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Greek city of
Chalkis in
Euboea
Bronze 15mm (2.86 grams) Struck circa 171-168 B.C.
Reference: HGC 4, 1498
Rare R2
; Picard 1979; Emission
90; BCD
Euboia 272
Shield emblazoned with eagle flying upward, clutching serpent in beak.
Prow of galley right; XA monogram above.
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Authenticity.
A
galley is a type of
ship propelled by
rowers
that originated in the eastern
Mediterranean Sea
and was used for
warfare
,
trade
and
piracy
from the first millennium BC. Galleys
dominated
naval warfare
in the Mediterranean from the 8th
century BC until development of advanced sailing warships in the 17th century.
Galleys fought in the wars of
Assyria
, ancient
Phoenicia
,
Greece
,
Carthage
and
Rome
until the 4th century AD. After the fall
of the
Western Roman Empire
galleys formed the
mainstay of the
Byzantine navy
and other navies of successors
of the Roman Empire, as well as new
Muslim
navies. Medieval Mediterranean states,
notably the Italian maritime republics, including
Venice
,
Pisa
,
Genoa
and the
Ottoman Empire
relied on them as the primary
warships of their fleets until the 17th century, when they were gradually
replaced by sailing warships. Galleys continued to be applied in minor roles in
the Mediterranean and the
Baltic Sea
even after the introduction of
steam propelled
ships in the early 19th
century.
The galley engagements at
Actium
and
Lepanto
are among the greatest
naval battles
in history.
Chalcis or Chalkida, Halkida, Halkis
or Chalkis (Greek,
Modern: Χαλκίδα,
Ancient
/Katharevousa:
Χαλκίς, -ίδος), the chief town of the island of
Euboea
in
Greece
, is
situated on the strait of the
Evripos
at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from antiquity and is
derived from the Greek
χαλκός
(copper,
bronze
), though
there is no trace of any mines in the area.
//
History
Ancient
Greece
Exchibits in the archaeological museum of Chalcis
The earliest recorded mention of Chalcis is in the
Iliad
(2.537), where it is mentioned in the same line as its rival
Eretria
.
Chamber tombs at Trypa and Vromousa dated to the
Mycenaean period
were excavated by Papvasileion in 1910. In the
8th
and 7th
centuries BC, colonists from Chalcis founded thirty townships on the
peninsula of
Chalcidice
, and several important cities in
Sicily
. Its
mineral produce, metal-work,
purple
and
pottery not only found markets among these settlements, but were distributed
over the
Mediterranean
in the ships of
Corinth
and
Samos
.
With the help of these allies, Chalcis engaged the rival league of its
neighbour Eretria in the so-called
Lelantine War
, by which it acquired the best agricultural district of Euboea
and became the chief city of the island. Early in the
6th
century BC
, its prosperity was broken by a disastrous war with the
Athenians
, who
expelled the ruling aristocracy and settled a
cleruchy
on
the site. Chalcis subsequently became a member of both the
Delian Leagues
.
In the Hellenistic period, it gained importance as a fortress by which the
Macedonian
rulers controlled central Greece. It was used by kings
Antiochus III of Syria
(192
BC) and
Mithradates VI of Pontus
(88
BC) as a base for invading Greece.
Roman
Rule and Later
Under Roman rule, Chalcis retained a measure of commercial prosperity; since
the
6th century AD
it again served as a fortress for the protection of central
Greece against northern invaders. From 1209, it stood under
Venetian
control; in 1470 it passed to the
Ottomans
, who made it the seat of a
pasha
. In 1688,
it was successfully held against a strong Venetian attack.
Modern
Town
The modern town received an impetus in its export trade from the
establishment of railway connection with Athens and Peiraeus in 1904. In the
early 20th century it was composed of two parts—the old walled town towards the
Euripus, called the Castro (ie. the
Castle
), where
the Jewish
and
Turkish
families dwelt; and the more modern suburb that lies outside it, which is
chiefly occupied by the Greeks. A part of the walls of the Castro and many of
the houses within it were shaken down by the earthquake of 1894; part has been
demolished in the widening of the Euripus. The most interesting object is the
church of
Saint Paraskevi
, which was once the chief church of the Venetians; it dates
from the
Byzantine
period, though many of its architectural features are Western. In
1899, Chalcis became the prefectural capital of Euboea.
At the start of the 21st century, Chalcis had about 100,000 inhabitants. The
old walls, near the Castro of Kara-Baba (Turkish,
"Black Father") near the sea no longer stand. The sizable Jewish community was
reduced after the
World
War II
deportation.
The
Bridges
The town is now connected to the mainland Greece by two bridges, the "Sliding
Bridge" in the west at the narrowest point of the
Euripus Strait
and a suspension bridge.
The Euripus Strait which separates the city and the island from the mainland
was bridged in 411 BC with a wooden bridge. In the time of
Justinian
the fixed bridge was replaced with a movable structure. The Turks
(sometime after 1453) replaced this once again with a fixed bridge. In 1856, a
wooden swing bridge was built; in 1896, an iron swing bridge, and in 1962, the
existing "sliding bridge". The cable stay suspension bridge which joins Chalcis
to the mainland to the south was opened in 1993.
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