Arcadia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses of Arcadia, see Arcadia (disambiguation).
Arcady redirects here. For the software, see ARCADY. For the United States Navy
ship, see USS Arcady (SP-577).
For the ancient region, see Arcadia (ancient region).
Arkadia redirects here. For other uses, see Arkadia (disambiguation).
Arcadia
?e??fe?e?a?? e??t?ta
???ad?a?
Regional unit
Municipalities of Arcadia
Municipalities of Arcadia
Arcadia within Greece
Arcadia within Greece
Coordinates 3735'N 2215'ECoordinates 3735'N 2215'E
Country Greece
Region Peloponnese
Capital Tripoli
Area
Total 4,419 km2 (1,706 sq mi)
Population (2011)
Total 86,685
Density 20km2 (51sq mi)
Postal codes 22x xx
Area codes 2710, 275x0, 279x0
ISO 3166 code GR-12
Car plates ??
Website www.arcadia.gr
Arcadia (Greek ???ad?a, Arkada) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part
of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and
eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological
figure Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan. In European
Renaissance arts, Arcadia was celebrated as an unspoiled, harmonious wilderness.

Contents [hide]
1 Geography
2 History
2.1 Ancient history
2.2 Medieval history
2.3 Modern history
3 Language
4 Administration
4.1 Prefecture
4.2 Provinces
4.3 Ancient and modern towns and cities
5 Economy
6 Transportation
7 News
8 Television
9 Sports teams
10 Notable Arcadians
10.1 Mythology
10.2 Ancient Arcadians
10.3 Ancient Olympic victors
10.4 Greek War of Independence fighters
10.5 Politicians
10.6 Poets
10.7 Scientists, scholars, educators, academicians
10.8 Artists
10.9 Athletes
10.10 Other notable personalities
11 References in popular culture
12 References
13 External links
Geography[edit]

Mount Lykaion
Arcadia has its present-day capital at Tripoli. It covers about 18% of the
Peloponnese peninsula, making it the largest regional unit on the peninsula.
Arcadia has a ski resort on Mount Mainalo, located about 20 km NW of Tripoli. Other
mountains of Arcadia are the Parnon in the southeast and the Lykaion in the west.

The climate consists of hot summers and mild winters in the eastern part, the
southern part, the low-lying areas and the central area at altitudes lower than
1,000 m. The area primarily receives rain during fall and winter months 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.

History[edit]
Ancient history[edit]
Main article Arcadia (ancient region)

Les Bergers dArcadie by Nicolas Poussin.

Landscape of Arcadia.
Medieval history[edit]
After the collapse of the Roman power in the west, Arcadia became part of the
Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire. Arcadia remained a beautiful, secluded area, and
its inhabitants became proverbial as herdsmen leading simple pastoral
unsophisticated yet happy lives, to the point that Arcadia may refer to some
imaginary idyllic paradise, immortalized by Virgil's Eclogues, and later by Jacopo
Sannazaro in his pastoral masterpiece, Arcadia (1504); see also Arcadia (utopia).

After the Fourth Crusade, the area became a part of the Principality of Achaea, but
was progressively recovered by the Byzantine Greeks of the Despotate of the Morea
from the 1260s on, a process that lasted until the mid-14th century. The region
fell into the hands of the Ottoman Turks in 1460. With the exception of a period of
Venetian rule in 16871715, the region remained under Turkish control until 1821.

The Latin phrase Et in Arcadia ego, which is usually interpreted to mean Even in
Arcadia there am I, is an example of memento mori, a cautionary reminder of the
transitory nature of life and the inevitability of death. The phrase is most often
associated with a 1647 painting by Nicolas Poussin, also known as The Arcadian
Shepherds. In the painting the phrase appears as an inscription on a tomb
discovered by youthful figures in classical garb.

Modern history[edit]

Commander Panagiotis Kephalas raising the Maniot flag in Tripoli (Tripolitsa), the
capital of Arcadia, after the successful siege.
Arcadia was one of the centres of the Greek War of Independence which saw victories
in their battles including one in Tripoli. After a victorious revolutionary war,
Arcadia was finally incorporated into the newly created Greek state. Arcadia saw
economic growth and small emigration.

In the 20th century, Arcadia experienced extensive population loss through

emigration, mostly to the Americas. Many Arcadian villages lost 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. The population has fallen to
87,000 in 2011.

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter magnitude scale shook Megalopoli and the
surrounding area in 1965. Large numbers of buildings were destroyed, leaving people
homeless. Within a couple of years, the buildings were rebuilt anti-seismically. In
1967, construction began on the Megalopoli Power Plant, which began operating in
1970, producing additional electricity for southern Greece. A mining area south of
the plant is the largest mining area in the peninsula and continues to the present
day with one settlement moved.

In July and August 2007 forest fires caused damage in Arcadia, notably in the
mountains.

In 2008, a theory proposed by classicist Christos Mergoupis suggested that the

mummified remains of Alexander the Great (not his actual tomb), may in fact be
located in Gortynia-Arkadia, in the Peloponnese of Greece. Since 2008, this
research is ongoing and currently being conducted in Greece. The research was first
mentioned on CNN International in May 2008.[1][2]

Language[edit]
When, during the Greek Dark Ages (c. 1200 BC800 BC), Doric Greek dialects were
introduced to the Peloponnese, the older language apparently survived in Arcadia,
and formed part of the Arcado-Cypriot group of Greek languages. 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 ?; it represents
an affricate that developed from labiovelars in context where they became t in
other dialects.

Tsakonian Greek, still spoken on the coast of modern Arcadia (but in the Classical
period considered the southern Argolid coast immediately adjoining Arcadia), is a
descendant of Doric Greek, and as such is an extraordinary example of a surviving
regional dialect of archaic Greek. The principal cities of Tsakonia are the
Arcadian coastal towns of Leonidio and Tyros.