Stagira (), Stagirus (), or Stageira ( el, Στάγειρα or ) was an ancient Greek city located near the eastern coast of the peninsula of

Chalkidice 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 ...

, which is now part of the Greek province of

Central Macedonia Central Macedonia ( el, Κεντρική Μακεδονία, Kentrikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the geographical and historical region of Macedonia. With a populat ...

. It is chiefly known for being the birthplace of Aristotle, the

Greek philosopher Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC, marking the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empire ...

and polymath, student of Plato, and teacher of

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 ...

. The ruins of the city lie approximately north northeast of the present-day village of Stagira, close to the town of Olympiada. Stagira was founded in 655 BC by Ionian settlers from

Andros Andros ( el, Άνδρος, ) is the northernmost island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, about southeast of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . It is for the most part mountainous, with many ...

. Xerxes I of Persia occupied it in 480 BC. The city later joined the Delian League, led by Athens, but left in 424 BC: as a result, the Athenian

demagogue A demagogue (from Greek , a popular leader, a leader of a mob, from , people, populace, the commons + leading, leader) or rabble-rouser is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, ...

Cleon Cleon (; grc-gre, Κλέων, ; died 422 BC) was an Athenian general during the Peloponnesian War. He was the first prominent representative of the commercial class in Athenian politics, although he was an aristocrat himself. He strongly advocat ...

laid siege to it in 422 BC. However, Cleon was a poor strategist and his conduct of the siege was very inefficient: so much so that the ancient Greek comedy writer

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion ( la, Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his ...

satirised him in the play ''

The Knights ''The Knights'' ( grc, Ἱππεῖς ''Hippeîs''; Attic: ) was the fourth play written by Aristophanes, who is considered the master of an ancient form of drama known as Old Comedy. The play is a satire on the social and political life of class ...

''. Cleon died in the same year, in the

battle of Amphipolis The Battle of Amphipolis was fought in 422 BC during the Second Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. It was the culmination of events that began in 424 BC with the capture of Amphipolis by the Spartans. Prelude In 424 BC, in response ...

. Later, during the Peloponnesian War, Stagira sided with Sparta against the

Athenians Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. In 348 BC, Philip II of Macedon occupied and destroyed the city. In return for Aristotle's tutoring of his son

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 ...

, Philip later rebuilt the city and resettled the old city's inhabitants. Many new structures were built at this time, including an aqueduct, two shrines to Demeter, and many houses. Tradition has it that the natives of Stageira transferred Aristotle's relics to the city, buried it there, and founded a festival in his honour which was called “Aristoteleia”.

Notable people

* Aristotle, philosopher * Hipparchus (Ἵππαρχος), philosopher, acquaintance and kin of AristotleSuda, iota.520
/ref> * Nicomachus, father of Aristotle and doctor *

Arimneste Arimneste ( grc, Ἀριμνήστη) was the daughter of Nicomachus and Phaestis, and Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Clas ...

, sister of Aristotle * Nicomachus, son of Aristotle and philosopher *

Herpyllis Herpyllis of Stagira ( el, Ἑρπυλλίς) was Aristotle's concubine after his wife, Pythias, died. Together Aristotle and Herpyllis had a son, named Nicomachus after Aristotle's father. Nicomachus was quite young when Aristotle wrote his wil ...

, second wife of Aristotle and the mother of Nicomachus * Nicanor of Stageira

References

External links

*
Official website

Aristoteles-Park in Stagira
655 BC Andrian colonies Greek colonies in Chalcidice Former populated places in Greece 7th-century BC establishments {{AncientMacedonia-geo-stub

Notable people

See also

References

Further reading

External links