Troezen

Troezen is a small town in the northeastern Peloponnese, Greece, located on the Argolid Peninsula. Today, it is part of the larger municipality called Troizinia-Methana. In 2021, about 4,668 people lived there.

The town sits southwest of Athens, across the Saronic Gulf, and just south of Methana. Before changes in local government in 2011, Troezen had its own municipality, with Galatas serving as its main town.

Over time, Troezen has been part of several different regions in Greece. It was originally in Argolis, then moved between Attica, Piraeus, and back to Attica before settling into its current place within the Islands regional unit. The area covers about 190.697 km² and includes many smaller villages along with its larger towns.

Mythology

In Greek mythology, the town of Troezen began when two old cities, Hyperea and Antheia, joined together. Pittheus led this and named the new city after his brother, Troezen.

A famous story from Troezen tells of Aethra, Pittheus’ daughter. She met both Aegeus and Poseidon on the same night and later had a child, the hero Theseus. Before leaving, Aegeus hid his sandals and sword under a big rock, telling his son to bring them to Athens when he was old enough to move the rock. Theseus did this when he grew up.

The city is also where the play Hippolytus by Euripides takes place. It tells the story of Theseus’ son, Hippolytus, whose stepmother loved him too much. As he tried to escape, a bull came up from the sea and attacked his chariot.

There was also a spring in the old city that people believed appeared where the winged horse Pegasus landed.

History

In ancient times, the people of Troezen had a special tradition. Girls would cut a lock of their hair and give it to the hero Hippolytus before they got married.

Long ago, the city of Sybaris in Magna Graecia was started by people from Troezen. During a big battle called the Battle of Salamis, the women and children from Athens were sent to Troezen to stay safe. Later, a stone with writing about this was found, but it was made many years after the battle to remember the event.

Troezen also had a temple for the goddess Isis, built by people from Halicarnassus. In the Middle Ages, the city was known by different names and was ruled by various groups, including the Frankish and the Ottoman Empire, until it became part of Greece in 1821.