Eridanos (Athens)
The Eridanos ( modern Greek Ηριδανός Iridanós ) is a narrow brook in Athens .
The source of the Eridanos lies at the foot of the Lykabettos hill. It flows through the area of the agora of the ancient city into what is now the archaeological site of the ancient pottery district Kerameikos . Its course was mainly underground in antiquity and was only on the surface outside the archaic city wall. He is mentioned several times in ancient literature. The stream was straightened and fortified in ancient times.
It was rediscovered in the 1990s during construction work for the Athens Underground . Its water often caused considerable technical problems. Thanks to the Eridanos, the Kerameikos is now a species-rich biotope . There are large populations of Greek tortoises and amphibians there . During excavations in 2002, the creek was diverted, and under the river bed the Kouros from the Holy Gate of the Dipylon Master and other important finds were found.
literature
- David Hardy: Eridanos, the river of ancient Athens. Archaeological guide. Greek Ministry of Culture, Athens 2004, ISBN 960-214-293-6 .
- Jutta Stroszeck : The Kerameikos in Athens. History, buildings and monuments in the archaeological park. Bibliopolis Verlag, Möhnesee 2014, ISBN 978-3-943741-04-9 , pp. 26–32.
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ Plato : Critias 112a; Strabon 9,1,19; Pausanias 1,19,5.
- ↑ Jutta Stroszeck: The Kerameikos in Athens. History, buildings and monuments in the archaeological park. Bibliopolis Verlag, Möhnesee 2014, ISBN 978-3-943741-04-9 , pp. 20-25.
Coordinates: 37 ° 58 '42 " N , 23 ° 43' 5.3" E