Piraeus

1. Piraeus The Long Walls of Athens

2. Early History • Piraeus: Greek for “the place over the passage” (roughly) • Supposedly has been inhabited since the 26th century B.C. • Approximately 7-8 km (about 4 or 5 miles) southwest of Athens • Originally was an island known as Munychia, was also known as Halipedon (“salt field”) • Hippias, son of Peisistratis, fortifies Munychia in late 6th century

4. Piraeus vs. Phaleron • Phaleron Bay, located approximately 7km almost due south of Athens, was original harbor of Athens but was a shallow, sandy beach. • Piraeus was deep with three natural harbors: Kantharos, Munychia and Zea. • In mid 5th century land passage to Piraeus became secure. • During archonship of Themistocles, 493/4, Piraeus fortified as commercial port of Athens with early walls. • Later on, in mid 5th century, Hippodamos of Miletos and “Grid Plan” laid out for Piraeus

6. The Three Harbors • neosoikoi ("ships' houses")built in harbors to house triremes (War ships). • Kantharos. Largest harbor, northwestern Piraeus. Commercial center. Housed 94 triremes. Tomb of Themistocles • Zea: Southern port, main war ship harbor. Housed 196 triremes. • Munychia: Smallest harbor, eastern Piraeus. Housed 82 triremes. • Piraeus home to many metics, representative of cultural and economic importance of Piraeus to Athenian trade

9. The “Wooden Wall” and The Long Walls • 483, Laurium silver strike, Themistocles’ advice and the Oracle of Delphi, “Wall of Wood” • Persian Wars, battles of Artemisium and Salamis, role of Themistocles • After Persian Wars (479/8, Thuc.) Athens rebuilds and fortifies herself. Themistocles distracts Spartans while Long Walls built • Built hastily but surround Athens down to Piraeus and even Phaleron as well • Athens establishes Delian League, 479, using the navy and port of Piraeus as leverage over other poleis

11. Piraeus, Plague, Pericles, and the Peloponnesian War • Thucydides 2.13, Pericles urges Athenians to become “an island” as war approaches with Sparta • Athenians move into the Long and Phaleric Walls in 431, Peloponnesian War begins • Plague enters Athens from the Piraeus in 430, things begin to go downhill for Athens • After Pericles’ death (429), fleet misused and Athenians loses the War in 404 • Long Walls torn down and Spartan control enforced over Piraeus, much of navy captured or destroyed

13. Why do you build me up, just to knock me back down? • In 393, democracy reinstated and Thirty Tyrants thrown out. Walls rebuilt by Conon. Reconstruction continues… • Second Athenian League established in 378, Piraeus becomes main port yet again, but former empire never realized • Total number housed at Piraeus in later 4th century believed to be 372. Court in Phreatto? • 86 B.C. Lucius Cornellius Sulla invades, defeats and levels Piraeus

15. The Piraeus Today • Destruction complete in 395 A.D. by Gauls and was even renamed Porto Leon (“Lion’s Port) for marble Lion statue • Reduced to small fishing village up until Greek Independence in 1832 when Athens was made capital • Industry, Corinth Canal (1893) and establishment of Port authorities Piraeus sees huge population explosion. • Today Piraeus acts as a major center for Greek trade and commerce. 3rd largest port in the world for passenger transportation, 47th in cargo traffic

17. Bibliography • Camp, John M. The Archaeology of Athens. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. • DASE. Susan Hoftra’s personal slide. “Trireme ‘Olympias’ at Piraeus”. 8 Jul. 2000 < http://dase.laits.utexas.edu/media/classics/thumbnail/00070805 13_100.jpg> • Green, Peter. Ancient Greece: An Illustrated History. New York: The Viking Press, 1973 • Stathakis, Stathis. “The Piraeus Port” Trekearth.com. 27 Aug. 2006 http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Greece/Attica/Attiki/Pir aeus/photo590499.htm • Pomeroy, Sarah B. Ancient Greece. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. • Thucydides. Trans. Crawley, Richard. 1874. Ed. Strassler, Robert B. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. 1996. • The World of Athens. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.