Dion - Revision history

Irlandos at 10:19, January 22, 2007

2007-01-22T10:19:08Z

Irlandos at 20:06, April 6, 2006

2006-04-06T20:06:49Z

Irlandos at 20:05, April 6, 2006

2006-04-06T20:05:50Z

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'''Dion''' was an ancient [[Macedon]]ian city, considered holy as the name was derived from the god [[Zeus]]. The city was situated in [[Pieria prefecture]], 5 km from the coast and at the feet of [[Mount Olympus]].

The first mention of Dion in history comes from [[Thucydides]], who reports that it was the first city reached by the [[Sparta]]n general [[Brasidas]] after crossing from [[Thessaly]] into [[Macedon]] on his way through the realm of his ally [[Perdiccas II of Macedon|Perdiccas II]] during his expedition against the Athenian colonies of [[Thrace]] in [[424 BC]].

Dion was made an important city, with religious celebrations and athletic contests, in the days of [[King Archelaus I]] (414-399 BC). Under the Romans it flourished once more, only to go through a Greek revival in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD.

In the 5th Century, a series of natural catastrophes (earthquakes and floods) caused the population of Dion to abandon their city and move closer to Mt. Olympus.

Archaeological finds include two theatres - one Greek and one Roman - an athletic stadium and several temples dedicated to [[Demeter]], [[Zeus]], [[Dionysus]] and the Egyptian goddess Isis.

==Modern Dion==
Prior to [[1992]], a village named Malathria was located near ancient Dion. In October of that year it was accorded municipality status and renamed "Dion Municipality". Its capital is the village of [[Kontariotissa]].

==Historical population==
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! Year !! Population !! Change !! Municipal population !! Change 
|-
| [[1981]] || 1,236 || - || - || - 
|-
| [[1991]] || 1,149 || -87/-7.04% || 9,876 || - 
|-
| [[2001]] || 1,310 || 161/14.01%/ || - || - 
|}

==References==

* [[F. Papazoglou]], ''Les villes de Macédoine romaine'', ''Supplément'' 18 du ''BCH'', Paris, 1988.
* [[D. Pandermalis]], ''Dion, the archaeological site and the museum'', Athens, 1997.

[[Category:Pieria]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Greece]]

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 * [[D. Pandermalis]], ''Dion, the archaeological site and the museum'', Athens, 1997.
-[[Category:Pieria]]
+[[Category:Pieria prefecture]]
 [[Category:Cities and towns in Greece]]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 The first mention of Dion in history comes from [[Thucydides]], who reports that it was the first city reached by the [[Sparta]]n general [[Brasidas]] after crossing from [[Thessaly]] into [[Macedon]] on his way through the realm of his ally [[Perdiccas II of Macedon|Perdiccas II]] during his expedition against the Athenian colonies of [[Thrace]] in [[424 BC]].
-Dion was made an important city, with religious celebrations and athletic contests, in the days of [[King Archelaus I]] (414-399 BC). Under the Romans it flourished once more, only to go through a Greek revival in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD.
+Dion was made an important city, with religious celebrations and athletic contests, in the days of [[Archelaus I of Macedon|King Archelaus I]] (414-399 BC). Under the Romans it flourished once more, only to go through a Greek revival in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD.
 In the 5th Century, a series of natural catastrophes (earthquakes and floods) caused the population of Dion to abandon their city and move closer to Mt. Olympus.