseidon and Apatouria Athena
were worshipped and where the amphictiony (confederation of states) of Kalavria
was developed. In the particular amphictyony (alliance) participated the seven
most important city-states of the area: Athens,
Aegina, Epidaurus,
Hermione, Prasies,
Nauplion, Orchomenos
and enjoyed its acme from the last prehistoric years until the 5th century B.C.
However, the Poseidon
Temple continued to be a site of cult and inviolable asylum for fugitives.
The most famous of them, the orator Demosthenes, was opposed to the Macedonian
imperialism and tried to turn his compatriots against Alexander the Great. When
Athens was dominated by the
Macedonians, he was accused of misappropriation and not being able to pay the
fine, he escaped to Aegina
and from there he continued his opposition. He was then sentenced to death, and
took refuge to the sanctuary
of Poseidon in Poros, but his opponents discovered him and he committed suicide
poisoning himself.
This text (extract) is cited December 2003 from the Galata
& Poros Rented Apts & Rooms Association tourist pamphlet.
Island in the Saronic Gulf to the NE of Troizen. It was known as Kalauria (Strab. 8.6.14) and Kalaureia (Apoll. Rhod. III 1243) in antiquity. Chanddler (Voy. As. Mm. Grece I 228) identified Poros as Kalauria. The ancient city was located at the highest part of Poros. At first it was independent, with a high magistrate called tamias but later came under the dominion of Troizen. The area was inhabited from the Early Helladic period. The city preserves sections of the Hellenistic walls, a contemporary stoa and an unidentified heroon that lie at the agora. The harbor of the city was named Pogon. A street led from it to the Temple of Poseidon through a propylon. The cult on the area dates to the beginning of the 8th c. B.C. The temple, enclosed in a peribolos, is a Doric peripteros (6 x 12 columns) and dates to ca. 520 B.C. Between the temple and the propylon there were three stoas dating in the 4th c. B.C. and a fourth dating ca. 420 B.C. Another long stoa and a rectangular building lie SW of the hieron. The latter has been associated with the convention of the maritime amphictyony of Kalauria (Strab. 8.6.14). The tomb of Demosthenes, who poisoned himself at the sanctuary in 332 B.C., was still preserved in the time of Pausanias (2.33.3).
D. Schilardi, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains 12 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
The modern Poro; a small island in the Saronic Gulf off the coast of Argolis and opposite Troezen, possessing a celebrated Temple of Poseidon, which was regarded as an inviolable asylum. Hither Demosthenes fled to escape Antipater, and here he took poison, B.C. 322. His tomb was one of the sights of the island.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Now Poros; an island off the coast of Troezen, in Argolis, and between it and the island of Calauria.
Troezen is sacred to Poseidon, after whom it was once called Poseidonia. It is situated fifteen stadia above the sea, and it too is an important city. Off its harbor, Pogon by name, lies Calauria, an isle with a circuit of about one hundred and thirty stadia. Here was an asylum sacred to Poseidon; and they say that this god made an exchange with Leto, giving her Delos for Calauria, and also with Apollo, giving him Pytho for Taenarum. And Ephorus goes on to tell the oracle: "For thee it is the same thing to possess Delos or Calauria, most holy Pytho or windy Taenarum." And there was also a kind of Amphictyonic League connected with this temple, a league of seven cities which shared in the sacrifice; they were Hermion, Epidaurus, Aegina, Athens, Prasieis, Nauplieis, and Orchomenus Minyeius; however, the Argives paid dues for the Nauplians, and the Lacedaemonians for the Prasians. The worship of this god was so prevalent among the Greeks that even the Macedonians, whose power already extended as far as the temple, in a way preserved its inviolability, and were afraid to drag away the suppliants who fled for refuge to Calauria; indeed Archias, with soldiers, did not venture to do violence even to Demosthenes, although he had been ordered by Antipater to bring him alive, both him and all the other orators he could find that were under similar charges, but tried to persuade him; he could not persuade him, however, and Demosthenes forestalled him by suiciding with poison. Now Troezen and Pittheus, the sons of Pelops, came originally from Pisatis; and the former left behind him the city which was named after him, and the latter succeeded him and reigned as king. But Anthes, who previously had possession of the place, set sail and founded Halicarnassus; but concerning this I shall speak in my description of Caria and Troy.
This extract is from: The Geography of Strabo (ed. H. L. Jones, 1924), Cambridge. Harvard University Press. Cited Oct 2003 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.
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