The Environment
The Geography
Aegina is located in the Saronic Gulf, southwest of Athens. It is a large, arid island with few springs and only seasonal streams. Today water must be ferried to the island, but in antiquity we know of ancient aqueducts that fed the city from mountain springs east of the port. The highest peak, Mt. Oros, is in the south. From here a panoramic view of the gulf grants sight of the southern tip of Attica (Sounion) as well as Epidauros to the west. This works two-ways: the surrounding city-states ringing the Saronic Gulf wouldn't be able to forget the power Aegina.
The Temple of Aphaia is on a spur near the eastern coast of the island (north of Agia Marina). From this hilltop one can easily see Athens on a clear day and the temple itself can be seen as one sails to and from Piraeus. This position of the Temple of Aphaia was important in antiquity. Ships seeing the temple would understand the wealth and power of Aegina.
The ancient geographer Strabo wrote about Aegina in the first century BCE as follows: "The circumference of the island is said to be 180 stadia. It has a city of the same name facing toward the Lips wind, and is surrounded by Attica, the Megaris, and the Peloponnesos as far as Epidauros, about 100 stadia distant from each. Its eastern and southern portions are washed by the Myrtoan and Cretan seas. There are many islets around it, near the mainland, although Belbina extends to the open sea. The territory has soil at a depth but is rocky on the surface, especially in the plains, and thus is totally bare except for producing enough barley. The Aeginetans were called Myrmidons, not because of the story that when there was a large famine the ants [myrmekes] became human beings due to a prayer by Aeacus, but because, in the manner of ants, they excavated the earth and placed it on the rocks so that it could be cultivated, and also because they lived in dugouts and did not use bricks...Ephorus says that silver was first minted on Aegina, under Pheidon, since it became a great emporium, because the people, due to the wretchedness of the soil, became merchants active on the sea. Because of this small objects are called 'Aeginetan merchandise'." (Strabo 8.6.16, trans. Roller adapted)
Poseidon
A modern graffito of Poseidon. Aegina was deemed a thalassocracy by Herodotus and the wealth and power of the island hinged on sea-power and trade. The harbor of Aegina town is still a popular destination for yachts and ferries connecting Aegina to the larger Aegean.
The Saronic Gulf
In Aegina, you are never far from the sea. The people of Aegina were famous for their navy and their mercantile wares in the Archaic period and their position in the Saronic Gulf made them the envy of Athens. The sea provided the power and prestige of Aegina and also food (one can still find octopi and fresh fish sold daily in the fish market of Aegina town).
Sanctuary of Zeus Hellanios
This fabulous site sits on the slopes of Mt. Oros. This is the place where Aeacus asked Zeus for rain on behalf of Greece and his wish was granted. It was linked to the top of the mountain (and the altar to Zeus there) by a small path. A large cistern sits to the south of the site, which still collects water. High retaining walls can be dated to around 500 BCE and marked off a festival space where the people of Aegina gathered for rites and celebrations in honor of Zeus. A Byzantine monastery reused many of the blocks and now sits on top of the terraced space.
Kolonna Sanctuary
In the main port city of Aegina, one finds the remains of the ancient city. Remains stretch back to 2500 BCE but the column and many of the blocks are from a 6th C. BCE Temple of Apollo. This hill was the center of the ancient city and is full of domestic and civic architectural remains.
Inscriptions
A late Roman wall was made from spolia (reused materials) at the Kolonna sanctuary. These blocks originally were part of a dining complex on which dignitaries inscribed their names. In the evening sun, the raking light allows one to read the names of the past.
Cistern at Mt. Oros
This cistern collected water for the sanctuary of Zeus Hellanios and continues to be in use today. Shepherds bring their goats and sheep here to drink and many blocks from the sanctuary are being reused as troughs nearby.
Palaiochora
The medieval city of Palaiochora has numerous old churches, most in a state of ruin. The people of Aegina had moved their capital to this spot from the coast so they could more easily see pirate activity during the Byzantine period and only moved back to the coast in the early 19th C.
Agriculture
In antiquity there were more numerous olive groves than today. An olive blight hit Aegina in the early 20th century causing the people of the island to turn to pistachio production instead. One can still find scattered olives throughout the island, however, some hundreds of years old.
Cacti with Pistachio
Today there are pistachio groves in much of the island (especially the north). Pistachios (fistika, in Greek) are associated with the island almost exclusively in Greece and they make up one of Aegina's primary exports. They are often served with ouzo for a midday snack in Aegina.
Donkey, cacti, and an old olive tree outside of Agia Marina, Aegina. You can take a trip around the island with this video.