The historic Stagira, Halkidiki’s most important historical place, is located in the Liotopi zone, just near to Olympiada’s contemporary area.
The tour is a real amazing. Particularly if you want to see everything, you need allow at least 2 or 3 hours, and you should not miss the coastline route, which is fantastic.
Ancient Stagira, Halkidiki’s most important historical place
In 655 BC, Ionian settlers from the island of Andros built the city, which was afterwards joined by Chalkida settlers. Following the Persian wars, Stagira joined the Athenian Alliance and contributed to the common treasury.
The city defected from the Athenians and sided with the Spartans during the Peloponnesian war, notably in 424 BC. That enraged the Athenians, who rushed to besiege the city, but to no avail.
The Stagira, on the other hand, went to the Audience of Halkideon, which was a confederation of all the cities of Halkidiki with its headquarters in Olintho. The city was besieged in 349 B.C. and eventually surrendered to King Philip II of Macedonia, who entirely demolished it in order to re-establish it in favor of Aristotle after a few years.
This devastation by Philip appears to have signaled the start of the city’s decadence, which later continued to deteriorate.
When Aristotle passed away in the year 322 B.C. in Chalkida, his body was transported to his hometown, Stagira, where he was buried with honors. He was proclaimed the “founder” of the city and they built an altar over the tomb. In fact, they even established a festival in his memory, the “Aristoteleia”.
Sources
http://www.dimosaristoteli.gr/gr/sights/ancient-stagira
http://gohalkidiki.com/el/stagira/
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