Ermioni History

Ermioni is a beautiful and picturesque town in Peloponnese that dates since the ancient times. The first inhabitants appeared in 3,000 BC. Homer mentions Ermioni in the Iliad and the geographer The historical writings of the legendary Strabo, Euripides and Thucydides mention this town as Ermiona as well. Pausanias reports having visited the town in 166 AD. He also describes the luxurious temples in the region, particularly a temple to Zeus and Demeter.

The 5th century BC was a very prosperous period for ancient Ermioni. Its agriculture, fishing, and shipbuilding activities flourished. However, according to other sources, it was the purple dying for clothes and fabrics, extracted by certain mollusks that provided a great reputation to the coastal town of Ermioni. Another time of wealth was during the Roman period. The most important work of these times was the creation of an aqueduct that carried water to the cisterns of the town, which was very populated at that time.

The following important period in the history of Ermioni was in the Byzantine times, which was also characterized by the development in many fields. Many churches and monasteries were constructed in the wider region as Christianity was already spreading in the Greek world. In the 14th century, Ermioni was occupied by the Venetians, like the rest of Peloponnese, and then by the Ottomans. Following the history of the Greek nation, it was set free after the Revolution of 1821 and was part of the first Greek State.