Argos

Argos, city of ancient Greece, in NE Peloponnesus, 3 mi (4.8 km) inland from the Gulf of Argos, near the modern Nauplia. It was occupied from the early Bronze Age and is mentioned in Homer's Iliad as the kingdom of Diomed. Argos was the center of Argolis and in the 7th cent. B.C., under King Pheidon, dominated much of the Peloponnesus. For centuries it was one of the most powerful Greek cities, struggling with Sparta and rivaling Athens and Corinth. Much of Argos' power disappeared after Cleomenes I of Sparta took (c.494 B.C.) the city. Pyrrhus was killed in an attack on Argos in 272. The city joined the Achaean League in 229, and in 146 it was taken by Rome, under whose rule trade flourished. The Heraeum temple, 6 mi (9.7 km) N of Argos, was the principal center for the worship of the goddess Hera. Argos produced important sculptors, including Polycletus, in the 5th cent. There is a small modern town called Argos on the site of the ancient city.

Argos, in Greek mythology: see Argus.

Ancient city-state, northeastern Peloponnese, Greece. Under the Argive king Pheidon, it was the dominant city-state in the Peloponnese in the 7th century BC until the rise of Sparta. After suffering incursions from Macedonia, Árgos joined the Achaean League in 229 BC. Later it came under Roman rule. The city flourished in Byzantine times but ultimately fell to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. During the War of Greek Independence (1821–29), the first free Greek Parliament was convened at Árgos. The modern town (pop., 2001: 24,700) is an agricultural centre.

Learn more about Árgos with a free trial on Britannica.com.

See Argos