Amfikleia

Municipal unit in Greece

Amfikleia Αμφίκλεια
Municipal unit
38°38′N 22°35′E / 38.633°N 22.583°E / 38.633; 22.583
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Central Greece
Regional unit	Phthiotis
Municipality	Amfikleia-Elateia
Area
• Municipal unit	229.37 km² (88.56 sq mi)
• Community	108.12 km² (41.75 sq mi)
Population (2021)^[1]
• Municipal unit	2,996
• Municipal unit density	13/km² (34/sq mi)
• Community	2,157
• Community density	20/km² (52/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Vehicle registration	ΜΙ

Amfikleia (Greek: Αμφίκλεια, before 1915: Δαδί - Dadi^[2]) is a town and a former municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amfikleia-Elateia, of which it is a municipal unit.^[3] The municipal unit has an area of 229.366 km², the community 108.124 km².^[4] At the 2021 census, the population of the municipal unit was 2,996 and of the community 2,157.^[1] The town is situated at the northern foot of Mount Parnassus, in the valley of the river Cephissus.^[5] It is 11 km northwest of Kato Tithorea and 31 km southeast of Lamia. Greek National Road 3 (Thebes - Lamia) passes through the town. The town is served by a railway station with connections on the Athens–Thessaloniki railway.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Amfikleia consists of the following communities:

Amfikleia
Bralos
Drymaia
Palaiochori
Tithroni
Xylikoi

History

Amfikleia was named after the ancient town Amphicleia (Ancient Greek: Ἀμφίκλεια). Amphicleia was also named Amphicaea (Ἀμφίκαια) and Ophiteia (Ὀφιτεία). It was situated in the north of ancient Phocis.^[6] The Persians under Xerxes destroyed the city in 480 BC during the second Persian invasion of Greece.^[7] It was rebuilt afterwards, and at the time of Pausanias (2nd century AD), it was known for the worship of Dionysus.^[6]^[8]

During the Middle Ages, a tower was built on the site of the acropolis. Today the site is occupied by the cemetery.^[5]

Dadi, which was founded near the site of ancient Amphicleia, became a vibrant town; in early 19th century, William Leake reported 500 families living in the town.^[9] Dadi was renamed to Amfikleia in 1915.^[2]

Notable people

Athanasios Eftaxias (1849–1931), politician

Gallery

The church of Holy Jerusalem above Amfikleia
Memorial to the 11 inhabitants executed by the Germans in 1943 as reprisals for a sabotage attack on Amfikleia railway station
Position of Amfiklia municipal unit in Amfiklia-Elatia Municipality, Fthiotida Regional Unit Greece

References

^ ^a ^b "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Πανδέκτης: Dadi -- Amfikleia". Retrieved 21 October 2010.
^ "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-21.
^ ^a ^b Koder, Johannes; Hild, Friedrich (1976). Tabula Imperii Byzantini, Band 1: Hellas und Thessalia (in German). Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. p. 122. ISBN 978-3-7001-0182-6.
^ ^a ^b Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Amphicaea". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
^ Herodotus, Histories 8.33
^ Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.33.9-11
^ Leake, William Martin (1835). Travels in Northern Greece. Vol. 2. p. 74.