Menidi in AtticaALEXANDRA-FANI ALEXANDRIDOU

Modern Menidi, situated south of Mount

Parnes in Attica, has been identified with the

ancient deme of ACHARNAI, which, according to

Thucydides (2.19), was the most populated

Attic deme. The area is one of the most fertile

of Attica, and the deme occupied an important

strategic position. Literary sources provide

information for the deme, with Pausanias

(1.31.6) being the richest. According to him,

the locals venerated ATHENA, HERAKLES (HERCU-

LES), DIONYSOS, and APOLLO. A number of finds,

mostly dedicatory inscriptions or reliefs, verify

to some extent the author’s account. The ear-

liest archaeological evidence from the area goes

back to the Late Helladic period (1330–1150

BCE). To this era belongs the most monumental

and well-preserved Mycenaean tholos tomb

known from Attica, which has been excavated

3.5 km south of Menidi, at the site of modern

Lykotrypa. It was richly furnished and seems to

have contained an important person living in

the vicinity, maybe a local ruler. By the end of

the eighth century and until the early fifth

century, the tomb became the focus of ances-

tor cult. Its dromos revealed a large number

of offerings such as perfume, oil and drink-

ing vessels, horse figurines, clay pinakes, and

miniature terracotta shields. The richness of

the finds points to wealthy dedicators of the

area, while the cult was of a long duration.

The burials excavated in Acharnai point to

continuous occupation of the area after the

Mycenaean era. The discovered graves date

from the eleventh to the sixth centuries, cover-

ing the Geometric and Archaic periods. How-

ever, the burial evidence from the classical and

Hellenistic periods is richer, since most of the

recently excavated cemeteries date from the

fifth to the second century BCE. No domestic

evidence, however, has come to light yet.

Habitation quarters are known from the

Roman and Late Roman periods. Very recently,

rescue excavations brought to light part of

the ancient theater of Acharnai, which archae-

ologists have been trying to locate for years.

It is of semi-circular design, probably dating to

the second half of the fourth century BCE, and

is one of the seven theaters of the demoi of

Attica, of which remains have been preserved.

It is of immense importance, since it defines

the center of the ancient demos.

SEE ALSO: Ancestors, worship of; Athens.

REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS

Lolling, H. G. (1887). “Zum Kuppelgrab bei

Menidi.” Mitteilungen des Deutschen

Archaologischen Instituts, Abteilung Athen 12:

139–40.

Lolling, H. G., Bohn, R., Furtwangler, A., and

Kohler, U. (1880) Das Kuppelgrab bei Menidi.

Athens.

Platonos-Giota, M. (2004).Αwarnaί. Ιstοrikή kaiΤοpοgrajikή ΕpiskόpZsZ ton arwaίonΑwarnώn, ton geitοnikώn dήmon kai tonοwurώseon tZς PάrnZyaς. Acharnai.

Travlos, J. (1988) Bildlexikon zur Topographie des

antiken Attika: 1–6. Tubingen.

The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, First Edition. Edited by Roger S. Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige B. Champion, Andrew Erskine,

and Sabine R. Huebner, print pages 4439–4440.

© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2013 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

DOI: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah02119

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