Lake Volvi ( el, Λίμνη Βόλβη - ''Límni Vólvi'') is located at the root of the

Chalkidiki Chalkidiki (; el, Χαλκιδική , also spelled Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region co ...

peninsula, in the Thessaloniki regional unit of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. It is the second largest lake in the country at length and width. The area is 68 km² and the depth is 20 m. It is located east of

Lake Koroneia Lake Koroneia ( el, Λίμνη Κορώνεια) is a lake in the heart of the Thessaloniki regional unit in the Mygdonian basin in Greece. It is also known as Lake Agios Vasileios after the village Agios Vasileios and as Lake Langadas after the ...

(Lake Langadas). The

Via Egnatia The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . of ...

Roman road runs along the northern shore of the lake, while a more ancient road ran along its southern one. On its east is the narrow valley of Rentina, also known as the "Macedonian Tempe". The

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Volvi and

Langadas Lagkadas ( el, Λαγκαδάς, ) is a town and municipality in the northeast part of Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. There are 41103 residents in the municipality and 7764 of them live in the town of Lagkadas. Lagkadas is located northeast o ...

have shoreline on the lake.

History

About a million years ago, Lake Volvi, Lake Koroneia and the entire

Mygdonia Mygdonia (; el, Μυγδονία / Μygdonia) was an ancient territory, part of Ancient Thrace, later conquered by Macedon, which comprised the plains around Therma (Thessalonica) together with the valleys of Klisali and Besikia, including the ...

formed a single huge lake. In the antique description by

Thucydides Thucydides (; grc, , }; BC) was an Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of "scientifi ...

, ''Bolbe'' was the name of a lake in Mygdonia, located near the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...

. The lake emptied itself into the Strymon Gulf by means of a stream flowing through the pass once known as Aulon or Arethusa. The name of the stream is not mentioned in the description, but it is evidently the Erechios (Romanized as ''Rechius'') mentioned in scholar Procopius' work, ''

De aedificiis Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gene ...

''. Among the smaller streams flowing into the lake, Ammites and Olynthiakos are also mentioned. The

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...

(''labrach'') of the lake were particularly admired by the

gastronomic Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...

poet

Archestratus Archestratus ( grc-gre, Ἀρχέστρατος ''Archestratos'') was an ancient Greek poet of Gela or Syracuse, in Sicily, who wrote some time in the mid 4th century BCE, and was known as "the Daedalus of tasty dishes". His humorous didactic po ...

. Per Greek mythology, the lake goddess or

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

Bolbe dwelled in Lake Volvi. During the Ottoman period, the lake was named ''بشيك كولى'' "''Beşik Gölü''" (lit. ''Cradle Lake'') or "''Besikia''" (plural) in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

. Ottoman Turkish forces, led by Yusuf bey, killed hundreds of Greek inhabitants by drowning in the lake during the

Greek war of independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

. There was also a town named ''Bolbos'' (Romanized as ''Bolbus'') located near the lake. Today, there are two towns (villages) incorporating ''Vólvi'' in their name, situated along the lake. It is not known exactly if any of these modern towns correspond to the site of ancient Bolbos.

References

* http://ikee.lib.auth.gr/record/131676/files/GRI-2013-10360.pdf

External links

{{Commons category
Article on Lake Volvi, with photos
Volvi Volvi Ramsar sites in Greece Landforms of Central Macedonia

History

See also

References

External links