Aegina (2)Aigina

An island in the Saronic Gulf between Argolis and Attika (Attica), i.e. between the Greek mainland and the Peloponnesian Peninsula.

Approximately 52 square miles (135 square kilometers) in area with a shoreline of approximately 35 miles (56 kilometers).

Named after the nymph, Aegina; the island has been occupied since the Neolithic Period (3000 BCE) and was subsequently settled by the Minoans, the Achaeans and, finally, the Dorians.

After the defeat of the Persians in 480 BCE near the neighboring island of Salamis, the Athenians took control of Aegina and it ceased to be an independent state.

The island of Aegina was also the legendary home of the Myrmidons; Akhilleus (Achilles), the son of Peleus, was the leader of the Myrmidons at the siege of the city of Troy.

Approximate east longitude 23.26 and north latitude 37.46.

• Iliad, book 2, lines 562 and 684
• Eoiae, chapter 68(1), line 60
• Hymn to Delian Apollon, line 31
• Contest of Homer and Hesiod, line 331