Oitylo ( el, Οίτυλο, pronounced Ítilo), known as "Βίτσουλο", pronounced Vitsoulo, in the native Maniot dialect,
is a village and a former
municipality
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 ...
in
Laconia,
Peloponnese,
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 ...
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality
East Mani, of which it is a municipal unit.
It is one of the oldest towns in the
Mani Peninsula. It was mentioned in the
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...
by
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
as
Oetylus ( grc, Οίτυλος), as part of
Menelaus
In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of th ...
' kingdom. In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, Oitylo grew to become the most important town in Messenian Mani. The only town in Mani that rivaled Oitylos in numbers of pirates was
Skoutari. Now
Areopoli
Areopoli ( el, Αρεόπολη; before 1912 , ) is a town on the Mani Peninsula, Laconia, Greece.
The word ''Areopoli'', which means "city of Ares", the ancient Greek god of war, became the official name in 1912. It was the seat of Oitylo ...
has taken Oitylo's place as the most important town in Laconian Mani. Areopoli was also the seat of the municipality of Oitylo, which is located on the western half of the Mani Peninsula in the extreme southwestern part of
Laconia. It has a land area of 218.582 km²
and a population of 3,515 inhabitants (2011 census). There are 91 villages in the municipality. The largest of these are Areópoli (pop. 888),
Pyrgos Dirou (246) and Oítylo (224).
[
]
Subdivisions
The municipal unit Oitylo is subdivided into the following communities:
*Alika
Elika or Alika or Ileka ( fa, اليكا, also Romanized as Ālīkā; also known as Īlīkā and Īlkā) is a village in Owzrud Rural District, Baladeh District, Nur County, Mazandaran Province, Iran on the road from Tehran to the Caspian Sea
...
* Ano Boularioi
*Areopoli
Areopoli ( el, Αρεόπολη; before 1912 , ) is a town on the Mani Peninsula, Laconia, Greece.
The word ''Areopoli'', which means "city of Ares", the ancient Greek god of war, became the official name in 1912. It was the seat of Oitylo ...
* Dryalos
*Dhry
*Germa
Germa ( ar, جرمة), known in ancient times as Garama, is an archaeological site in Libya. It was the capital of the Garamantian Kingdom.
The Garamantes were a Berber people living in the Fezzan in the northeastern Sahara Desert. Garamantian p ...
*Gerolimenas
Gerolimenas ( el, Γερολιμένας) is a picturesque small coastal village and a community in the municipal unit of Oitylo, at the southern end of the Mani Peninsula, in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', offi ...
* Kareas
* Kelefa
*Koita
Kitta or Koita ( el, Κοίτα) is a village in the Mani peninsula, Laconia, Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Oitylo. It is built on top of a hill, overlooking the sea. Kitta is known for its many Maniot pyrgoi (war towers). Partial ...
* Kounos
* Kryoneri
* Mina
*Neo Oitylo
Neo or NEO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional entities
* Neo (''The Matrix''), the alias of Thomas Anderson, a hacker and the protagonist of the Matrix film series
* Neo (''Marvel Comics'' species), a fictional race of superhumans
* ...
*Oitylo
* Pyrgos Dirou
* Tsikkalia
* Vachos
*Vatheia
Vatheia ( el, Βάθεια ; also ''Vathia'') is a village on the Mani Peninsula, in south-eastern Laconia. The local community of Vatheia is named after this village. The aforementioned local community is a subdivision of the municipal unit of O ...
Historical population
Province
The province of Oitylo ( el, Επαρχία Οιτύλου) was one of the provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of the Laconia Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipal unit Oitylo.[ ] It was abolished in 2006.
See also
*List of settlements in Laconia
This is a list of settlements in Laconia, Greece.
* Afisi
* Agia Eirini
* Agioi Anargyroi
* Agioi Apostoloi
* Agios Dimitrios, Evrotas
* Agios Dimitrios, Monemvasia
* Agios Georgios
* Agios Ioannis, Evrotas
* Agios Ioannis, Monemvasia
* ...
References
External links
Official website
*.
{{Prefectures and provinces of Greece
Populated places in Laconia
Populated places in the Mani Peninsula
Provinces of Greece
East Mani