Midea ( grc, Μιδέα)
or Mideia (Μίδεια)
was a city of
ancient Argolis.
Mythology and proto-history
Midea was originally called Perseuspolis (Περσέως πόλις), and is mentioned by Pseudo-Apollodorus in connection with
this hero. It was said to have derived its name from the wife of
Electryon, and was celebrated as the residence of Electryon and the birthplace of his daughter
Alcmena, best known as the mother of
Heracles
Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...
. But it is mentioned in the earliest division of the country, along with the
Heraeum and
Tiryns, as belonging to
Proetus. It was the residence of
Hippodameia in her banishment.
[
]
History
It was destroyed by Argos, probably at the same time as Tiryns, soon after the Greco-Persian Wars
The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of th ...
.[ Strabo describes Midea as near Tiryns; and from its mention by Pausanias, in connection with the Heraeum and Tiryns, it must be placed on the eastern edge of the Argeian plain; but the only clue in the ancient authors to its exact position is the statement of Pausanias, who says that, returning from Tiryns into the road leading from Argos to ]Epidaurus
Epidaurus ( gr, Ἐπίδαυρος) was a small city ('' polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: '' Palaia Epidavros'' and '' Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong t ...
, "you will reach Mideia on the left."
Site and remains
The remains of Midea, that of a Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
In ...
, stand above the village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
of the same name in the Argolid. The citadel is one of the largest and best preserved Mycenaean citadels. A tholos tomb and cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a bu ...
of chamber tombs at nearby Dendra
Dendra ( el, Δενδρά) is a prehistoric archaeological site situated outside the village with the same name belonging to the municipality of Midea in the Argolid, Greece.
The site has a history stretching back at least to the early Bronze Ag ...
is associated with the site.
Excavations were started by the Swedish archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...
Axel W. Persson
Axel Waldemar Persson (1 June 1888 – 7 May 1951) was a Sweden, Swedish archaeologist.
He was professor of classical archaeology and ancient history at Uppsala University and conducted excavations of sites in Greece and in Asia Minor.
...
and have been continued regularly by the Swedish Institute at Athens and published in the journal Opuscula.
See also
* Swedish Institute at Athens
Sources
* Swedish Institute at Athens - Midea, Argolid: https://www.sia.gr/en/articles.php?tid=339&page=1
References
External links
Populated places in ancient Argolis
Former populated places in Greece
Mycenaean sites in Argolis
Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Greece
Locations in Greek mythology
Citadels in Greece
{{AncientArgolis-geo-stub