Megarid

Megarid Megaris Physical Description

Directly to the west of Attica is the small territory of Megara. Megara links mainland Greece with the Peloponnese.

The Megarid is situated in a fertile but narrow plain, .6 km from the Aegean sea. It lies between between Mts. Geranea, Kithairon, and Cerata which separated it from Corinthia to the south, Boeotia to the north, and Attica to the east and northeast. The small coastal plain below the city of Megara is very fertile and today is covered with more than a million olive trees.

Communications with the Corinthian gulf are difficult due to the hilly terrain, but the region of Megara has good harbors on the Saronic gulf which enables the region to trade easily with the east. Its major seaport on the Saronic gulf was Nisaea, which was connected to the city of Megara by two long walls.

History

Directly east of the Megarid about .3 km is the island of Salamis, which in antiquity was administered by Megara. Unlike the Athenians, the Megarians spoke Doric Greek, and they were often politically aligned with their Dorian kinsmen in the Peloponnese. During the Dorian invasions of the twelfth century B.C. all the territories around Megarid were falling prey to the conquerors, until finally, Megarid was settled by Dorians who came from Corinthia, Messenia and other Dorian areas of the Peloponnese.

In the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. Megara was powerful enough to send out colonies, but later it was dominated by its wealthy neighbor, Corinth. In the fifth century B.C., after Athens had become a leading city, Athens and Corinth vied for control of Megara because of its strategic location on the routes to Attica, Boeotia, and the Peloponnese.

Sites

The city of Megara sits astride two low hills, Karia (268 m) to the east, and Alkathoos (285 m) to the west. These twin acropolises of the ancient city were connected by a long, narrow street. The main citadel was called Alkathoe after its reputed founder, Alkathous, son of Pelops. Megara was the birthplace of Theognis (c. 570-485 B.C.) the elegaic poet.

Aigosthena is situated on the southern slopes of the Kithairon range at the northeast corner of the gulf of Corinth. Although Aigosthena was not very important historically, its fortifications, which are dated to the fourth century B.C., are among the most impressive in Greece. The acropolis is surrounded by a double wall with towers of regular ashlar masonry at intervals of 48 m. A defensive wall runs down from the northwest corner of the town to the sea. The walls enclosed a rectangular area about 545 m by 182 m.

Curtis Runnels

• borders on Eleusis: Paus. 1.39.4, and on Boeotia: Paus. 1.44.4
• boundaries of Megaris and Corinth: Paus. 1.44.10
• formerly occupied by Leleges: Paus. 4.36.1
• belonged of old to Athens: Paus. 1.39.4, Paus. 1.42.2
• mountainous part of: Paus. 1.44.4

• Kaki Skala and Skironian Rocks from west
• view of cliffs from west