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'{{other uses}} {{Infobox Greek Dimos | name = Megara | name_local = Μέγαρα | image_map = 2011 Dimos Megareon.png | periph = [[Attica (region)|Attica]] |periphunit = [[West Attica]] |pop_municipality = 36924 |area_municipality = 330.3 |pop_municunit = 28591 |area_municunit = 322.2 | population_as_of = 2011 | elevation = 4 | lat_deg = 38 | lat_min = 00 | lon_deg = 23 | lon_min = 20 | postal_code = 191 00 | area_code = 22960 | licence = | mayor = Ioannis Marinakis | website = [http://www.megara.gr www.megara.gr] | image_skyline = <!-- Image depicting the city --> | caption_skyline = <!-- Caption of the Skyline Image --> | city_flag = <!-- City flag (Leave blank if no City Flag)--> | city_seal = <!-- City Seal (Leave blank if no City Seal) --> | districts = <!-- Number of districts the city is divided into --> | party = [[New Democracy (Greece)|ND]] | since = <!-- Year the mayor was elected into office--> | elevation_min = <!-- Minimum elevation of the city (In meters) --> | elevation_max = <!-- Maximum elevation of the city (In meters) --> }} '''Megara''' ({{IPAc-en|icon|ˈ|m|ɛ|ɡ|ər|ə}}; {{lang-el|Μέγαρα}}, {{IPA-el|ˈmeɣara}}) is an ancient city (pop. 28,591 in 2011) in [[Attica]], [[Greece]]. It lies in the northern section of the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] opposite the island of [[Salamis Island|Salamis]], which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by [[Athens]]. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King [[Pandion II]], of whom [[Nisos]] was the ruler of Megara. Megara was also a trade port, its people using their ships and wealth as a way to gain leverage on armies of neighboring poleis. Megara specialized in the exportation of wool and other animal products including livestock such as horses. It possessed two harbors, Pegae, to the west on the [[Corinthian Gulf]] and [[Nisaea]], to the east on the [[Saronic Gulf]] of the Aegean Sea. == Early history == In historical times, Megara was an early dependency of [[Ancient Corinth|Corinth]], in which capacity colonists from Megara founded [[Megara Hyblaea]], a small ''polis'' north of [[Syracuse, Italy|Syracuse]] in Sicily. Megara then fought a war of independence with Corinth, and afterwards founded (c. 667 BC) [[Byzantium]], as well as [[Chalcedon]] (685 BC). Megara was known for its money in historical times. In the late 7th century BC [[Theagenes of Megara|Theagenes]] established himself as tyrant of Megara reportedly by slaughtering the cattle of the rich to win over the poor.<ref>Aristotle, Politics V 4,5</ref> During the second Persian invasion of Greece (480-479 BC) Megara fought alongside the Spartans and Athenians at crucial battles such as [[Battle of Salamis|Salamis]] and [[Battle of Plataea|Plataea]]. Megara's defection from the Spartan dominated [[Peloponnesian League]] (c. 460 BC) was one of the causes of the [[First Peloponnesian War]]. By the terms of the [[Thirty Years' Peace]] of 446-445 BC Megara was returned to the Peloponnesian League. In the [[Peloponnesian War]] (c. 431 BC-404 BC), Megara was an ally of [[Sparta]]. The [[Megarian decree]] is considered to be one of several contributing "causes" of the [[Peloponnesian War]].<ref>Sarah B, Pomeroy, Stanley M.Beloniqua, Walter Donlan and Jennifer Tolbert Roberts, ''Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999).</ref> The Megarian decree was issued by Athens with the purpose of choking out the Megarian economy. The decree stated that Megarian merchants were not allowed in territory controlled by Athens. The most famous citizen of Megara in antiquity was [[Byzas]], the legendary founder of [[Byzantium]] in the 7th century BC. The 6th century BC poet [[Theognis of Megara|Theognis]] also came from Megara. In the early 4th century BC, [[Euclid of Megara]] founded the [[Megarian school of philosophy]] which flourished for about a century, and became famous for the use of [[logic]] and [[dialectic]]. The Megarans were proverbial for their generosity in building and endowing temples. [[Jerome]] reports "There is a common saying about the Megarians […:] 'They build as if they are to live forever; they live as if they are to die tomorrow.'"<ref>[[Jerome]], ''To Ageruchia'', [http://www.ccel.org/fathers/NPNF2-06/letters/lette123.htm Letter cxxiii.15]</ref> == Geography == A population of 28,195 live within the [[List of municipalities in Attica|municipality]]. It is located 42&nbsp;km (WNW) of Athens in the southwestern part of [[West Attica]] Prefecture, and is linked by a [[Greece Interstate 8A|highway]] connecting the Peloponnese, Western Greece, and Athens. It is now linked by a high-speed rail line [[Proastiakos|suburban railway]]. Megara lies in the [[Megaris]] plain. It has the largest land area of any municipality in the Attica region, and the largest population in West Attica. Agriculture used to dominate before housing began to expand in Megara in the 1960s and the 1970s. 3&nbsp;km south of Megara is a small community called [[Pachi]], which is famous for its fish tavernas and is visited by people from all over ancient Greece. [[Nea Peramos]] is the neighboring city to the east of Megara and [[Kakia Skala]] to the west of Megara. There is a military airport to the south. South of Megara is the [[Megara Bay|Gulf of Megara]]. The largest other towns in the municipality are Kinéta (pop. 1,972), Spárta (712), Vlycháda (694), and Aigeiroúses (479). The municipality is unusual for one its geographical size, in that it has only one municipal district, the third-largest in Greece (after the Sílis district in [[Paranesti]] and the Mikró Déreio district in [[Orfeas]]) if [[Mount Athos]] is not counted. There are, however, 14 towns or villages in the municipality. ==Municipality== The municipality Megara was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 2 former municipalities, that became municipal units (constituent communities in brackets):<ref name=Kallikratis>[http://www.kedke.gr/uploads2010/FEKB129211082010_kallikratis.pdf Kallikratis law] Greece Ministry of Interior {{el icon}}</ref> *Megara *[[Nea Peramos]] ==Towns and villages== <div style="float:left;width:33%;"> *Agía Triás *Aigeiroúses *Alepochori *[[Kineta]] *Koumíntri *Lákka Kalogírou *Meli *Mégara </div><div style="float:left;width:33%;"> *Moní Agíou Ierothéou *Moní Agíou Ioánnou Prodrómou *Moní Panachrántou *Pacháki Puto *Páchi *Stíkas *Vlycháda </div><br clear="all"/> *Lîchymaniõ ==Historical population== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Town !! Municipal unit !! Municipality |- | 1971 || 17,584 || - || - |- | 1981 || 20,814 || 21,245 || - |- | 1991 || 20,403 || 25,061 || - |- | 2001 || 23,032 || 28,195 || - |- | 2011 || 23,456 || 28,591 || 36,924 |} == Notable people == {{See also|Category:Ancient Megarians}} *[[Orsippus]] (8th century BC), runner *[[Byzas]] (7th century BC), founder of [[Byzantium]] *[[Theognis of Megara|Theognis]] (6th century BC), [[elegiac]] poet *[[Eupalinos]] (6th century BC), [[engineer]] who built the [[Tunnel of Eupalinos]] on [[Samos]] *[[Theagenes of Megara|Theagenes]] (c. 600 BC), Tyrant of Megara *[[Euclid of Megara|Euclid]] (c. 400 BC), founder of the [[Megarian school|Megarian school of philosophy]] *[[Stilpo]] (c. 325 BC), [[philosopher]] of the [[Megarian school]] *[[Teles the Cynic|Teles]] (3rd century BC), [[Cynicism (philosophy)|cynic]] philosopher. poopy ==See also== *[[List of settlements in Attica]] *[[List of traditional Greek place names]] ==Notes== {{Reflist}} ==References== * Legon, Ronald P. ''Megara: the political history of a Greek city-state to 336 B.C.''. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1981. * Smith, Philip J. ''The archaeology and epigraphy of Hellenistic and Roman Megaris, Greece''. Oxford: John and Erica Hedges Ltd, 2008. ==External links== *{{CathEncy|wstitle=Megara}} {{Kallikratis-Attica}} {{Megara div}} [[Category:Ancient Greek cities]] [[Category:Municipalities of Attica]] [[Category:Greek mythology]] [[Category:Populated places in West Attica]] [[Category:Ancient Megara| ]]'