along Ermioni, these include silver and bronze coins with images of goddess Demeter, belonging to 550 BC. This fact pointed out not only the tradition of the town in religious terms, but also the opulence that characterised it.
The existence of many music instructors also confirms that aspect -e.g., the famous Dithyrambist Lasos, who tutored the lyric poet Pindar.
The name of Ermioni is also an important fact regarding the history of the place, as it is related to important historical sources, such as the Iliad.
Homer mentions it by the name we use today, in the framework of the Trojan War, as Ermioni took part on it. Other testimonies are those of the geographer Pausanias, who is said to have visited the town in 166 AD. He was told by the inhabitants that ‘Ermiona’ was the name of the town, due to the character that discovered this village and introduced the use of fire. |
|
god of the town, and its name was taken by Zeus as a reference, since he started calling this area by the name on which we known it today.
The 5th century BC was the period when ancient Ermioni blossomed in many senses. Its agriculture, fishing, and shipbuilding activities gave prosperity to this area. However, according to other sources it was the purple dying for clothes and fabrics, extracted by certain molluscs –called ‘porphyras’- that provided a great reputation to the coastal town of Ermioni.
Another time of wealth was during the Roman period. The most important work of these times was the creation of an aqueduct that carried water to the cisterns hewn from the rocks, scattered along the town, which used to be highly populated. |
|
followed by the Frankish occupation, in which Ermioni was circled by walls constructed on many ancient structures remains, which gave them the name of ‘Kastri’, meaning ‘castle’.
This ruling was followed by the Ottomans. But fortunately, the great shipping of Ermioni allowed it to survive this bloody occupation, and the locals participated in the battles for the Independence of Greece. Most of these facts have their living testimonies, still remaining in the current town of Ermioni.
The Historic Foklore Museum, apart from the mentioned sites, can be a great aid when it comes to getting in touch with its history and traditions. The museum is located in the heart of the old city near the Metropolitan church of Taxiarchon and it is established on a house dating from the 18th century.
|
Back:
Related: