Amfikleia ( el, Αμφίκλεια, before 1915: Δαδί - ''Dadi'') is a town and a former municipality in

Phthiotis Phthiotis ( el, Φθιώτιδα, ''Fthiótida'', ; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Φθιῶτις) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is borde ...

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 wit ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amfikleia-Elateia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 229.366 km², the community 108.124 km². At the 2011 census, the population of the municipal unit was 4,186 and of the community 3,191. The town is situated at the northern foot of

Mount Parnassus Mount Parnassus (; el, Παρνασσός, ''Parnassós'') is a mountain range of central Greece that is and historically has been especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers ...

, in the valley of the river Cephissus. It is 11 km northwest of

Kato Tithorea Kato Tithorea ( el, Κάτω Τιθορέα, ) is a town in Phthiotis, in central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amfikleia-Elateia, of which it is the seat. It has a population 1,841 according to the 2 ...

and 31 km southeast of Lamia. Greek National Road 3 (Thebes - Lamia) passes through the town. The town is served by a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

with connections on the Athens–Thessaloniki railway.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Amfikleia consists of the following communities: *Amfikleia *

Bralos Bralos or Brallos ( el, Μπράλ ��ς) is a village located on the slopes of Mount Kallidromon in Phthiotis, Greece. It is part of the municipality Amfikleia-Elateia. The town can be found along European route E65, and is served by Bralos railw ...

*Drymaia *Palaiochori *Tithroni *Xylikoi

History

Amfikleia was named after the ancient town Amphicleia ( grc, Ἀμφίκλεια). Amphicleia was also named Amphicaea (Ἀμφίκαια) and Ophiteia (Ὀφιτεία). It was situated in the north of ancient

Phocis Phocis ( el, Φωκίδα ; grc, Φωκίς) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. It stretches from the western mountainsides of Parnassus on the east to the mountain range of Va ...

. The Persians under Xerxes destroyed the city in 480 BC during the

second Persian invasion of Greece The second Persian invasion of Greece (480–479 BC) occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars, as King Xerxes I of Persia sought to conquer all of Greece. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat of the first Persian invasion ...

. It was rebuilt afterwards, and at the time of Pausanias (2nd century AD), it was known for the worship of

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

. During the Middle Ages, a

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

was built on the site of the acropolis. Today the site is occupied by the cemetery. Dadi, which was founded near the site of ancient Amphicleia, became a vibrant town; in early 19th century, William Leake reported 500 families living in the town. Dadi was renamed to Amfikleia in 1915.

Notable people

* Athanasios Eftaxias (1849–1931), politician

Gallery

File:Ag. Ierousalem above Amfikleia, March 2015 - panoramio.jpg, The church of Holy Jerusalem above Amfikleia File:Πεσόντες Αμφίκλειας.jpg, Memorial to the 11 inhabitants executed by the Germans in 1943 as reprisals for a sabotage attack on Amfikleia railway station File:DE Amfiklias.svg, Position of Amfiklia municipal unit in Amfiklia-Elatia Municipality, Fthiotida Regional Unit Greece

External links

Municipality of Amfikleia-Elateia

References

{{Amfikleia-Elateia div Populated places in Phthiotis Mount Parnassus