Oropos

Oropos (Greek: Ωρωπός) is a small town and a municipality in East Attica, Greece.

Oropos Ωρωπός
Oropos Location within the region
Coordinates: 38°18′N 23°45′E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Attica
Regional unit	East Attica
Area
• Municipality	338.18 km^2 (130.57 sq mi)
Lowest elevation	45 m (148 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Municipality	33,769
• Municipality density	100/km^2 (260/sq mi)
Community [1]
• Population	1,504 (2011)
• Area (km^2)	11.97
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	190 15
Area code(s)	22950
Vehicle registration	Z

The village of Skala Oropou, within the bounds of the municipality, was the site an important ancient Greek city, Oropus, and the famous nearby sanctuary of Amphiaraos was a large settlement which is visible today. It is part of Athens metropolitan area.

Geography

The municipality Oropos stretches between the Parnitha mountains and the South Euboean Gulf, opposite Eretria (on the island Euboea). The town Oropos, the seat of the municipality, is situated on the lower course of the river Asopos, 4 km south of the coast. It lies 4 km southwest of Nea Palatia and 36 km north of Athens city center. The community Oropos consists of the town Oropos and the nearby villages Kampos and Platania. The municipality has an area of 338.183 km², the community 11.967 km².[2]

Municipality

The present municipality Oropos was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 9 former municipalities, that became municipal units (constituent communities in brackets):[3]

• Afidnes
• Avlonas
• Kalamos
• Kapandriti
• Malakasa
• Markopoulo Oropou
• Oropioi (Nea Palatia, Skala Oropou and Oropos)
• Polydendri
• Sykamino

History

Main article: Oropus

The sanctuary for the oracle of Amphiaraus at Oropos is east of Delphi, northeast of Athens

Oropos was founded by colonists from Eretria; it was either located in or identical with Graea.[4] In ancient times, it was a border city between Boeotia and Attica, and its possession was a continual cause of dispute between the two states; but ultimately it came into possession of Athens, and was always an Attic town, even during the Roman Empire. The actual harbour, which was called Delphinium, was at the mouth of the Asopus, about a mile (1.6 km) north of the city.

The famous Sanctuary of Amphiaraos was situated in the territory of Oropus, 12 stadia from the city. The site has been excavated by the Greek Archaeological Society;[5] it contained a temple, a sacred spring, into which coins were thrown by worshippers, altars and porticoes, and a small theatre, of which the proskenion is well preserved. Worshippers used to consult the oracle of Amphiaraos by sleeping on the skin of a slaughtered ram within the sacred building.[6]

the automobile museum "O Phaeton"

See also

• List of settlements in Attica

References

1. "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
2. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece.
3. Kallikratis law Greece Ministry of Interior (in Greek)
4. Robin Lane Fox, Travelling Heroes: In the Epic Age of Homer (Random House, 2008: ISBN 0-679-44431-9), p. 161.
5. A. Mazzarakis Ainian, "Oropos in the Early Iron Age", in M. Bats and d'Agostino, eds. Euboica: l'Eubea e la presenza euboica in Calcidia e in occidente 1998:197-215.
6.  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Oropos". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

• GTP Travel Pages (Community)
• Museum "O Phaeton"
• Ferry boats Oropos-Eretria