Stagira (ancient city)

Stagira, Stagirus , or Stageira (Στάγειρα or Στάγειρος) was an ancient Greek city located near the eastern coast of the peninsula of Chalkidice, which is now part of the Greek province of Central Macedonia. It is chiefly known for being the birthplace of Aristotle, the Greek philosopher and polymath, student of Plato, and teacher of Alexander the Great. The ruins of the city lie approximately 18 km northeast of the present-day village of Stagira, and adjacent to the town of Olympiada.

History
Stagira was founded in 655 BC by Ionian settlers from Andros. Xerxes I of Persia occupied it in 480 BC. The city later joined the Delian League, led by Athens, but left in 424 BC: as a result, the Athenian demagogue Cleon laid siege to it in 422 BC. However, Cleon was a poor strategist and his conduct of the siege was very inefficient: so much so that the ancient Greek comedy writer Aristophanes satirised him in the play The Knights. Cleon died in the same year, in the battle of Amphipolis. Later, during the Peloponnesian War, Stagira sided with Sparta against the Athenians.

In 348 BC, Philip II of Macedon occupied and destroyed the city. In return for Aristotle's tutoring of his son Alexander, Philip later rebuilt the city and resettled the old city's inhabitants. Many new structures were built at this time, including an aqueduct, two shrines to Demeter, and many houses.

Tradition has it that the natives of Stageira transferred Aristotle's relics to the city, buried it there, and founded a festival in his honour which was called "Aristoteleia".

Much later, the Danish archaeologist Karl Frederik Kinch made several explorations of Chalkidiki in 1886, and he identified the site of Stagira based on ancient descriptions of it.

Notable people

 * Aristotle, philosopher
 * Hipparchus (Ἵππαρχος), philosopher, acquaintance and kin of Aristotle
 * Nicomachus, father of Aristotle and doctor
 * Arimneste, sister of Aristotle
 * Nicomachus, son of Aristotle and philosopher
 * Herpyllis, second wife of Aristotle and the mother of Nicomachus
 * Nicanor of Stageira