Piraeus - Definition and Overview

Piraeus, or Peiraeus (Modern Greek: Πειραιά(ς) Pireá(s), Ancient Greek / Katharevousa: Πειραιεύς Pireéfs) is a city in the prefecture of Attica, Greece, located south of Athens. It was the port of the ancient city of Athens (see History of Athens), and was chosen to serve as the modern port when Athens was re-founded in 1834. Piraeus remains a major shipping and industrial centre, and is the terminus for Line 1 (the "green line"), the electric train service now incorporated into the Athens Metro.

The population of the demos (municipality) of Piraeus is 175,697 (2001). The nomarchia of Piraeus, which includes the surrounding land and some of the islands of the Saronic Gulf, has a population of 541,504 (2001). It consists of a rocky promontory, containing three natural harbours, a large one on the north-west which is an important commercial harbour for the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and two smaller ones used for naval purposes. The port serves ferry routes to almost every island in the eastern portion of Greece, the island of Crete, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, and much of the northern and the eastern Aegean. The western part of the port is used for cargo services and covers a huge area. Much of that part of the harbour is in suburban Drapetsona.

Piraeus has schools, lyceums, gymnasia, banks, post offices and squares (plateies). There are no beaches.

History

Themistocles was the first to urge the Athenians to take advantage of these harbours, instead of using the sandy bay of Phaleron. The fortification of Piraeus was begun in 493 BC. In 460 BC it was connected with Athens by the Long Walls. The original town of Piraeus was built by the architect Hippodamus of Miletus, probably in the time of Pericles. The promontory itself consisted of two parts, the hill of Munychia and the projection of Acte. On the opposite side of the harbour was the outwork of Eetioneia.

In 404 BC Munychia was seized by Thrasybulus and the exiles from Phyle, who then defeated the Thirty Tyrants in Athens. The three chief arsenals of Peiraeus were Munychia, Zea and Cantharus, which contained 82, 196 and 94 ships respectively in the 4th century BC.

Historical population

The municipality of Piraeus once had over 200,000 inhabitants. The population has declined by 10% over the last 20 years, although the decline slowed between 1991 and 2001.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.

Piraeus is also a figure in Greek mythology, appearing in The Odyssey.

External link

• Census information from the General Secretariat of National Statistical Service of Greece (http://www.statistics.gr) (dead)

See also:

• Communities of Attica