Atalanti Island

Atalanti (Greek Αταλάντη ( f sg ) ), Atalantonisi (Greek Αταλαντονήσι ( f sg ) ) or Talantonisi (Greek Ταλαντονήσι ( f sg ) ), is a small uninhabited island in the Gulf of Atalanti in Greece.

Geography

The island is located about 1200 m east of the coastal town of scale. It is made with the middle and high a height of 123 m reaches of three hills. The island has a length from north to south of about 2.05 km and a maximum width of 1.2 km. At the northern tip at about 150 m distance the islet of Agios Nikolaos (Greek Άγιος Νικόλαος ) (1.6 ha) with a church, which is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. To the west about 140 meters away is the islet Prasonisi (Greek Πρασονήσι = green island ).

Designation

The island was named after the mythical huntress Atalante and bears the name since at least the 5th century BC Probably the city was named Atalanti to the island, with the possibility also exists, which passed the name of the town on the island.

History

In the year 431 BC during the Peloponnesian War Athens occupied the island Atalanti and turned it into a fortress. From here, they wanted to fight the allied with Sparta city Opus and prevent raids by pirates on the opposite Euboea. 426 BC, the base was destroyed by an earthquake and Atalanti, originally a peninsula was separated from the mainland. According to Strabo Atalanti was not separated from the mainland but split down the middle into two parts. Habbo Gerhard Lolling suspected that at this time Prasonisi arose and told of wall remains of the shipyards and the ramparts. A tsunami flooded the country and a trireme to have been thrown as a result of flooding from a shipyard on the Befestungsmauer. Thucydides reported that the Athenian walls were partially destroyed and two ships were rinsed on the land, with a ship broke. 421 BC after the Nikiasfrieden the island Atalanti was handed over to Sparta.

When invasion of the Galatians in 279 BC sent the Locrians, who lived near the island Atalanti, an army of 700 foot soldiers under the leadership of Meidias to Thermopylae. 192 BC landed Herodorus of Chios with 30 light commercial ships and an infantry of 600 men on Atalanti. He had to wait here for the arrival of the Roman army the job and the city of Chalkida to come to your aid and defend against the Romans.

With the beginning of the Greek Revolution in 1821 Atalanti served as a refuge and base for the Greek freedom fighters. End of 1821 devastated an Ottoman army led by Omer Vryoni and Kiose Mehmet Atalanti the city and captured the inhabitants. Those who escaped fled to the island Atalanti and lived on, in tents or huts. 1822 the plague spread across the island. 1824 the Ottoman fleet landed on the island, destroyed the houses and detained the refugees.

In the earthquake of 1894 an early Christian church that stood at one end of the island was destroyed. In 1910 there were four churches on Atalanti, none of which survived. Later, a church was built on the islet of Agios Nikolaos, which still exists today.

Flora and Fauna

In 1977 it was decided to restore the ecological balance Atalanti through targeted hunting. In addition, certain species were located there. The vegetation of the island is today mainly of olive trees and pistachios. Cretan wild goats, pheasants, partridges, rabbits, quail, woodcock, song thrushes and blackbirds populate the island. Around the island there are several fish farms.