Piraeus
The Long Walls of Athens
Early History
• Piraeus: Greek for “the place over the passage”
(roughly)
• Supposedly has been inhabited since the 26th century
B.C.
• Approximately 7-8 km (about 4 or 5 miles) southwest of
Athens
• Originally was an island known as Munychia, was also
known as Halipedon (“salt field”)
• Hippias, son of Peisistratis, fortifies Munychia in late 6th
century
Piraeus vs. Phaleron
• Phaleron Bay, located approximately 7km almost due
south of Athens, was original harbor of Athens but was a
shallow, sandy beach.
• Piraeus was deep with three natural harbors: Kantharos,
Munychia and Zea.
• In mid 5th century land passage to Piraeus became
secure.
• During archonship of Themistocles, 493/4, Piraeus
fortified as commercial port of Athens with early walls.
• Later on, in mid 5th century, Hippodamos of Miletos and
“Grid Plan” laid out for Piraeus
The Three Harbors
• neosoikoi ("ships' houses") built in harbors to house
triremes (War ships).
• Kantharos. Largest harbor, northwestern Piraeus.
Commercial center. Housed 94 triremes. Tomb of
Themistocles
• Zea: Southern port, main war ship harbor. Housed 196
triremes.
• Munychia: Smallest harbor, eastern Piraeus. Housed 82
triremes.
• Piraeus home to many metics, representative of cultural
and economic importance of Piraeus to Athenian trade
The “Wooden Wall” and The Long
Walls
• 483, Laurium silver strike, Themistocles’ advice and the
Oracle of Delphi, “Wall of Wood”
• Persian Wars, battles of Artemisium and Salamis, role of
Themistocles
• After Persian Wars (479/8, Thuc.) Athens rebuilds and
fortifies herself. Themistocles distracts Spartans while
Long Walls built
• Built hastily but surround Athens down to Piraeus and
even Phaleron as well
• Athens establishes Delian League, 479, using the navy
and port of Piraeus as leverage over other poleis
Piraeus, Plague, Pericles, and the
Peloponnesian War
• Thucydides 2.13, Pericles urges Athenians to become
“an island” as war approaches with Sparta
• Athenians move into the Long and Phaleric Walls in 431,
Peloponnesian War begins
• Plague enters Athens from the Piraeus in 430, things
begin to go downhill for Athens
• After Pericles’ death (429), fleet misused and Athenians
loses the War in 404
• Long Walls torn down and Spartan control enforced over
Piraeus, much of navy captured or destroyed
Why do you build me up, just to knock
me back down?
• In 393, democracy reinstated and Thirty Tyrants thrown
out. Walls rebuilt by Conon. Reconstruction continues…
• Second Athenian League established in 378, Piraeus
becomes main port yet again, but former empire never
realized
• Total number housed at Piraeus in later 4th century
believed to be 372. Court in Phreatto?
• 86 B.C. Lucius Cornellius Sulla invades, defeats and
levels Piraeus
The Piraeus Today
• Destruction complete in 395 A.D. by Gauls and was
even renamed Porto Leon (“Lion’s Port) for marble Lion
statue
• Reduced to small fishing village up until Greek
Independence in 1832 when Athens was made capital
• Industry, Corinth Canal (1893) and establishment of Port
authorities Piraeus sees huge population explosion.
• Today Piraeus acts as a major center for Greek trade
and commerce. 3rd largest port in the world for
passenger transportation, 47th in cargo traffic
Bibliography
• Camp, John M. The Archaeology of Athens. New Haven: Yale
University Press, 2001.
• DASE. Susan Hoftra’s personal slide. “Trireme ‘Olympias’ at
Piraeus”. 8 Jul. 2000 <
http://dase.laits.utexas.edu/media/classics/thumbnail/00070805
13_100.jpg>
• Green, Peter. Ancient Greece: An Illustrated History. New York: The
Viking Press, 1973
• Stathakis, Stathis. “The Piraeus Port” Trekearth.com. 27 Aug. 2006
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Greece/Attica/Attiki/Pir
aeus/photo590499.htm
• Pomeroy, Sarah B. Ancient Greece. New York, Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1999.
• Thucydides. Trans. Crawley, Richard. 1874. Ed. Strassler, Robert B.
New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. 1996.
• The World of Athens. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1984.