The History of Eretria on the Greek island of Euboea

The name Eretria refers to fertile soil. It is believed that this word means: "arable land."

There is evidence suggesting that there may have been some kind of settlement here as early as 2000 B.C. No wonder, fertile lands, a hill perfectly suited for an Acropolis, and a port - all the essentials for settling down.

It is certain that by 1200 B.C., Eretria was already a thriving city. Homer mentions it in the Iliad. It turns out that Eretria responded to Agamemnon's call and sent ships to the Trojan War.

The Eretrians were good and skilled traders. Through trade, the city developed significantly. Apparently, they handled many matters with the Phoenicians.

The Eretrians were excellent sailors and warriors. As the city's power strengthened, they conquered more territories. It is difficult to determine the extent of the controlled territory, but much suggests it encompassed all of southern Euboea except for a small area around Karystos.

Eretria colonized the islands: Andros, Tinos, Keos, and even the tourist-favorite Corfu.

Eretria was a maritime power of Greece

At the turn of the 7th and 6th centuries BC, Chalkida (the current capital of Evia and ) and Eretria, cities that had previously cooperated with each other, fell out. The subject of the dispute was likely the control over the fertile Lelantine plain lying at the junction of both territories.

An armed conflict known as the Lelantine War ensued. On the side of Chalkis, stood: Samos, Corinth, Thessaly, while on the side of Eretria: Miletus, Megara, and Chios.

As a result of the fighting, Eretria was stripped of any share in the use of the Lelantine Plain.

Nevertheless,

• Eretria thrived mainly due to trade with Athens, and in the 6th century BC, it minted its own coins based on the Euboean standard.

• Trade with Athens contributed to Solon (between 594 and 591 BC) adopting a standard whereby 100 new coins corresponded to 70 coins minted in Euboea , making trade much easier.

The period from 505 BC to 490 BC was 15 years when Eretria was recognized as the greatest maritime power of Greece.

Why only 15 years? All because of Persia, which from 540 BC rapidly took over successive Greek cities located in Asia Minor. Miletus did not want to submit to Persian rule.

The rebellion was supported by Athens and Eretria, which sent as many as five ships.

Under the cover of night, the Athenians and Eretrians left their ships near Ephesus and set out on an expedition inland. They completely defeated the surprised Persians.

However, they quickly made up for their losses and defeated the Athenians and Eretrians at Ephesus.

Eretria paid dearly for supporting Miletus.

The Persian king regarded Eretria as enemy number one and decided to bring all its inhabitants in chains.

In 490, Persia sent ships to Eretria.

The city fought against Persia for 6 days. During this time, the Persians burned and plundered temples and took the inhabitants into captivity. Many Eretrians managed to escape to the hills. Persia took away about 800 inhabitants.

The described blow was overwhelming, and although Eretria never regained its former power, the inhabitants rebuilt the city.

The Eretrians did not lose their fighting spirit. Evidence of this is the number of ships sent to war at:

• Salamis in 480 BC, for which they provided as many as seven ships,

• Plataea in 479 BC, for which they provided as many as five ships.

The dominance of Athens and the plague in 437 BC decimated the population.

In 411 BC, all Euboea regained independence.

In the 3rd century BC, Chalkida became the main fortress and naval base, while Eretria focused on the arts, gaining a reputation as a center of philosophy and science.