Dion ( el, Δίον; grc, Δῖον; la, Dium) is a village and municipal unit in the municipality of Dion-Olympos in the Pieria regional unit, Greece. It is located at the foot of Mount Olympus at a distance of 17 km from the capital city of

Katerini Katerini ( el, Κατερίνη, ''Kateríni'', ) is a city and municipality in northern Greece, the capital city of Pieria regional unit in Central Macedonia, Greece. It lies on the Pierian plain, between Mt. Olympus and the Thermaikos Gulf, ...

. It is best known for its great ancient Macedonian sanctuary of Zeus and the ancient city, much of which is visible in the Archaeological Park of Dion and the

Archaeological Museum of Dion The Archaeological Museum of Dion ( el, Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Δίου) is a museum in Dion in the Pieria regional unit of Central Macedonia, Greece. The museum was established in 1983 to display excavations unearthed in the ar ...

History

The ancient city owes its name to the most important Macedonian sanctuary dedicated to Zeus (''Dios'', "of Zeus"), leader of the gods who dwelt on Mount Olympus; as recorded by Hesiod's ''

Catalogue of Women The ''Catalogue of Women'' ( grc, Γυναικῶν Κατάλογος, Gunaikôn Katálogos)—also known as the ''Ehoiai '' ( grc, Ἠοῖαι, Ēoîai, )The Latin transliterations ''Eoeae'' and ''Ehoeae'' are also used (e.g. , ); see Title ...

'',

Thyia In Greek mythology, Thyia (; grc, Θυία ''Thuia'' derived from the verb ''θύω'' "to sacrifice") was a female figure associated with cults of several major gods. Mythology In the Delphic tradition, Thyia was also the naiad of a spring ...

, daughter of Deucalion, bore Zeus two sons, Magnes and

Makednos In Greek mythology, Makedon, also Macedon ( grc, Μακεδών) or Makednos (), was the eponymous ancestor of the ancient Macedonians according to various ancient Greek fragmentary narratives. In most versions, he appears as a native or immigra ...

, eponyms of

Magnetes The Magnetes (Greek: ) were an ancient Greek tribe. In book 2 of the ''Iliad,'' Homer includes them in the Greek Army that is besieging Troy, and identifies their homeland in Thessaly, in a part that is still known as Magnesia. They later also con ...

and Macedonians, who dwelt in Pieria at the foot of Mount Olympus. Hence from very ancient times, a large altar had been set up for the worship of Olympian Zeus and his daughters, the Muses, in a unique environment characterised by rich vegetation, towering trees, countless springs and a navigable river. For this reason Dion was the "sacred place" of the

Ancient Macedonians The Macedonians ( el, Μακεδόνες, ''Makedónes'') were an ancient tribe that lived on the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axios in the northeastern part of mainland Greece. Essentially an ancient Greek people,; ...

. It was the place where the kings made splendid sacrifices to celebrate the new year of the Macedonian calendar at the end of September. In the Spring, purification rites of the army and victory feasts were held. The first mention of Dion in history comes from Thucydides, who reports that it was the first city reached by the Spartan general

Brasidas Brasidas ( el, Βρασίδας, died 422 BC) was the most distinguished Spartan officer during the first decade of the Peloponnesian War who fought in battle of Amphipolis and Pylos. He died during the Second Battle of Amphipolis while winning ...

after crossing from Thessaly into Macedon on his way through the realm of his ally

Perdiccas II Perdiccas II ( gr, Περδίκκας, Perdíkkas) was a king of Macedonia from c. 448 BC to c. 413 BC. During the Peloponnesian War, he frequently switched sides between Sparta and Athens. Family Perdiccas II was the son of Alexander I, he ...

during his expedition against the Athenian colonies of Thrace in 424 BC. According to Diodorus Siculus, it was Archelaus I who, at the end of the 5th century BC when the Macedonian state acquired great power and emerged onto the stage of history, gave the city and its sanctuary their subsequent importance by instituting a nine-day festival of games that included athletic and dramatic competitions in honor of Zeus and the Muses, whose organisation was overseen by the Macedonian kings themselves.

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

and

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

celebrated victories here, and Alexander assembled his armies and performed magnificent sacrifices here on the eve of his campaign to Asia in 334 BC. Many ancient authors speak of the sculptural bronze masterpiece by

Lysippos Lysippos (; grc-gre, Λύσιππος) was a Greek sculptor of the 4th century BC. Together with Scopas and Praxiteles, he is considered one of the three greatest sculptors of the Classical Greek era, bringing transition into the Hellenistic ...

made for Alexander depicting 25 mounted companions who fell at the

Battle of the Granicus The Battle of the Granicus in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great of Macedon and the Persian Achaemenid Empire. The battle took place on the road from Abydus to Dascylium, at the crossing of the ...

and later taken to Rome by

Metellus The gens Caecilia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are mentioned in history as early as the fifth century BC, but the first of the Caecilii who obtained the consulship was Lucius Caecilius Metellus Denter, in 284 BC.' ...

. A city was built adjacent to the sacred sites that acquired monumental form during the reigns of Alexander the Great's successors and

Cassander Cassander ( el, Κάσσανδρος ; c. 355 BC – 297 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 305 BC until 297 BC, and ''de facto'' ruler of southern Greece from 317 BC until his death. A son of Antipater and a cont ...

took a great interest in the city erecting strong walls and public buildings, so that in Hellenistic times Dion was renowned far and wide for its fortification and splendid monuments. Dion and its sanctuary was destroyed during the Social War in 219 BC by Aetolian invaders but was immediately rebuilt by Philip V. Many of the dedications from the sanctuary that had been destroyed were buried in pits, including royal inscriptions and treaties, and these have been discovered recently. The fortification Wall, Ancient Dion (6948460798)

The fortification Wall, Ancient Dion (6948460798)

It fell to the Romans in 169 BC and the city was given a new lease of life in 32/31 BC when Octavian founded the Colony of here. Coins of colonial Dion survive. It experienced its second heyday during the reigns of 2nd- and 3rd-century AD Roman emperors who were fond of Alexander the Great. Dion's final important period was in the 4th and 5th centuries AD when it became the seat of a bishopric. It was abandoned following major earthquakes and floods. The modern village at the site was called ''Malathria'' until 1961, when it was renamed to ''Dion''.

Archaeology

The site of ancient Dion was first identified by the English traveler William Martin Leake on December 2, 1806, in the ruins adjoining the village of Malathria. He published his discovery in the third volume of his '' Travels in Northern Greece'' in 1835.

Léon Heuzey Léon Heuzey (1 December 1831, Rouen – 8 February 1922, Paris) was a noted French archaeologist and historian. Life and career In 1855 Heuzey went to Greece as a member of the École française d'Athènes, and for the next two years traveled e ...

visited the site during his famous Macedonian archaeological mission of 1855 and again in 1861 when he also detected the ancient

Leivithra Leibethra or Libethra, in the modern pronunciation Leivithra ( gr, Λείβηθρα or Λίβηθρα) was an ancient Macedonian city at the foot of Mount Olympus, near the present settlement of Skotina. Archaeologists have discovered tombs ther ...

. Later, the epigraphist G. Oikonomos published the first series of inscriptions. Nevertheless, systematic archaeological exploration did not begin until 1928. From then until 1931, G. Sotiriadis carried out a series of surveys, uncovering a 4th-century BC Macedonian tomb and an early Christian basilica. Excavations were not resumed until 1960 under the direction of G. Bakalakis in the area of the theatre and the wall. Since 1973, Professor

Dimitrios Pandermalis Dimitrios Pandermalis ( el, Δημήτριος Παντερμαλής; 1940 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek archaeologist. He was professor of archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, supervisor of the Archaeological site of ...

of the

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...

has conducted archaeological research in the city. Dion is the site of a large temple dedicated to Zeus, as well as a series of temples to Demeter and to Isis (the Egyptian goddess was a favorite of

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

). Excavation of the magnificent House of Dionysos revealed a mosaic of exceptionally fine quality. Dion House of Dionysos Mosaic

A rare and unusual find in the museum is a bronze "hydraulis" or hydraulic musical pipe organ found in a former workshop. Dion hydraulis

In 2006, a statue of Hera was found built into the walls of the city. The statue, 2200 years old, had been used by the early Christians of Dion as filling for the city's defensive wall.Kantouris, Costas.
Greek archaeologists find Hera statue
''Associated Press''. March 1, 2007.

Administration

In October 1992, the Municipality of Dion (, ) was formed. At the 1997

Kapodistrias reform Kapodistrias reform ( el, Σχέδιο Καποδίστριας, "Kapodistrias Plan") is the common name of law 2539 of Greece, which reorganised the country's administrative divisions. The law, named after 19th-century Greek statesman Ioannis Kap ...

, it was expanded with the former communities Agios Spyridonas, Karitsa,

Kondariotissa Kontariotissa ( el, Κονταριώτισσα, ''Kondariotissa'', formerly ''Κουντουριώτισσα'', ''Koundouriotissa'') is a village in the Pieria regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. It is located 9 km south of the Pierian capit ...

, Nea Efesos and Vrontou.EETAA local government changes
/ref> The administrative center was in the village of

. As part of Greece's 2011 local government reform Dion merged with the former municipalities

East Olympos East Olympos, or Anatolikos Olympos ( el, Ανατολικός Όλυμπος, '','' ), is a former municipality in Pieria regional unit, Greece. In Greece's 2011 local government reform East Olympos became a municipal unit of the municipality D ...

and Litochoro to form the new municipality Dion-Olympos. Dion became a municipal unit of the newly formed municipality, and the former municipal districts became communities. The community of Dion consists of the village of the same name and Platanakia. The municipal unit has an area of , the community .

Historical population

Gallery

File:Dion archeological site7.jpg, View of the archeological site File:Ruins in Dion.jpg, Ruins at the archaeological site image:Dion archaeological site 111.jpg, Ancient column File:Dion Site1.jpg, Sanctuary of Isis File:View of the archeological site of Dion.jpg, View of the villa of Dionysus containing the large Dionysus mosaic File:Demeter sanctuary, Dion, Pieria, Greece.jpg, Sanctuary of Demeter File:The sacred spring with the sanctuary of Zeus Hypsistos in the background, Ancient Dion (7079652753).jpg, The sacred spring with the sanctuary of Zeus Hypsistos in the background File:Sanctuary of Isis, Ancient Dion (7080294715).jpg, Sanctuary of Isis File:The four-columned temple dedicated to Isis Lochia, Sanctuary of Isis, Ancient Dion (6934122740).jpg, Four-columned temple dedicated to Isis Lochia, Sanctuary of Isis File:The Hellenistic Theatre, Ancient Dion (6930195434).jpg, View of the Hellenistic theater File:Dion archaeological site 112.jpg, Baths of ancient Dion File:Eastern latrine, the public toilets along the central road, the Greath Baths complex, Ancient Dion (6948376030).jpg, Public toilets along the central road File:Dion Mosaic2.jpg, Mosaic floor in the Great Baths complex File:Dion Mosaic3.jpg, Detail of a mosaic floor, Great Baths complex File:The hypocaust of the Great Baths complex, Ancient Dion (7094483903).jpg, The hypocaust of the Great Baths complex File:Wall Shields on Dion.jpg, Shields dedicated by

on his victory over the Persians at the Granicus river File:Dion Mosaic6.jpg, Large mosaic at the

File:Inscription from Dion.jpg, Inscription from the

reading "ΒΑΣΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ" ing Philip

References

Notes

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

External links

Municipality of Dion websiteOfficial website of the archaeological park of DionImages from the archaeological site
{{Municipality of Dio-Olympos Populated places established in the 5th century BC Populated places disestablished in the 5th century 1806 archaeological discoveries Populated places in Pieria (regional unit) Geography of ancient Pieria Culture of Macedonia (ancient kingdom) Argead colonies in Macedonia Archelaus I of Macedon Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Pieria Coloniae (Roman) Mount Olympus Holy cities