Municipality in Greece
Megalopoli
(
Greek
:
Μεγαλ?πολη
) is a town in the southwestern part of the regional unit of
Arcadia
, southern
Greece
. It is located in the same site as ancient
Megalopolis
(
Ancient Greek
:
Μεγαλ?πολι?,
literally
large/great city
). When it was founded in 371 BC, it was the first large urbanization in
rustic Arcadia
. Its theater had a capacity of 20,000 visitors, making it one of the largest ancient Greek theaters.
[2]
Today Megalopoli has several schools, shops, churches, hotels and other services. The population of Megalopoli in 2021 was 5,344 residents.
[1]
Geography
[
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]
Megalopoli is situated in a wide valley, surrounded by mountains: the
Taygetus
to the south, the
Mainalo
to the north, the
Tsemperou
to the southeast and the
Lykaion
to the west. Its elevation is 430 m above sea level. The river
Alfeios
flows through this valley, coming from the east and flowing to the north, passing south and west of the town. Its tributary
Elissonas
passes north of the town. The large
lignite
deposits around Megalopoli are being exploited by
open-pit mining
. The
Megalopoli Power Plant
, 3 km northwest of the town centre, has produced electricity from this lignite since 1969.
The
A7 motorway
connects Megalopoli with
Kalamata
and
Tripoli
, replacing the
Greek National Road 7
. The
Greek National Road 7
connects Megalopoli with
Pyrgos
via
Karytaina
and
Andritsaina
. The railway from
Corinth
to Kalamata passes 4 km south of the town. Megalopoli is 24 km southwest of Tripoli, 41 km north of Kalamata, 45 km northwest of
Sparti
and 68 km southeast of Pyrgos.
History
[
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]
Megalopolis is known for its ancient ruins situated northwest of the town centre, on both banks of the river Elisson. The ruins include an
ancient theatre
that used to hold up to 20,000 people and was 30 m (98 ft) tall. Other landmarks include the Thersileon with 67 pillars and a temple (11.5 m × 5 m or 38 ft × 16 ft).
Herodotus
reported the ancient belief that the Megalopolis area was a battleground of the
Titanomachy
. The foundation for this apparently was the presence of
lignite
deposits, which are prone to catch fire in summer and can smoulder and scorch the earth for weeks (
Zeus
is supposed to have slain the
Titans
with lightning bolts; see also below), coupled with the presence of
fossil
bones of prehistoric
elephants
and
rhinoceroses
.
[3]
Herodotus informs his readers that the bones of "Titans" were exhibited in various places in the surrounding area at least since the 5th century BC.
The city was founded through a synodical of twenty to forty neighbouring communities between 371 and 368 BC by the Arcadian League in an attempt to form a political counterweight to
Sparta
. Megalopolis was a member of the
Arcadian League
after its foundation until the dissolution of the federation in 362 BC. In 353 BC, when Thebes had her hands full with the so-called Sacred War, the Spartans made an attempt to reduce Megalopolis; but the Thebans sent assistance and the city was rescued.
[4]
In 331 BC, Megalopolis was invaded by the
Spartans
and there was a battle with the
Macedonians
that came to Megalopolis' help. In 317 BC at the start of the
Second War of the Diadochi
,
Polyperchon
, the new Regent of the Macedonian Empire, besieged Megalopolis which had sided with his enemy
Cassander
.
[5]
The siege failed.
[5]
In the 270s BC,
Aristodamos the Good
managed to take control over the city as a tyrant backed by Macedon. In 235 BC, the second tyrant of the city,
Lydiades
, gave up control over the polis and the city became a member of the
Achaean League
. In 222 BC, the Spartan king
Cleomenes III
burnt down the city but it was rebuilt in the years after the destruction.
As a member of the Achaean League, Megalopolis had a profound influence on the federal politics and it was the hometown of several notable Achaean figures such as
Philopoemen
,
Lykortas
and
Polybius
. The city remained populated under the Romans but by the 6th century it was almost completely abandoned. During the Byzantine era, and later also the Ottoman, the town on the same place was called
Sinano
(Σιν?νο). It was renamed Megalopoli after the
Greek War of Independence
.
Megalopoli retained a rural character until the early 1960s, when with the help of Megalopoli-born Prof.
Leonidas Zervas
(then
Minister of Industry
) the Greek
Public Power Corporation
started mining
lignite
in the
Megalopoli Mine
and the construction of the
Megalopoli Power Plant
followed soon.
[6]
The town was struck by the massive Arcadia
earthquake
of 5 April 1965, in which 17 inhabitants were killed and 80% of residences were demolished or rendered uninhabitable.
Municipality
[
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]
The municipality Megalopoli was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following three former municipalities, that became municipal units:
[7]
The municipality has an area of 722.629 km
2
, the municipal unit 331.498 km
2
.
[8]
Subdivisions
[
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]
The municipal unit of Megalopoli is subdivided into the following communities (villages within the community in brackets):
[7]
Province
[
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]
The province of Megalopoli (
Greek
:
Επαρχ?α Μεγαλ?πολη?
) was one of the
provinces
of the Messenia Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipality Megalopoli, except the municipal unit
Gortyna
.
[9]
It was abolished in 2006.
Population
[
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]
Year
|
Community
|
Municipal unit
|
Municipality
|
1920
|
1,776
|
?
|
?
|
1961
|
2,235
|
?
|
?
|
1981
|
4,875
|
?
|
?
|
1991
|
4,646
|
8,888
|
?
|
2001
|
5,114
|
8,657
|
?
|
2011
|
5,779
|
7,890
|
10,687
|
2021
|
5,344
|
6,905
|
8,784
|
Notable people
[
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]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Αποτελ?σματα Απογραφ?? Πληθυσμο? - Κατοικι?ν 2021, Μ?νιμο? Πληθυσμ?? κατ? οικισμ?"
[Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
- ^
Pausanias
,
Description of Greece, Book VIII, Chapter 32
, retrieved
2018-11-03
- ^
Lorenzi, Rossella (March 31, 2011).
"Prehistoric Fossil May Have Inspired Greek Myths"
.
discovery.com
. Retrieved
April 1,
2011
.
- ^
Gardner, Ernest Arthur (1911).
"Megalopolis"
. In
Chisholm, Hugh
(ed.).
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 74.
- ^
a
b
Diodorus Siculus,
Bibliotheca Historica
XVIII 68,2-72,1.
- ^
Vourvidou-Photaki, Iphigenia (Dec 1981).
"Biographical statement and scientific work of the late Academician & Professor of Organic Chemistry Leonidas Zervas"
.
Laboratory of Physical Chemistry
(in Greek). University of Athens, Department of Chemistry
. Retrieved
31 Mar
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities"
(in Greek).
Government Gazette
.
- ^
"Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)"
(PDF)
(in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2015-09-21.
- ^
"Detailed census results 1991"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 3, 2016.
(39 MB)
(in Greek and French)
External links
[
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]
Places adjacent to Megalopolis, Greece
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