Notes and Works Cited

Notes

1. Tomlinson, R.A.. Argos and the Argolid. (Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1972), 15.
2. Ibid., 17.
3. Argos. www.argos.gr
4. Tomlinson, R.A.. Argos and the Argolid. (Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1972), 2.
5. Ibid., 17.
6. Ibid., 18.
7. Argos. www.argos.gr
8. Ibid., www.argos.gr
9. The Ancient Theatre Archive. http://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/argos/introduction/argos.intro1
10. Tomlinson, R.A. Argos and the Argolid. (Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1971), 19.
11. Ibid., 15.
12. Osborne, Robin. Classical Greece 500-323 B.C. (New York: Oxford Press, 2000), 126.
13. Kelly, Thomas. A History of Argos to 500 B.C. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1976), 32.
14. Argos. www.argos.gr
15. Osborne, Robin. Classical Greece 500-323 B.C. (New York: Oxford Press, 2000), 75.
16. Tomlinson, R.A. Argos and the Argolid. (Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1971), 203.
17. Ibid., 204.
18. Ibid., 205.

Works Cited

Kelly, Thomas. A History of Argos to 500 B.C. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1976.

Osborne, Robin. Classical Greece, 500-323 BC. New York: Oxford Press, 2000.

Pomeroy, Sarah B., Walter Donlan, and Jennifer T. Roberts. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford UP, 2007

Tomlinson, R.A.. Argos and the Argolid. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1972.

Argos. www.argos.gr

The Ancient Theatre Archive.
http://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/argos/introduction/argos.intro1

Links

Links of Interest

www.argos.gr- Argos, Greece Official Website

http://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/argos/introduction/argos.intro1.htm- Interactive Tour of Argive Theatre Ruins

The Influence of Argos Today

We owe modern currency to the Argives because of their invention of the obelisk currency but other than that, not enough is known about the city so its influence has been minimal. There is a city named Argos in Indiana which got its name from a congressman in 1854 who was fascinated with Greek history. A common misconception is that the Argonauts of myth are from the city Argos, hence the name. They actually take their name from their boat, the Argos. Their name literally means "sailors of the Argos".

The Religous Aspects of Argos

The patron goddess of all of the Argolid was Hera. [15] She had a shrine to her outside of the city limits called the Argive Heraion, of which there are still some remains. Pausanias wrote the most about the religious aspects of Argos. [16] Hera's shrine was on neutral ground in the Argolid so no one could make a claim to her unequivocally. Although Hera was the patron of the Argolid, Apollo was the patron god of the city Argos. [17] He had a temple in the Agora which was named the temple of Apollo Lykeios, which means Wolf Apollo. Even though he was a powerful god, he still was secondary to Hera in the peoples' eyes. [18]

Plan of the Argive Heraion
Courtesy of Argos and the Argolid, Tomlinson

Ruins of the Argive Heraion
Courtesy of Argos and the Argolid, Tomlinson.

The Industrial Significance of Argos

Argos was known in the ancient world for its craftsmanship, most notably with its pottery and metal objects. Argos was the premier manufacturer of pottery in Dark Age Greece. It is from the pottery that we are able to gather any evidence of Argive life before 500 B.C. [13] Legend also has it that King Pheidon, whose existence is often debated, created the first form of metal currency around 700 B.C. in the shape of an obelisk. They were used as meat skewers as well as currency. They were convenient because of the ability to hold six of them at a time. [14]

This emblem was depicted on the obelisks:


Courtesy of www.argos.gr

Literary and Epigraphic Evidence of Argos

Because of the lack of archaeological findings in Argos, there has not been much discovered by epigraphs. I could not find a single example. Most of our understood history of Argos has come from the writings of Pausanias, a writer who toured Greek towns and wrote about his travels around 200 A.D., Strabo, a geographer who encountered the area around the first century B.C., and Herodotus, the "father of history" who briefly mentions Argos only as a supporting character to the story of Athens and Greece. [11] Argos is also the setting of Aeschylus' Eumenides is briefly mentioned in other Greek plays, such as Sophocles' Three Theban Plays. [12]

Photos of Argos-Ancient and Today

View of Modern Argos from Theatre Seats
Courtesy of http://www.mlahanas.de/Greece/Cities/Images/ArgosCity.jpg

View of Argos from the Top of the Larisa
Courtesy of Argos and the Argolid, Tomlinson.

Theatre Seats
Courtesy of Argos and the Argolid, Tomlinson.

View of the Larisa
Courtesy of Argos and the Argolid, Tomlinson.

View From Larisa

Courtesy of Argos and the Argolid, Tomlinson.

The Nympheo Courtesy of www.argos.gr The Agora Courtesy of www.argos.gr

Archaeological Activity in Argos

Archaeological excavations have been performed at Argos, most notably by the French School of Archaeology in Athens, but little has been found. [5] This is due to the city remodeling itself over time and being inconsiderate of the historical ramifications of its actions. Yet this does not mean that all has been lost. There are still remains of a bath building but it was built after the Roman occupation of the city so it bears little relevance to understanding classical Argos. [6]

The three true major archaeological remains are the Agora, the Nympheo, and the theatre.
The Agora was the center of the city and a social and political hub, much like the Roman forum. It was constructed around 700 B.C. and was destroyed around 400 A.D.. [7] It was quite vast but now, only part of the base of the structure still remains. The Nympheo was considered to be the "court of the city" and is built into the side of the Larisa. It is said that Agamemnon's son, Orestis, was put on trial here. [8] The theatre of Argos was built around 320 B.C. and most of what remains of the theatre is the seating which was cut into the hill. It was remodeled around 120 A.D. by the Romans. [9] There was also an Odeion, that was nearby the theatre, which is guessed to be like a music hall.[10]

Sadly, this is mostly all of the notable archaeological finds from Argos. Hopefully, there is more to be found and some more light can be shed on this mysterious city.

Maps of Argos and the Surrounding Area

These are maps taken courtesy of my book sources.

The Peloponnese
Courtesy of Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History, Pomeroy.



Below is a map of ancient Argos made from the descriptions of Pausanias’ writings:

Plan of Argos
Courtesy of Argos and the Argolid, Tomlinson.

The Organization and Brief History of the City

The Greek city of Argos lies on the Argive plain, which is part of the Peloponnese, the southern peninsula of Greece. Of all the cities that made up the Argive plain, or the Argolid, Argos was the largest geographically and by population.

The reasons why it thrived more than any of the others were a reliable water supply, excellent geographical location for trade and its spectacular acropolis, the Larisa, which acted as a natural defense mechanism for the city.[1] The modern day city of Argos has evolved from the ancient city over time so it has been extremely hard for excavations to take place since they can not disturb modern buildings and such.[2] What is known of the city is taken mostly from the little archeological information that has been found as well as some primary sources, such as Herodotus and Pausanias of Damascus.

What we do know about Argos is that it was a vicious rival of Sparta from around 400 B.C.E. and after the Persian Wars, Argos became close allies with Athens and this is when Argos adopted a democracy. [3] According to R.A. Tomlinson, Sparta would have dominated all of the Peloponnese if it were not for Argos to maintain the balance of power. [4] The history of Argos is a somewhat depressing one, not because of what we know, but because of what we do not know. Argive history is a prime example of what is lost when no one takes the initiative to document what is happening around them. As a result, all that we are able to gather comes from scarce excerpts from primary sources and little archaeological findings.