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55-463: The capital of Chalkidiki is the town of Polygyros , located in the centre of the peninsula, while the largest town is Nea Moudania . Chalkidiki is a popular summer tourist destination. Chalkidiki also spelled Halkidiki ( / k æ l ˈ k ɪ d ɪ k i / ) or Chalcidice ( / k æ l ˈ s ɪ d ɪ s i / ) is named after the ancient Greek city-state of Chalcis in Euboea , which colonised

110-411: A hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csa ), closely bordering on a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen : Cfa ) with relatively cold winters and relatively hot summers due to its elevation. There are different speculations about the origin of Polygyros' name. Some claim that it comes from the combination of poly (much) and geros (strong), because of the healthy climate. Others believe that

165-547: A few rivers running from Mt Cholomontas south to the sea, these include the Havrias, Vatonias (Olynthios) and Psychros rivers. Chalkidiki also has a few islands including the inhabited Ammouliani and Diaporos both in the Singitic Gulf. Its largest towns are Nea Moudania ( Νέα Μουδανιά ), Nea Kallikrateia ( Νέα Καλλικράτεια ) and the capital town of Polygyros ( Πολύγυρος ). There are several summer resorts on

220-650: A great deal of territory, this defeat marked the beginning of the end of the Seleucid empire, as they were to begin facing increasingly aggressive subjects in the east (the Parthians ) and the west (the Greeks), as well as Judea in the South. Their empire disintegrated into a rump over the course of the next century, when it was eclipsed by Pontus . Following Magnesia, Rome pulled out of Greece again, assuming (or hoping) that

275-538: A major threat to the smaller Greek kingdoms which had remained independent. As Macedonia and the Seleucid Empire were the problem, and Egypt the cause of the problem, the only place to turn was Rome. This represented a major change, as the Greeks had recently shown little more than contempt towards Rome, and Rome little more than apathy towards Greece. Ambassadors from Pergamon and Rhodes brought evidence before

330-418: A popular summer tourist destination since the late 1950s when people from Thessaloniki started spending their summer holidays in the coastal villages. In the beginning tourists rented rooms in the houses of locals. By the 1960s, tourists from Austria and Germany started to visit Chalkidiki more frequently. Since the start of the big tourist boom in the 1970s, the whole region has been captured by tourism. In

385-622: A series of conflicts fought by the Roman Republic and its Greek allies in the eastern Mediterranean against several different major Greek kingdoms. They resulted in Roman control or influence over Greece and the rest of the eastern Mediterranean basin, in addition to their hegemony in the western Mediterranean after the Punic Wars . Traditionally, the "Macedonian Wars" include the four wars with Macedonia , in addition to one war with

440-541: A war against Macedon, but rather to intervene on their behalf diplomatically. Rome gave Philip an ultimatum that he must cease in his campaigns against Rome's new Greek allies. Doubting Rome's strength (not an unfounded belief given Rome's performance in the First Macedonian War) Philip ignored the request, which surprised the Romans. Believing their honor and reputation on the line, Rome escalated

495-464: Is mainly Mediterranean ( Koppen : Csa ) with cool, wet winters and hot, relatively dry summers. Snowfalls are possible but not long-lasting during the winter months, while occasional thunderstorms may occur during the summer. Few areas such as Neos Marmaras have a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification : BSh ). The first Greek settlers in this area came from Chalcis and Eretria , ancient ionian cities in Euboea , around

550-654: Is subdivided into five municipalities (numbered as in the infobox map): As a part of Greece's 2011 local government reform , the Chalkidiki regional unit ( περιφερειακή ενότητα , perifereiakí enótita ) was created out of the former Chalkidiki prefecture ( νομός , nomós ); the regional unit has the same territory as the former prefecture. As par of the reforms, Chalkidiki's five municipalities ( δήμοι , dhími ) were created by combining former municipalities, which were in turn demoted to municipal units ( δημοτικές ενότητες , dhimotikés enótites ), according to

605-654: The Battle of Cynoscephalae , and he sued for peace. In the resulting Treaty of Tempea , Philip V was forbidden from interfering with affairs outside his borders, and was required to relinquish his recent Greek conquests. At the Olympiad in 196 BC Rome proclaimed the "Freedom of the Greeks", which constituted Rome's (arguably misguided) new policy towards Greece. This was that Greece was now stable and Rome could completely remove itself from Greek affairs without risking more instability. It seemed that Rome had no further interest in

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660-611: The Holy Mountain ( Mount Athos ) was proclaimed a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breeders were allowed to be settled there. With the support of Nikephoros II Phokas , the Great Lavra monastery was founded soon afterwards. Today, over 2,000 monks from Greece and many other Orthodox Christian countries, such as Romania, Moldova, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia, live an ascetic life in Athos, isolated from

715-713: The Macedonian Kingdom and Seleucid Empire in the face of a destabilizing situation created by the weakening of Ptolemaic Egypt . In contrast to the west, the Greek east had been dominated by major empires for centuries, and Roman influence and alliance-seeking led to wars with these empires that further weakened them and therefore created an unstable power vacuum that only Rome was capable of pacifying. This had some important similarities (and some important differences) to what had occurred in Italy centuries earlier, but

770-713: The Ottomans . Finally, on November 2, 1912 the Greek army , as one of the victors of the First Balkan War , entered Polygyros and incorporated the town in the Greek State . Polygyros is famous for its carnival celebrations, which attracts visitors from all over Greece . A nearby location called Panagia (Virgin Mary) is the setting of a famous religious celebration on August 15. Also, cultural societies are active in

825-552: The Roman Senate that Philip V of Macedon and Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire had signed the non-aggression pact. Although the exact nature of this treaty is unclear, and the exact Roman reason for getting involved despite decades of apathy towards Greece (the relevant passages on this from our primary source, Polybius, have been lost), the Greek delegation was successful. Initially, Rome didn't intend to fight

880-520: The Seleucid Empire , and a final minor war with the Achaean League (which is often considered to be the final stage of the final Macedonian War). The most significant war was fought with the Seleucid Empire, while the war with Macedonia was the second, and both of these wars effectively marked the end of these empires as major world powers, even though neither of them led immediately to overt Roman domination. Four separate wars were fought against

935-537: The Thessaloniki Metro could be extended in the future in order to serve commuters to and from some areas of Chalkidiki. Polygyros Polygyros ( Greek : Πολύγυρος) is a town and municipality in Central Macedonia, Greece . It is the capital of Chalkidiki . Polygyros town (pop. 7,779 at the 2021 census) is built in the shape of an amphitheatre on a plateau on the south west side of

990-740: The Toronean Gulf and the Singitic Gulf . Chalkidiki borders on the regional unit of Thessaloniki to the north, and is bounded by the Thermaic Gulf on the west, and the Strymonian Gulf and Ierissos Gulf on the east (which are separated by the Brostomnitsa peninsula). The Cholomontas mountains lie in the north-central part of Chalkidiki, with the highest peak reaching 1,165 metres above sea level. Chalkidiki has

1045-689: The Treaty of Phoenice . While a minor conflict, it opened the way for Roman military intervention in Macedon. This conflict, though fought between Rome and Macedon, was largely independent of the Roman-Macedon wars that followed (which began with the Second Macedonian War and were largely dependent on each other) in the next century. The past century had seen the Greek world dominated by the three primary successor kingdoms of Alexander

1100-670: The 1922 Greco-Turkish war , adding to the indigenous Greek population. In the 1980s, a tourism boom came to Chalkidiki and took over agriculture as the primary industry. In June 2003, at the holiday resort of Porto Carras located in Neos Marmaras, Sithonia, leaders of the European Union presented the first draft of the European Constitution (see History of the European Constitution for developments after this point). In June 2022, archaeologists announced

1155-581: The 8th century BC who founded cities such as Mende , Toroni and Scione a second wave came from Andros in the 6th century BC who founded cities such as Akanthos . The ancient city of Stageira was the birthplace of the great philosopher Aristotle . Chalkidiki was an important theatre of war during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta . Later, the Greek colonies of the peninsula were conquered by Philip II of Macedon and Chalkidiki became part of Macedonia (ancient kingdom) . After

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1210-547: The Great's empire: Ptolemaic Egypt , Macedonia and the Seleucid Empire . The imperial ambitions of the Seleucids after 230 BC were particularly destabilizing. The Seleucids set out to conquer Egypt, and Egypt responded through a major mobilization campaign. This campaign led to military victory against Seleucid incursions, but in 205 BC when Ptolemy IV was succeeded by the five-year-old Ptolemy V (or rather, by his regents),

1265-652: The Macedonian forces, but in 168 BC, Roman legions smashed the Macedonian phalanx at the Battle of Pydna . Convinced now that the Greeks (and therefore the rest of the world) would never have peace if Greece was left alone yet again, Rome decided to establish its first permanent foothold in the Greek world. The Kingdom of Macedonia was divided by the Romans into four client republics. Even this proved insufficient to ensure peace, as Macedonian agitation continued. The Fourth Macedonian War , fought from 150 BC to 148 BC,

1320-426: The Roman legion having proved its supremacy over the Macedonian phalanx. Polybius blames the demagogues of the cities of the league for inspiring the population into a suicidal war. Nationalist stirrings and the idea of triumphing against superior odds motivated the league into this rash decision. The Achaean League was swiftly defeated, and, as an object lesson, Rome utterly destroyed the city of Corinth in 146 BC,

1375-454: The Romans began a major mobilization, all but pulling out of recently pacified Spain and Gaul. They even established a major garrison in Sicily in case the Seleucids ever invaded Italy . This fear was shared by Rome's Greek allies, who had largely ignored Rome in the years after the Second Macedonian War, but now followed Rome again for the first time since that war. A major Roman-Greek force

1430-551: The Spartans, the Seleucids lost the battle, and were forced to evacuate Greece. The Romans pursued the Seleucids by crossing the Hellespont , which marked the first time a Roman army had ever entered Asia . The decisive engagement was fought at the Battle of Magnesia , resulting in a complete Roman victory. The Seleucids sued for peace, and Rome forced them to give up their recent Greek conquests. Though they still controlled

1485-554: The area in the 8th century BC. Chalkidiki consists of a large peninsula in the northwestern Aegean Sea , resembling a hand with three 'fingers' (though in Greek these peninsulas are often referred to as 'legs'). From west to east, these are Kassandra (highest peak 345 m), Sithonia (highest peak Mt Itamos 817 m), and Mount Athos , a special polity within Greece known for its monasteries and its highest peak reaching 2,033 metres above sea level. These 'fingers' are separated by two gulfs,

1540-563: The beaches of all three fingers where other minor towns and villages are located, such as at Yerakini (Gerakina Beach) and Psakoudia in central Chalkidiki, Kallithea , Chanioti and Pefkochori in the Kassandra peninsula, Nikiti and Neos Marmaras ( Porto Carras ) in the Sithonia peninsula, and Ouranoupolis at Mount Athos. A popular village in winter is Arnaia for its architecture and mountain scenery. The climate of Chalkidiki

1595-516: The close of the Macedonian Wars until the early Roman Empire , the eastern Mediterranean remained an ever shifting network of polities with varying levels of independence from, dependence on, or outright military control by, Rome. According to Polybius , who sought to trace how Rome came to dominate the Greek east in less than a century, Rome's wars with Greece were set in motion after several Greek city-states sought Roman protection against

1650-456: The command of Emmanouel Pappas , a member of Filiki Eteria , and other local fighters. The revolt was progressing slowly and unsystematically. The insurrection was confined to the peninsulas of Mount Athos and Kassandra. One of the main goals was to restrain and detain the coming of the Ottoman army from Istanbul , until the revolution in the south (mainly Peloponnese ) became stable. Finally,

1705-569: The conflict by sending an army of Romans and Greek allies to force the issue, beginning the Second Macedonian War . Surprisingly (given his recent successes against the Greeks and earlier successes against Rome), Philip's army buckled under the pressure from the Roman-Greek army. Roman troops led by then consul Titus Quinctius Flamininus reached the plain of Thessaly by 198 BC. In 197 BC the Romans decisively defeated Philip at

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1760-453: The discovery of a poorly preserved single-edged sabre among the ruins of a monastery on the coast of Chalcidice. Alongside the curved sword, excavators revealed evidence of a fire, a large cache of 14th-century glazed pottery vessels, as well as other weapons, including axes and arrowheads. The peninsula is notable for its olive oil and its green olives production. Also various types of honey and wine are produced. Chalkidiki has been

1815-651: The eastern Mediterranean world remained an alliance of independent city-states and kingdoms (with varying degrees of independence, both de jure and de facto ) until it transitioned into the Roman Empire. It wasn't until the time of the Roman Empire that the eastern Mediterranean, along with the entire Roman world, was organized into provinces under explicit Roman control. During the Second Punic War , Philip V of Macedon allied himself with Hannibal . Fearing possible reinforcement of Hannibal by Macedon,

1870-737: The end of the wars between the Macedonians and the Romans, the region became part of the Roman Empire , along with the rest of Greece. At the end of the Roman Republic (in 43 BC) a Roman colony was settled in Cassandreia, which was later (in 30 BC) resettled by Augustus. During the following centuries, Chalkidiki was part of the Byzantine Empire (East Roman Empire). On a chrysobull of Emperor Basil I , dated 885,

1925-409: The end of the Second Macedonian War, they (and their allies) thought they had left behind a stable peace. However, by weakening the last remaining check on Seleucid expansion, they left behind the opposite. Now not only did Rome's allies against Philip seek a Roman alliance against the Seleucids, but Philip himself even sought an alliance with Rome. The situation was made worse by the fact that Hannibal

1980-527: The fall of Macedonia. Until this time, Rome had only campaigned in Greece in order to fight Macedonian forts, allies or clients. Rome's military supremacy was well established, having defeated Macedonia and its vaunted Phalanx already on 3 occasions, and defeating superior numbers against the Seleucids in Asia. The Achaean leaders almost certainly knew that this declaration of war against Rome was hopeless, as Rome had triumphed against far stronger and larger opponents,

2035-914: The fields of folk music and dance. Classic and modern music is cultivated in the municipal conservatory. There is a Folklore Museum in the town, opened in 1998. Niki (victory) is the name of Polygyros' football club, which participates in the Greek National Fourth Division Professional League. AOP (Athletic Club of Polygyros) is the local basketball team, participant in the Third National Basketball Division. The Archaeological Museum of Polygyros has exhibits containing findings from all over Chalkidiki and referring to paleolithic and neolithic age, geometric , archaic , classic , hellenistic and Roman period. Macedonian Wars The Macedonian Wars (214–148 BC) were

2090-485: The lack of a major Greek power would ensure a stable peace, though it did the opposite. Upon Philip's death in Macedon (179 BC), his son, Perseus of Macedon , attempted to restore Macedon's international influence, and moved aggressively against his neighbors. When Perseus was implicated in an assassination plot against an ally of Rome, the Senate declared the third Macedonian War. Initially, Rome did not fare well against

2145-517: The mountain Cholomontas . It is south of Greek National Road 16 (Thessaloniki - Arnaia). Polygyros is located SE of Thessaloniki , NE of Nea Moudania , NW of Sithonia and SW of Arnaia . The municipal unit (the municipality before 2011) has a population of 11,386 inhabitants (2021) and a land area of 470.933 km . Other large communities in the municipal unit are Ólynthos (pop. 1,053), Taxiárchis (742), and Vrástama (944). Polygyros has

2200-429: The newly armed Egyptians turned against each other. The result was a major civil war between north and south. Seeing that all of Egypt could now be conquered easily, the Macedonians and Seleucids forged an alliance to conquer and divide Egypt between themselves. This represented the most significant threat to the century-old political order that had kept the Greek world in relative stability, and in particular represented

2255-432: The region there is a golf course , with plans for four others in the future. Gold was mined in the region during antiquity by Philip II of Macedon and the next rulers. Since 2013, a revival of mining for gold and other minerals has occurred, and a number of concessions have been granted to Eldorado Gold of Canada. Critics claim that mining adversely affects tourism and the environment. The Chalkidiki regional unit

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2310-401: The region, as they withdrew all military forces without even attempting to consolidate any gains, and subsequently returned to their prior apathy even when their Greek allies ignored later Roman requests. With Egypt and Macedonia now weakened, the Seleucid Empire became increasingly aggressive and successful in its attempts to conquer the entire Greek world. When Rome pulled out of Greece at

2365-675: The rest of the Eastern Roman Empire, Polygyros was conquered by the Ottomans and belonged to the Sanjak of Thessaloniki . On 17 May 1821 the people of Polygyros rose against the Ottoman authority and managed, temporarily, to expel the Ottoman guard. Polygyros, such as other villages of the peninsula, were burned by the Ottomans. Many residents of Polygyros also took part in the 1854's unsuccessful revolutionary movement against

2420-587: The rest of the world. Athos with its monasteries has been self-governing ever since. After a short period of domination by the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica , the area became again Byzantine until its conquest by the Ottomans in 1430. During the Ottoman period, the peninsula was important for its gold mining . In 1821, the Greek War of Independence started and the Greeks of Chalkidiki revolted under

2475-651: The revolt resulted in a decisive Ottoman victory at Kassandra. The survivors, among them Papas, were rescued by the Psarian fleet, which took them mainly to Skiathos , Skopelos and Skyros . The Ottomans proceeded in retaliation and many villages were burnt. Finally, the peninsula was incorporated into the Greek Kingdom in 1912 after the Balkan Wars . Many Greek refugees from East Thrace and Anatolia (modern Turkey) were settled in parts of Chalkidiki after

2530-555: The senate dispatched a praetor with forces across the Adriatic . Roman maniples (aided by allies from the Aetolian League and Pergamon after 211 BC) did little more than skirmish with Macedonian forces and seize minor territory along the Adriatic coastline in order to "combat piracy". Rome's interest was not in conquest, but in keeping Macedon busy while Rome was fighting Hannibal. The war ended indecisively in 205 BC with

2585-426: The table below. Before the abolishment of the provinces of Greece in 2006, the Chalkidiki prefecture was subdivided into the following provinces: The autonomous monastic state of Mount Athos which is often considered to be geographically part of Chalkidiki recorded an additional 1,746 people in the 2021 census. The population is mostly Orthodox Christian monks. In September 2018 it was announced that Line 2 of

2640-506: The weaker power, Macedonia, due to its geographic proximity to Rome, though the last two of these wars were against haphazard insurrections rather than powerful armies. Roman influence gradually dissolved Macedonian independence and digested it into what was becoming a leading empire. The outcome of the war with the now-deteriorating Seleucid Empire was ultimately fatal to it as well, though the growing influence of Parthia and Pontus prevented any additional conflicts between it and Rome. From

2695-460: The words poly and ieros (sacred) have given the present name, because of an ancient temple in the area. Also an old landowner, named Polyaros , offers a possible etymology. A further potential source could be from poly and gyros , referring to the residents' dietary habits. According to another possible etymology, the name derives from poly and gyros (round), possible due to the town's amphitheatric position. The municipality Polygyros

2750-431: Was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units: The municipality has an area of 947.417 km , the municipal unit 470.933 km . The municipality includes the villages of Vrastama, Taxiarchis , Ormylia , Olynthos, Gerakini and Kalives. Some situate in the broader area of modern Polygyros the ancient city of Apollonia . Apollonia

2805-544: Was fought against a Macedonian pretender to the throne, named Andriscus , who was again destabilizing Greece by attempting to re-establish the old Kingdom. The Romans swiftly defeated the Macedonians at the Second battle of Pydna . In response, the Achaean League in 146 BC mobilized for a new war against Rome. This is sometimes referred to as the Achaean War , and was noted for its short duration and its timing right after

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2860-543: Was mobilized under the command of the great hero of the Second Punic War, Scipio Africanus , and set out for Greece, beginning the Roman-Syrian War . After initial fighting that revealed serious Seleucid weaknesses, the Seleucids tried to turn the Roman strength against them at the Battle of Thermopylae (as they believed the 300 Spartans had done centuries earlier to the mighty Persian Empire). Like

2915-402: Was now a chief military advisor to the Seleucid emperor, and the two were believed to be planning for an outright conquest not just of Greece, but of Rome also. The Seleucids were much stronger than the Macedonians had ever been, given that they controlled much of the former Persian Empire , and by this point had almost entirely reassembled Alexander the Great's former empire. Fearing the worst,

2970-757: Was one of the 32 cities, which, under the leadership of the Olynthus , constituted the Koinon ton Chalkideon ( Chalkidian League ). The Koinon was destroyed in 379 BCE by the Spartans , while in 348 BCE Philipp II of Macedon annexed the whole Chalcidice into the Macedonian Kingdom . In 168 BCE Chalcidice was subjected by the Romans . The town of Polygyros is first mentioned in a medieval imperial document, chryssovoulon (with golden stamp), of Eastern Roman Emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates about 1080 CE. In 1430, as

3025-435: Was this time on a continental scale. Historians see the growing Roman influence over the east, as with the west, not as a matter of intentional empire-building, but constant crisis management narrowly focused on accomplishing short-term goals within a highly unstable, unpredictable, and inter-dependent network of alliances and dependencies. With some major exceptions of outright military rule (such as parts of mainland Greece),

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