Listed 12 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "ANAKTORION Municipality ETOLOAKARNANIA" .
AKTION (Ancient port) ETOLOAKARNANIA
Actium (Aktion: Eth. Aktios, Actius: Adj. Aktiakos, Actiacus, also
Aktios, Actius), a promontory in Acarnania at the entrance of the Ambraciot Gulf
(Gulf of Arta) off which Augustus gained his celebrated victory over Antony and
Cleopatra, on September 2nd, B.C. 31. There was a temple of Apollo on this promontory,
which Thutydides mentions (i. 29) as situated in the territory of Anactorium.
This temple was of great antiquity, and Apollo derived from it the surname of
Actius and Actiacus. There was also an ancient festival named Actia, celebrated
here in honour of the god. Augustus after his victory enlarged the temple, and
revived the ancient festival, which was henceforth celebrated once in four years
(pentaeteris, ludi quinquennales), with musical and gymnastic contests, and horse
races. (Dion Cass. li. 1; Suet. Aug. 18.) We learn from a Greek inscription found
on the site of Actium, and which is probably prior to the time of Augustus, that
the chief priest of the temple was called Hierapolos, and that his name was employed
in official documents, like that of the first Archon at Athens, to mark the date.
(Bockh, Corpus Inscript. No. 1793.) Strabo says (p. 325) that the temple was situated
on an eminence, and that below was a plain with a grove of trees, and a dock-yard;
and in another passage (p. 451) he describes the harbour as situated outside of
the gulf. On the opposite coast of Epirus, Augustus founded the city of Nicopolis
in honour of his victory. Actium was properly not a town, though it is sometimes
described as such; but after the foundation of Nicopolis, a few buildings sprang
up around the temple, and it served as a kind of suburb to Nicopolis.
The site of Actium has been a subject of dispute. The accompanying
plan of the entrance of the Ambraciot gulf, taken from the map published by Lieut.
Wolfe (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol. iii.) will give the reader
a clear idea of the locality.
The entrance of the Ambraciot gulf lies between the low point off
Acarnania, on which stands Fort La Punta, and the promontory of Epirus, on which
stands the modern town of Prevesa, near the site of the ancient Nicopolis. The
narrowest part of this entrance is only 700 yards, but the average distance between
the two shores is half a mile. After passing through this strait, the coast turns
abruptly round a small point to the SE., forming a bay about 4 miles in width,
called the Bay of Prevesa. A second entrance is then formed to the larger basin
of the gulf by the two high capes of La Scara in Epeirus, and of Madonna in Acarnania,
the width of this second entrance being about one mile and a half. Now some modern
writers, among others D'Anville, suppose Actium to have been situated on Cape
Madonna, and Anactorium, which Strabo (p. 451) describes as 40 stadia from Actium,
on La Punta. Two reasons have led them to adopt this conclusion: first, because
the ruins on C. Madonna are sometimes called Azio, which name is apparently a
corruption of the ancient Actium; and, secondly, because the temple of Apollo
is said by Strabo to have stood on a height, which description answers to the
rocky eminence on C. Madonna, and not to the low peninsula of La Punta. But these
reasons are not conclusive, and there can be no doubt that the site of Actium
corresponds to La Punta. For it should be observed, first, that the name Azio
is unknown to the Greeks, and appears to have been introduced by the Venetians,
who conjectured that the ruins on C. Madonna were those of Actium, and therefore
invented the word; and, secondly, that though Strabo places the temple of Apollo
on a height, he does not say that this height was on the sea, but on the contrary,
that it was at some little distance from the sea. In other respects Strabo's evidence
is decisive in favour of the identification of Actium with La Punta. He says that
Actium is one point which forms the entrance of the bay; and it is clear that
he considered the entrance of the bay to be between Prevesa and La Punta, because
he makes the breadth of the strait a little more than four stadia, or half a mile,
which is true when applied to the first narrow entrance, but not to the second.
That the strait between Prevesa and La Punta was regarded as the entrance of the
Ambraciot gulf, is clear, not only from the distance assigned to it by Strabo,
but from the statements of Polybius (iv. 63), who makes it 5 stadia, of Scylax
(v. Kassopii), who makes it 4 stadia, and of Pliny (iv. 1) who makes it 500 paces.
Anactorium is described by Strabo as situated within the bay, while Actium makes
the mouth of the bay. (Strab. pp. 325, 451.) Anactorium, therefore, must be placed
on the promontory of C. Madonna. The testimony of Strabo is confirmed by that
of Dion Cassius. The latter writer says (l. 12) that Actium is a temple of Apollo,
and is situated before the mouth of the strait of the Ambraciot gulf, over against
the harbours of Nicopolis. Cicero tells us (ad Fam. xvi. 6, 9) that in coasting
from Patrae to Corcyra he touched at Actium, which he could hardly have done,
if it were so far out of his way as the inner strait between C. La Scara and C.
Madonna. Thus we come to the conclusion that the promontory of Actium was the
modern La Punta, and that the temple of Apollo was situated a little to the S.,
outside the strait, probably near the Fort La Punta.
A few remarks are necessary respecting the site of the battle, which
has conferred its chief celebrity upon Actium. The fleet of Antony was stationed
in the Bay of Prevesa. His troops had built towers on each side of the mouth of
the strait, and they occupied the channel itself with their ships. Their camp
was near the temple of Apollo, on a level spacious ground. Augustus was encamped
on the opposite coast of Epirus, on the spot where Nicopolis afterwards stood;
his fleet appears to have been stationed in the Bay of Gomaros, now the harbour
of Mitika, to the N. of Nicopolis, in the Ionian sea. Antony was absent from his
army at Patrae; but as soon as he heard of the arrival of Augustus, he proceeded
to Actium, and after a short time crossed over the strait to Prevesa, and pitched
his camp near that of Augustus. But having experienced some misfortunes, he subsequently
re-crossed the strait and joined the main body of his army at Actium. By the advice
of Cleopatra he now determined to return to Egypt. He accordingly sailed out of
the strait, but was compelled by the manoeuvres of Augustus to fight. After the
battle had lasted some hours Cleopatra, who was followed by Antony, sailed through
the middle of the contending fleets, and took to flight. They succeeded in making
their escape, but most of their ships were destroyed. The battle was, therefore,
fought outside of the strait, between La Punta and Prevesa (exo ton stenon, Dion
Cass. 1. 31), and not in the Bay of Prevesa, as is stated by some writers. (Dion
Cass. 1. 12, seq.; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iv. p. 28, seq.; Wolfe, l. c.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited September 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
ANAKTORION (Ancient city) ETOLOAKARNANIA
Anaktorion: Anaktorios. A town in Acarnania, situated on the Ambraciot gulf, and
on the promontory, which now bears the name of C. Madonna. On entering the Ambraciot
gulf from the Ionian sea it was the first town in Acarnania after Actium, from
which it was distant 40 stadia, and which was in the territory of Anactorium.
This town was for some time one of the most important places in this part of Greece.
It was colonized jointly by the Corinthians and Corcyraeans; but in the war between
these peoples, in B.C. 432, the Corinthians obtained sole possession of the place
by fraud. It remained in the hands of the Corinthians till B.C. 425, when it was
taken by the Acarnanians with the assistance of the Athenians, and the Corinthian
settlers were expelled. Augustus removed its inhabitants to the town of Nicopolis,
which he founded on the opposite coast of Epirus, and Strabo describes it as an
emporium of the latter city. The site of Anactorium has been disputed, and depends
upon the position assigned to Actium. It has however been shown that Actium must
be placed at the entrance of the Ambraciot gulf on La Punta, and Anactorium on
C. Madonna. At the western extremity of the latter promontory are the ruins of
a Greek town, about two miles in circumference, which Leake supposes to have been
Anactorium. They are situated near a small church of St. Peter, which is the name
now given to the place. Other writers place Anactorium at Vonitza, on the E. extremity
of the promontory, but with less probability.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited May 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
ECHINOS (Ancient city) AKTIO - VONITSA
Echinos: Eth. Echinaieus. A town in Acarnania, also said to have been
founded by Echion. It was mentioned by the poet Rhianus, and occurs in the list
of Acarnanian towns preserved by Pliny, where it is placed between Heraclia and
Actium. Leake places it at Ai Vasili, remarking that, from Stephanus and the poet
Rhianus, it is evident that Echinus was an Acarnanian town of some importance:
the story attached to it shows that it was one of the early colonies of this coast;
the ruins at Ai Vasili indicate a remote antiquity, and their safe position on
a mountain removed from the sea, is in conformity with that which is generally
found in the early foundations of the Greeks.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited May 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
THYRION (Ancient city) AKTIO - VONITSA
Thurion, Aureon, Thourion, Thurrheion, Eth. Thurieus, Thyriensis.
A city in Acarnania, the exact site of which is unknown. It is placed by Pouqueville
in the interior near the sources of the Anapus; and his authority is followed
by K. O. Muller and others. This, however, is evidently a mistake. Cicero tells
us (ad Fam. xvi. 5) that in sailing from Alyzia to Leucas, he touched at Thyrium,
where he remained two hours; and from this statement, as well as from the history
of the events in which Thyrium is mentioned, we may infer that it was situated
on or near the Ionian sea, and that it was the first town on the coast S. of the
canal which separated Leucas from the mainland. It is placed by Leake in the plain
of Zaverdha, but no ruins of it have been discovered. Its name does not occur
in Strabo. Thyrium is first mentioned in B.C. 373, when its territory was invaded
by Iphicrates. (Xen. Hell. vi. 2. 37) Xenophon describes it as a place of importance;
and it appears as one of the chief cities of Acarnania at the time of the Roman
wars in Greece, when its name frequently occurs. At this period Thyrium was one
of the places at which the meetings of the Acarnanian League were usually held.
It was one of the many towns whose ruin was occasioned by the foundation of NICOPOLIS
to which its inhabitants were removed by order of Augustus. (Pol. iv. 6, 25, xvii.
10, xxii. 12, xxviii. 5; Liv. xxxvi. 11, 12, xxxviii. 9, xliii. 17; Anth. Graec.
l. c.; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iv. p. 16.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
AKTION (Ancient port) ETOLOAKARNANIA
A promontory in Acarnania at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf,
off which Augustus gained his celebrated naval victory over Antony and Cleopatra,
September 2d, B.C. 31. Here was a temple of Apollo Actiacus or Actius, where the
festival Actia had been celebrated. Augustus revived the celebration as a quinquennial
feast in honour of his victory, and built Nicopolis on the opposite shore.
The battle of Actium is one of the decisive battles of the
world's history, since the stake for which it was fought was nothing less than
the lordship of the Roman Empire--that is, of the occidental world. The chances
of battle were all in favour of Antony. His troops, encamped on one shore of the
gulf, were largely superior to his rival's in both numbers and discipline. He
had 100,000 infantry, as against the 80,000 of Octavian (Augustus), an equal force
of cavalry (12,000); while his ships not only numbered 500--double the number
that Octavian's admiral Agrippa commanded, but were much larger, heavier, and
better provided with the engines then in use for dis charging missiles. It was,
perhaps, this great preponderance of naval force which led Cleopatra, who accompanied
Antony, to urge upon him the plan of letting the issue of the war rest upon a
naval battle. She herself, with her sixty ships, formed a line behind that of
the vessels of Antony. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.
For a long time after the battle began, the light galleys of
Octavian made little or no impression upon the massive ships that opposed them;
but at last, by a skilful manoeuvre, Agrippa forced Antony to extend his line
of battle. This done, Agrippa's ships succeeded in breaking through it and darting
towards the vessels of Cleopatra. Alarmed at this, the Egyptian queen at once
gave the signal for flight, and with her ships put hurriedly to sea. Antony, forgetful
that the crisis of the battle had now arrived, recklessly sailed in pursuit of
her, leaving his fleet to win or lose as best it might in his absence. Deserted
by its commander, it still fought on, but with little heart, and by nightfall
had been completely routed and destroyed. The troops of Antony were still encamped
upon the promontory fronting the forces of Octavian; yet they did not at once
give battle, but waited in the hope that their general would return. Seven days
passed by, and when he failed to appear, after some hesitation, they surrendered
to Octavian and accepted him as their commander, thus making him at a stroke the
master of the world.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
ANAKTORION (Municipality) ETOLOAKARNANIA
VONITSA (Small town) ETOLOAKARNANIA
A coastal small city at the entrance of the Amvrakikos
gulf. It is 114km from Messolongi
and it has 4,081 residents. It was founded in the 4th century AD. In the 14th
century it subjugated to the king of Neapolis, in the 15th century it subjected
to the Venetians, in 1797 to the French and then to Ali Pasha. It was liberated
in 1828. In 1862 it became the capital of Griva's revolution against Othona. The
city was built on the foundations of the ancient Anaktorio.
Sights
Remains of a medieval castle at the peak of the mountain. There is
a chapel of St. Sophia - 12th century - at the same area.
There are very interesting churches of the Holy Mother with nice wall
paintings, of St. Ioannis and of St. Spiridonas.
An archaeological museum at the village Thirio,
with findings from the area, classical and Roman inscriptions, a marble bas-relief
of a female figure (4th century), a headless statue of Artemis, a cluster by Mithra,
part of a Roman mosaic etc.
Archaeological site and a Venetian castle in Aktio.
An old city is sunk in lake Voulkanias. There is the point from which
Kleopatra and her fleet passed before the great naval battle between Oktavios
and Markos Antonios.
A Venetian castle, 18klm from Vonitsa.
This text is cited December 2004 from the West Greece Region General Secretariat URL below, which contains images.
AKTION (Ancient port) ETOLOAKARNANIA
ANAKTORION (Ancient city) ETOLOAKARNANIA
AKTION (Ancient port) ETOLOAKARNANIA
A peninsula of Akarnania, which with the Epirote peninsula of Preveza,
forms the mouth of the Ambrakian gulf. Aktion was under the control of Anaktorion
(Thuc. 1.29.3), 40 stades away from the temple (Strab. 10.2.7), a Corinthian colony
perhaps of the time of Kypselos. It was famous for the Temple of Apollo and the
games (Aktia) celebrated there biennially. During the Peloponnesian War, Aktion
became Akarnanian, after the latter's sack of Anaktorion (Thuc. 4.49). According
to an inscription of ca. 200 B.C., found at Olympia, the Anaktorians were unable
to finance the games after the Social War, and so the temple became a federal
shrine of the Akarnanians.
After the battle of Aktion, the games were moved to Augustus' new
city of Nikopolis, musical and naval contests were added to the original gymnastic
and cavalry games, the contests became quadrennial, and the Spartans were placed
in charge (Strab. 7.7.6; Dio Cass. 51.1.1-3). Augustus also enlarged the Aktion
sanctuary and one of his great victory votives, a dedication of ten ships, was
near the temple. Strabo says, however, that by his time the dedication and the
docks were burned (7.7.6).
Strabo's description of the site as on a hill with a grove down below
is difficult to reconcile with the present flat, sandy appearance of the peninsula.
But the sanctuary must be near the mouth of the Ambrakian gulf (Thuc. 1.29.3;
Polyb. 4.63.4; Dio Cass. 50.12.7). The earliest probable evidence for a sanctuary
are the two fragmentary kouroi now in the Louvre, found in 1867. Leake saw Roman
ruins, possibly from Augustan rebuilding (opus reticulatum), Hammond noted blocks
under water, suggesting a rise in sea level, and there is Byzantine and especially
Turkish building on the peninsula. But no full-scale excavation has as yet been
undertaken to determine the exact location of the sanctuary.
E. G. Pemberton, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Oct 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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