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Even in Arcadia, there am I

Periphery:Peloponnese

Prefectures : Arcadia , Argolis , Corinth, Messinia

Arcadia

Arcadia

Arcadia

Arcadia or Arkadía (Greek Αρκαδία) is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas.

Arcadia in mythology and the arts

Due to its remote, mountainous character, Arcadia has always been a classical refuge. So during the Dorian invasion, when Mycenaean Greek was replaced with Doric Greek along the coast of the Peloponnes, it survived in Arcadia, developing into the Arcadocypriot dialect of Classical Antiquity. Arcadocypriot never became a literary dialect, but it is known from inscriptions. Tsan is a letter of the Greek alphabet occurring only in Arcadia, shaped like cyrillic И; it represents an affricate that developed from labiovelars in context where they became t in other dialects.

One of the birth-places reported for Zeus is Mount Lycaeum in Arcadia. Lycaon, a cannibalistic Pelasgian king, was transformed into a werewolf by Zeus. Lycaon's daughter was Callisto.

Arcadia remained a rustic, secluded area, and its inhabitants became proverbial as primitive herdsmen leading simple pastoral unsophisticated yet happy lives, to the point that Arcadia may refer to some imaginary idyllic paradise, immortalized by Vergil's Eclogues, set in Arcadia, see also Arcadia (paradise).

Et in Arcadia ego by Nicolas Poussin

Even in Arcadia, there am I... These words, issuing from the tomb, sadden their faces, and the smiles die upon their lips.

The phrase Et in Arcadia ego goes back to a 1647 painting by Nicolas Poussin, also known as "The Arcadian shepherds". where it appears as an inscription on a tomb.

Statistics
Periphery: Peloponnese
Capital: Tripoli
Area: 4,419 km ²


Ranked 2nd

Elevation: Lowest: Myrtoan Sea
Highest: Mount Mainalo
Inhabitants: 101,223(2001)
Population density: 22.91/km²
ISO 3166-2: GR-12
FIPS code: -
Car designation: TP (Tripoli)
Code for the municipalities: 05xx
Provinces: 4
Municipalities: 22
Independent communes: 1
Area/distance code: 2710 (Tripoli)
11-30-275x0 (030-275x0), W
279x0, E
Postal code 223x xx
Name of inhabitants: Arcadian sing.
-s pl.
2-letter abbreviation/HASC: -
Website: Homepage of Arcadia
(in Greek)

Modern Arcadia

Arcadia's has its present-day capital at Tripoli. It forms the largest prefecture on the Peloponnesian peninsula. It currently covers about 18% of the entire peninsula, although it once extended to about 20 to 25% of the peninsula.

The prefecture has a skiing resort on Mount Maenalus, the Mainalon, located about 20 km NW of Tripoli. The other mountains include the Parnon in the southeast, the Saita, the Skiathio, the Lykaia and Tsiberou.

The GR-7, E65 freeway, which was extended after 1997 and in 2003, runs through Arcadia on a north-west to south-east axis and nearly forms in the southwest the end of the freeway. A nuclear and coal power station which produces electricity for most of southern Greece, operates to the south of Megalopolis, along with a coal mine.

Arcadia has two tunnels. The Artemisio Tunnel opened first, followed by the tunnel east of Megalopolis; both serve traffic flowing between Messenia and Athens.

The chief cities and communities in the prefecture include Tripoli, Astros, Vytina, Dimitsana, Lagkadia, Leonidi, Leontari, Levidi, Megalopolis and Stemnitsa.

In agriculture, potato farms, mixed farming, olive groves, and pasture dominate the plains of Arcadia, especially in the area around Megalopolis and between Tripoli and Levidi.

Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770 - 1843), a general in the Greek War of Independence (1821 - 1832), lived in Arcadia.

Astros, Arcadia [Source]

Climate

Its climate has hot summers and mild winters in the eastern part, the southern part, the low lying areas and the central part ald area lower than 1,000 m. The area mainly receives rain during summer and winter months for most of the time in the rest of Arcadia. Winter [snow?] occurs commonly in the mountainous areas for much of the west and the northern part, the Taygetus area, the Mainalon.

Arcadia (Source)

Arcadia , Thomas Eakins (1844 - 1916), c. 1883

Arcadia, 1879

Mantineia Bouleuterion,Theater

Click Images to enlarge

Lykosoura, Despoina Sanctuary

History

In the 20th century, Arcadia experienced extensive population loss through emigration, mostly to the Americas. Many Arcadian villages lost almost half their inhabitants, and fears arose that they would turn into ghost towns. Arcadia now has a smaller population than Corinthia. Demographers expected that its population would halve between 1951 and the early 21st century.

In the mid to late 20th century a power plant began operating.

Population

1951: 154,361 (density: 34.93/km²)
1961: 134,950
1971: 111,263 (density: 23.5/km²)
1991: 103,840
2001: 102,025

Transportation

E65
Greece Interstate 7
Greece Interstate 33, N
Greece Interstate 37, Cen, S
Greece Interstate 74, NW, N
Greece Interstate 76, W, SW

Communications

Television

Arkadiki Radiophonio Teleorassi - ART

Provinces

Arcadia has 4 provinces:

Province of Gortynia - Dimitsana
Province of Kynouria - Leonidi
Province of Mantineia - Tripoli
Province of Megalopoli - Megalopoli

Monastery Kaltezon, Mantineia, 26 May 1821, Greek War of Independence

Municipalities

Municipality YPES code Seat Postal code
Dimitsana 0506 Dimitsana 220 07
Falanthos 0523 Davia 221 00
Falaisia 0522 Leontari 220 21
Gortyna 0505 Karytaina 220 22
Iraia 0507 Paloumba 220 28
Kleitor 0508 Amygdala 220 14
Kontovazaina 0509 Kontovazaina 220 15
Korythio 0510 Korythio 221 00
Lagadia 0512 Lagkadia 220 03
Leonidio 0514 Leonidi 223 00
Levidi 0513 Levidi 220 02
Maintineia 0515 Nestani 220 05
Megalopoli 0516 Megalopoli 222 00
Skyritida 0517 Vlachokerasea 220 16
Tegea 0518 Stadio 220 12
Trikolones 0519 Stemnitsa 220 24
Tripoli 0520 Tripoli 221 00
Apollonas 0501 Tyros 220 29
Tropaia 0521 Tropaia 220 08
Valtetsi 0502 Kato Asea 220 27
North Kynouria 0503 Astros 220 01
Vytina 0504 Vytina 220 10


This exludes the independent commune of Kosmas (municipal code: 0511, postal code: 230 58) where the seat is Geraki.

Communities

For more communities, see Communities of Arcadia

Pheneus (gr. Pheneos) / Arcadia Coin, right wreathed female head (Kallisto or Maia?), left Hermes with the infant Arkas c. 350 BC

Persons

Ancient Olympic victors:

  • Androsthenes of Maenalus, won gold in 420 and 416 BC
  • Euthymenes of Maenalus, won gold in 400 and 392 BC

Kostas Karyotakis (October 30, 1896 – July 20, 1928 in Preveza)
Mimis Fotopoulos (April 1913 in Zatouna Gortynias - 1986 in Athens)

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