Mountain and peninsula in northeastern Greece
This article is about the mountain in Greece. For the Eastern Orthodox monastic community and the autonomous region of Greece, see
Monastic community of Mount Athos
. For other uses, see
Athos
.
Mount Athos
(
;
Greek
:
?θω?
[?a.θos]
) is a mountain on the
Athos peninsula
in northeastern
Greece
. It is an important center of
Eastern Orthodox
monasticism
. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed as an
autonomous region
in Greece by the
monastic community of Mount Athos
, which is ecclesiastically under the direct jurisdiction of the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
. The remainder of the peninsula forms part of the
Aristotelis
municipality. Women are prohibited from entering the area governed by the monastic community by Greek law and by religious tradition.
[2]
Mount Athos has been inhabited since ancient times and is known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to at least 800 AD during the
Byzantine era
. Because of its long history of religious importance, the well-preserved agrarian architecture within the monasteries, and the preservation of the flora and fauna around the mountain, the
monastic community of Mount Athos
was added to the
UNESCO
World Heritage List
in 1988.
[3]
Names
[
edit
]
In the
classical era
, Mount Athos was called
Athos
and the peninsula
Acte
or
Akte
(
Koin? Greek
:
?κτ?
). In modern Greek, the mountain is
Oros Athos
(
Greek
:
?ρο? ?θω?
) and the peninsula
Hersonisos tou Atho
(
Greek
:
Χερσ?νησο? του ?θω
), while the designation
Agio Oros
(
Greek
:
?γιο ?ρο?
) translating to 'Holy Mountain' is also used.
[4]
Some languages of Orthodox tradition use names that translate to 'Holy Mountain', including
Bulgarian
,
Macedonian
and
Serbian
(
Света Гора
,
Sveta Gora
), and
Georgian
(
?????????
,
mtats’minda
). However, not all languages spoken in the Eastern Orthodox world use this name: in the
East Slavic languages
(
Russian
,
Ukrainian
, and
Belarusian
) it is simply called
Афон
(
Afon
, meaning "Athos"), while in
Romanian
it is called "Mount Athos" (
Muntele Athos
or
Muntele Atos
).
[
citation needed
]
Geography
[
edit
]
The peninsula, the easternmost "leg" of the larger
Chalkidiki
peninsula in central
Macedonia
, protrudes 50 km (31 mi)
[5]
into the
Aegean Sea
at a width of between 7 and 12 km (4.3 and 7.5 mi) and covers an area of 335.6 km
2
(130 sq mi). The actual Mount Athos has steep, densely forested slopes reaching up to 2,033 m (6,670 ft). The Athos peninsula, unlike
Sithonia
and
Kassandra
, is a geological continuation of the
Rhodope Mountains
of northern Greece and Bulgaria.
[6]
The surrounding seas, especially at the end of the peninsula, can be dangerous. In ancient Greek history, two fleet disasters in the area are recorded: Herodotus claimed that in 492 BC,
Darius
, the king of
Persia
, lost 300 ships under general
Mardonius
.
[7]
In 411 BC the
Spartans
lost a fleet of 50 ships under the admiral Epicleas.
[8]
Mount Athos has an extensive
network of footpaths
, many of which date back to the
Byzantine period
. Many are typically not accessible to motor vehicle traffic.
[9]
Flora
[
edit
]
Much of Mount Athos is covered with
mixed broadleaf deciduous
and evergreen forests. Black pine (
Pinus nigra
) forests are found at higher elevations.
Sclerophyllous scrub vegetation
is also found throughout Mount Athos. Typical forest trees are sweet chestnut (
Castanea sativa
), holm oak (
Quercus ilex
), kermes oak (
Quercus coccifera
), Hungarian oak (
Quercus frainetto
), oriental plane (
Platanus orientalis
), black pine (
Pinus nigra
), and cedar (
Calocedrus decurrens
). Other common plant species include the strawberry tree (
Arbutus unedo
and
Arbutus andrachne
), cypress (
Cupressus sempervirens
), laurel (
Laurus nobilis
), lentisk (
Pistacia lentiscus
), phillyrea (
Phillyrea latifolia
), wild olive (
Olea europea
), and heather (
Erica
spp.).
[10]
Deciduous trees that are primarily found alongside streams include
white willow
,
laurel
,
Oriental plane
, and
alder
trees.
[11]
Aleppo pine (
Pinus halepensis
) is more commonly found in the northern part of the peninsula. Broadleaf
maquis
is found further south. Deciduous broadleaf forest dominated by
sweet chestnut
lies above the broadleaf maquis zone. There are also mixed forests consisting of deciduous oak trees, as well as
limes
,
aspen
,
hop hornbeam
, and
maple
.
Black pine
and
stinking juniper
can be found at higher elevations. Some herbaceous plants with tubers and bulbs include
crocus
,
anemone
,
cyclamen
, and
fritillary
species.
[12]
At least 35 plant species are endemic to Mount Athos, most of which are found in the area of the main summit in the south.
[13]
Isatis tinctoria
ssp.
athoa
, a
woad
subspecies, and
Viola athois
are named after Mount Athos.
[12]
Mount Athos is also home to 350 species of mushrooms.
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
Fauna
[
edit
]
Mammals include the
grey wolf
(
Canis lupus
),
wild boar
(
Sus scrofa
), red fox (
Vulpes vulpes
), jackal (
Canis aureus
), European badger (
Meles meles
), beech marten (
Martes foina
), stoat (
Mustela erminea
), weasel (
Mustela nivalis
vulgaris
), European hedgehog (
Erinaceus concolor
), shrews (
Crocidura
spp.), and Mediterranean monk seal (
Monachus monachus
).
[10]
Other mammal species include
roe deer
,
hares
, and
red squirrels
.
[19]
Birds include the black stork (
Ciconia nigra
), short-toed snake-eagle (
Circaetus gallicus
), golden eagle (
Aquila chrysaetos
), lesser kestrel (
Falco naumanni
), capercaillie (
Tetrao urogallus
), eagle owl (
Bubo bubo
), yelkouan shearwater (
Puffinus yelkouan
), and Audouin's gull (
Larus audouinii
).
[20]
[21]
Other bird species include
swifts
,
swallows
,
martins
,
nightingales
, and
hoopoes
.
[19]
History
[
edit
]
Antiquity
[
edit
]
In
Greek mythology
,
Athos
is the name of one of the
Gigantes
that challenged the
Greek gods
during the
Gigantomachia
. Athos threw a massive rock at
Poseidon
which fell in the
Aegean Sea
and became Mount Athos.
[22]
According to another version of the story, Poseidon used the mountain to bury the defeated giant.
[
citation needed
]
Homer
mentions the mountain Athos in the
Iliad
.
[23]
Herodotus
writes that during the Persian invasion of
Thrace
in 492 BC, the fleet of the Persian commander
Mardonius
was wrecked with losses of 300 ships and 20,000 men, by a strong North wind while attempting to round the coast near Mount Athos.
[24]
Herodotus also states that
Pelasgians
from the island of
Lemnos
populated the peninsula, then called
Akte,
and names five cities thereon,
Sane
,
Kleonai
(Cleonae),
Thyssos
(Thyssus),
Olophyxos
(Olophyxus), and
Akrothoon
(Acrothoum).
[25]
Strabo
also mentions the cities of Dion (Dium) and Akrothoon.
[26]
Eretria
also established colonies on Akte. At least one other city was established in the Classical period:
Akanthos
(Acanthus). Some of these cities minted their own coins.
[
citation needed
]
The peninsula was on the invasion route of
Xerxes I
, who spent three years
[27]
excavating the
Xerxes Canal
across the isthmus to allow the passage of his invasion fleet in 483 BC. After the death of
Alexander the Great
, the architect
Dinocrates
(Deinokrates) proposed carving the entire mountain into a statue of Alexander.
Pliny the Elder
stated in 77 AD that the inhabitants of Mount Athos could "live to their four hundredth year" due to the fact that they eat the skin of vipers.
[28]
The lack of historical accounts shrouds the history of the peninsula during the later ages. Archaeologists have not been able to determine the exact location of the cities reported by Strabo. It is believed that they must have been deserted when Athos' new inhabitants, the monks, started arriving sometime before the ninth century AD.
[29]
Early Christianity
[
edit
]
According to the Athonite tradition, the
Blessed Virgin Mary
was sailing accompanied by St
John the Evangelist
from
Joppa
to
Cyprus
to visit
Lazarus
. When the ship was blown off course to then-pagan Athos, it was forced to anchor near the port of Klement, close to the present monastery of Iviron. The Virgin walked ashore and, overwhelmed by the mountain's wonderful and wild natural beauty, she blessed it and asked her Son for it to be her garden. A voice was heard saying,
"
?στω ? τ?πο? ο?το? κλ?ρο? σ?? κα? περιβ?λαιον σ?ν κα? παρ?δεισο?, ?τι δ? κα? λιμ?ν σωτ?ριο? τ?ν θελ?ντων σωθ?ναι"
(Translation: "Let this place be your inheritance and your garden, a paradise and a haven of salvation for those seeking to be saved"). From that moment the mountain was consecrated as the garden of the Mother of God and was out of bounds to all other women.
[note 1]
Historical documents on ancient Mount Athos history are very few. Monks have certainly been there since the fourth century, and possibly since the third. During
Constantine I
's reign (324?337) both Christians and followers of traditional Greek religion were living there. During the reign of
Julian
(361?363), the churches of Mount Athos were destroyed, and Christians hid in the woods and inaccessible places.
[30]
Later, during
Theodosius I
's reign (379?395), the temples of the traditional Greek religion were destroyed. The lexicographer
Hesychius of Alexandria
states that in the fifth century, there was still a temple and a statue of "
Zeus
Athonite". After the
Islamic conquest of Egypt
in the seventh century, many Orthodox monks from the Egyptian desert tried to find another calm place; some of them came to the Athos peninsula. An ancient document states that monks "built huts of wood with roofs of straw ... and by collecting fruit from the wild trees were providing themselves improvised meals."
[31]
Byzantine era and onwards
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
St Gregory Palamas included this tradition in his book
Life of Petros the Athonite
, p. 150, 1005 AD.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Mount Athos Home"
. Archived from
the original
on 1 October 2015
. Retrieved
11 June
2016
.
- ^
Why, Who, What (27 May 2016).
"Why are women banned from Mount Athos?"
. BBC.
Archived
from the original on 14 February 2023
. Retrieved
11 June
2023
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
"Mount Athos"
.
UNESCO World Heritage Convention
. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Archived
from the original on 15 January 2021
. Retrieved
30 October
2022
.
- ^
Davie, Grace; Leustean, Lucian N. (8 December 2021).
The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Europe
. Oxford University Press. p. 487.
ISBN
978-0-19-257106-9
.
Archived
from the original on 21 June 2023
. Retrieved
21 June
2023
.
- ^
Robert Draper,
"Mount Athos"
Archived
11 August 2011 at the
Wayback Machine
,
National Geographic
magazine, December 2009
- ^
Speake, Graham (2014).
Mount Athos: renewal in paradise
(2nd ed.). Limni, Evia, Greece. p. 32.
ISBN
978-960-7120-34-2
.
OCLC
903320491
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
Herodotus
,
Histories
, book VI ("Erato");
Aeschylus
,
The Persians
.
- ^
Diodorus Siculus
,
Bibliotheca historica
XIII 41, 1?3.
- ^
"Footpaths of the Holy Mountain ? FOMA"
.
FOMA
. 6 January 2019.
Archived
from the original on 16 June 2022
. Retrieved
16 June
2022
.
- ^
a
b
UN Environment
World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(22 May 2017).
"Mount Athos"
.
World Heritage Datasheet
.
Archived
from the original on 7 August 2022
. Retrieved
10 June
2022
.
- ^
Speake, Graham (2014).
Mount Athos: renewal in paradise
(2nd ed.). Limni, Evia, Greece. p. 33.
ISBN
978-960-7120-34-2
.
OCLC
903320491
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
a
b
Speake, Graham (2014).
Mount Athos: renewal in paradise
(2nd ed.). Limni, Evia, Greece. p. 34.
ISBN
978-960-7120-34-2
.
OCLC
903320491
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
Ganiatsas, K. (2003).
I vlastesis kai i chloris tis chersonesou tou Agiou Orous
.
- ^
Cosgrove, Denis E.; Della Dora, Veronica (2009).
High places: cultural geographies of mountains, ice and science
. London: I.B. Tauris & Co.
ISBN
978-1-4416-2965-4
.
OCLC
503441715
.
- ^
S. Dafis, ‘Anthr?pines drast?riot?tes kai fysiko perivallon’, in S. Dafis et al. (eds.),
Fysekai Perivallon sto Agion Oros
, Thessalonica, 1998.
- ^
G. Sideropoulos,
Agion Oros: anafores st?n anthropoge?grafia
, Athens, 2000, p. 28.
- ^
O. Rackham, ‘Our Lady’s Garden: the historical ecology of the Holy Mountain’,
Friends of Mount Athos, Annual Report
(2000), p. 50.
- ^
D. Babalonas, ‘Chl?rida kai endemismos tou Agiou Orous’, in M. Parcharidou and M. Fountoul?s (eds.),
Agion Oros: fys?, latreia, techn?
, Vol. I, Thessalonica, 1999, p. 119.
- ^
a
b
Speake, Graham (2014).
Mount Athos: renewal in paradise
(2nd ed.). Limni, Evia, Greece. p. 37.
ISBN
978-960-7120-34-2
.
OCLC
903320491
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
Grimmett, R. & Jones, T. (eds) (1989).
Important Bird Areas in Europe
. Technical Publication #9, ICBP, Cambridge, U.K.
- ^
Heath, M. & Evans, M. (eds) (2000).
Important Bird Areas in Europe: Priority Sites for Conservation
Vol.2. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.
- ^
"Mythology and History of Chalkidiki (Halkidiki)"
.
chalkidiki.com
.
Archived
from the original on 8 November 2023
. Retrieved
8 November
2023
.
- ^
Homer,
Iliad
14,229.
- ^
Herodotus,
Histories
6,44.
- ^
Herodotus,
Histories
7,22.
- ^
Strabo,
Geography
7,33,1.
- ^
Warry, J. (1998),
Warfare in the Classical World
, Salamander Book Ltd., London, p. 35
- ^
Pliny the Elder.
[1]
Archived
29 October 2021 at the
Wayback Machine
, Retrieved on 30 October 2021.
- ^
Kadas, Sotiris (1981).
The Holy Mountain
(in Greek). Athens: Ekdotike Athenon. p. 9.
ISBN
978-960-213-199-2
.
- ^
Speake, Graham (2002).
Mount Athos: Renewal in Paradise
. Yale University Press. p. 27.
ISBN
0-300-093535
.
- ^
Biography of Saint Athanasius the Athonite
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