Laurium
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Lavrio ( Greek: Λαύριο, ancient Greek Laurion Λαύριον, officially Dimos Lavreotikis Δήμος Λαυρεωτικής ) is a municipality in the Attica and the same small town seat of this community. This is located between the ancient villages Thorikos and Sounion right on the coast of the Aegean Sea. Here were in ancient times, the silver mines, which have largely contributed to the City of Athens wealth.
Today's church was formed in 2010 through the amalgamation of neighboring communities Agios Konstantinos and Keratea. Today, the community effort on the general tourist development Attica participate.
The town of Lavrio increased rapidly from the late 19th century with the onset of industrialization in the region; mining in the first place, the installation of a power plant and other industrial facilities that offered many jobs and workers from the entire Greece attracted.
After migration and decay of the city in the second half of the 20th century, continued in recent years, again a migration. Generally Lavrion terms of population, is an embossed from all regions of Greece city. As the only city in Greece Lavrion has in the main square ( plateia) in the center of a church, because the respective immigrant groups could not agree on any style.
History
In ancient Laurion or Laurium described the whole mountainous country in southeastern Attica, a demos that name never existed. After grave finds, the area was already inhabited in the Palaeolithic period. In Thorikos mining began in the 3rd millennium BC As early as the Mycenaean period was exported from here to Crete, Santorini and Egypt silver. In the 6th century BC began under Pisistratus, the systematic exploitation of mineral resources. In the 5th and 4th centuries BC, private entrepreneurs were active as tenants of the state, they worked it well against 20,000 slaves, mostly non-Greek origin. One of the most famous big business in this area was the Athenian general Nicias, who instructed his Thracian slave Sosia with the supervision of over 1000 mining slaves. In the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, the production decreased. Also, there was a revolt among the slaves working there ( 104-100 BC ), where the near Cape Sounion was occupied. In the 2nd century AD Pausanias speaks of this area as a place "where the Athenians once had silver mines ".
1864 Mining of a French company was taken up in the 1950s again. After the closure of the French company also other companies from the region withdrew, followed by a recession with the decline to date stately infrastructure ( Lavrion was the first railway line in Greece tethered ) and began a massive poverty in the region.
Only from the 1994 tentative first new enterprises were started after the tourist value of the environment has been recognized here. For example, was the first privately operated yacht Marina of Greece ( Olympic Marine ) their operating license in Lavrion. At the 2004 Olympic Games began a massive effort to adapt Lavrion the relatively affluent neighboring communities. Even today ( -2008 ) is working day and night tirelessly to expand the port, road connections and drains, which should be completed in 2004. Due to the proximity Lavrions to the new Athens International Airport and conveniently located, as a starting point for trips to the Greek Islands Lavrion is becoming increasingly attractive for ferry connections to the relief of the port of Piraeus and the yacht base.
About the technology
The ore was mined partly open pit and partly underground. The main problem was the water that was needed for the processing of the ore. The crude ore was first sorted by hand, then crushed in a mortar and ground in mills. This led in car washes. In this case, the ground material was placed onto a slightly inclined basin, on the water flowed from the nozzle. The effluent was collected again and directed on the Unhaltige settled out at the bottom and the residual water was flushed again across the table in a circular catch basin ( clearly visible on the upper figure). The heavy ore fraction that remained on the table, was smelted cleaned again in a furnace. This was done in two phases:
The silver of Laurion had a purity of 986 /1000 sec. Four tonnes of heavy fraction were processed per furnace and day, what need a ton of charcoal. In this area, which was once " woody ", everything was practically cut down.
Excavations
The site can be found scattered in Argileza and Thorikos impressive remains; especially of washes, cisterns and canals. A map of the Mining Museum of Lavrion facilitates orientation.