AEGINA

Population: 13,056 (2011)

 

ISLAND OVERVIEW

 

Aegina is in the Saronic Gulf and only 27 km (17 miles) from Athens. The name Aegina comes from the mother of the hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and later became its King. The island is roughly triangular, 15 km (9.3 mi) from east to west and 10 km (6.2 mi) from north to south. 

To the south, an extinct, barren volcano makes up at least two-thirds of the island.  Mount Oros (531 m) in the south, then the Panhellenian ridge stretching northward with narrow fertile valleys on either side. 

The northern and western sides consist of stony, fertile plains, which are well cultivated and produce crops of grain, cotton, vines, almonds, olives and figs, but the main crop is pistachio nuts. Economically, the sponge fisheries are of particular importance. 

On the western side, lies the island’s capital, Aegina Town, and the main port of Aegina. Due to its proximity to Athens, it is a popular vacation spot during the summer months, with some Athenians owning second homes on the island.

The beaches are a popular tourist attraction, of course, and there are also some historic temples on the island. The Temple of Athena Aphaia, (a Doric temple sitting in the centre of the island), the Temple of Apollo and the Temple of Ellanios Zeus. 

Hydrofoil ferries from Piraeus take only forty minutes to reach Aegina; the regular ferry takes about an hour.

pistachio fruit aegina, greece

The Island & Its History

 

Aegina, Greece map
click image to view in Google Maps

It would appear that the first settlers came from the Peloponnese around 3500-3000 BC building a suburb in the area of Colona, and the Temple of Aphaea. 

In the Early Bronze Age (2500-2000BC), the Aegean’s, a tribe similar to the Cretans came and settled on Aegina. They developed trading links with Attica, the Peloponnese, the Cycladic islands and Crete. This did not carry on for long as the Greek tribes arrived who were called the Acheans. This new civilisation was utterly wiped out, possibly by an unexpected invasion. 

The first recorded information about Aegina is the island’s conquest by the Doreans of Epidavros in 950 BC. They chose Aegina as their base from which to concentrate on the sea and trading and soon became very rich and powerful. They imported silver from North Africa, which was then used to exchange and to create the first coins, imprinted with the image of a turtle. 

Aegina gradually slipped into decline. The traders turned to money lending, and Aegina became a centre for borrowing, and the seeds of destruction grew.

After the battle of Salamis, Athens emerged as the Greek City-State, competing at all levels with the powerful Spartans and Corinthians. Nearby hostile Aegina, represented a potential threat, which had to be eliminated. When news reached Athens of an alliance between Aegina and the Corinthians, Athens attacked and captured both Aegina’s and the Corinthians’ fleet. After this, Athens decided to empty Aegina of its inhabitants and once again, Aegina fell silent. 

ADOPT THIS ISLAND

If you are committed to praying for this island and its region, please drop us a note, we would love to know about it and keep you posted with prayer updates!

8 + 10 =

By completing this form, I consent to receive content from Broad Reach Maritime in accordance with our Privacy Policy.