Lavrio

{{Short description|Town in southeastern Attica, Greece}} {{For|the small town in the United States|Laurium, Michigan}} {{Redirect|Laurion|the moth genus|Argyroeides laurion}} {{Use British English|date=February 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox Greek Dimos |name = Lavrio <br/> Lavrion <br/> Laurium |name_local = Λαύριο/Λαύριον |type = |image_skyline = LavrioPort.jpg |caption_skyline = The port of Lavrio |image_map = Dimos Lavriou.png |map_caption = Location of the Lavreotiki municipal unit |city_flag = |city_seal = |coordinates = {{coord|37|42|N|24|3|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}} |elevation = 10 |periph = Attica |periphunit = East Attica |municipality = Lavreotiki |municunit = Lavreotiki |districts = |population_as_of = 2021 |population = 7525 |area = |postal_code = 195 xx |area_code = |licence = |website = }}

'''Lavrio''', '''Lavrion''' or '''Laurium''' ({{langx|el|Λαύριο}}; {{langx|grc|Λαύρειον}} (later {{lang|grc|Λαύριον}});<ref>[https://logeion.uchicago.edu/%CE%9B%CE%B1%CF%8D%CF%81%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%BF%CE%BD Liddell, Scott, Jones, ''Greek Lexicon''].</ref> from Middle Ages until 1908: Εργαστήρια ''Ergastiria'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eetaa.gr/eetaa/metaboles/oikmet_details.php?id=10722|title=EETAA local government changes|website=eetaa.gr|access-date=26 June 2020}}</ref> is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Greece. It is part of Athens metropolitan area and the seat of the municipality of Lavreotiki.<ref name=Kallikratis>{{Cite web|url=http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wGYK2xFpSwMnXdtvSoClrL81-32jgAMSfbnMRVjyfnPUeJInJ48_97uHrMts-zFzeyCiBSQOpYnT00MHhcXFRTsb2fGphpq4MKX2ZkaHobySNnvZCNHXvYVvlf80XevW0Q.|title=ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities|language=el|publisher=Government Gazette}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=NWC|title=Map of Athens: offline map and detailed map of Athens city|url=https://athensmap360.com/athens-map#.Ydeji1mxW3A|access-date=7 January 2022|website=athensmap360.com|language=EN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Athens Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)|url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/athens-population|access-date=7 January 2022|website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref> Laurium was known in Classical antiquity for its silver mines, one of the chief sources of revenue of the Athenian state.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} The silver was mainly used for coinage. The Archaeological Museum of Lavrion shows much of the story of these mines.

It is about 60 km southeast of Athens city center, on a bay overlooking the island of Makronisos (ancient Helena) to the east. The EO89 road runs through Lavrio.

==History== {{further|Thoricus|Mines of Laurium}} thumb|left|upright=1.2|Map of the mines of Laurion thumb|Ruins of the ancient theatre at Thorikos thumb|Archaeological Museum of Laurion The modern town of Lavrio is at the site of the ancient village of Thoricus; its name is taken from that of the entire region of the Mines of Laurium.

The earliest evidence for mining dates to the beginning of the Bronze Age, ca. 3200 BC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://greece.greekreporter.com/2016/02/17/newly-discovered-greek-silver-mine-rewrites-history/|title=Newly Discovered Greek Silver Mine Rewrites History - GreekReporter.com|website=greece.greekreporter.com|access-date=20 April 2018}}</ref>

Systematic exploitation of mineral resources seem to have begun in the 6th century BC under Peisistratus.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/arcm.12839 |title=Other ways to examine the finances behind the birth of Classical Greece|last1=Wood|first1=J.R.|journal=Archaeometry|year=2022|volume=65 |issue=3 |pages=570–586 |s2cid=253075525 |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10159871/ |doi-access=free}}</ref> After the battle of Marathon, Themistocles persuaded the Athenians to devote the anticipated revenue derived from a major silver vein strike in the mines of Laurion circa 483 BC to expanding the Athenian fleet to 200 triremes, and thus laid the foundation of the Athenian naval power. The mines, which were the property of the state, were usually farmed out for a certain fixed sum and a percentage on the working; slave labour was exclusively employed.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Towards the end of the 5th century, the output fell, partly owing to the Spartan occupation of Decelea. But the mines continued to be worked, though Strabo records that in his time the tailings were being worked over, and Pausanias speaks of the mines as a thing of the past. The ancient workings, consisting of shafts and galleries for excavating the ore, and washing tables for concentrating the ore, are still visible in places.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

The mines were reworked in the late 19th century by French and Greek companies, but mainly for lead, manganese and cadmium.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} In 1896 a strike from the miners was violently confronted by the mining company's guards resulting in the death of two workers. The miners responded by destroying the company's offices and killing the guards. The government then sent police forces to support the company's interests against the strikers. Further clashes between workers and the police occurred to which the government replied by sending the military against the striking workers resulting in more workers' deaths. The strike ended violently with most of the strikers' demands not being fulfilled and with a military force being permanently established to patrol the miners.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 April 2017 |title=Η απεργία των μεταλλωρύχων στο Λαύριο το 1896. Τέσσερις εργάτες δολοφονήθηκαν και η κυβέρνηση έστειλε στρατό και πλοία για να καταστείλει την απεργία |url=https://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/i-apergia-ton-metallorichon-sto-lavrio-to-1896-tesseris-ergates-dolofonithikan-ke-i-kivernisi-estile-strato-ke-plia-gia-na-katastili-tin-apergia/ |access-date=21 August 2022 |website=ΜΗΧΑΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ |language=el}}</ref>

The Mineralogical Museum of Lavrion comprises samples of minerals from the region of Lavrion. <gallery widths="180px" heights="120px"> Λαύριο 1946.JPG|Panorama In the port of Lavrio, Greece - panoramio.jpg|Modern Lavrio Ρολόι Λαυρίου 6987.jpg|Clocktower Lavrion ruins.jpg|Technological park Statue of Giovanni Batista Serpieri Lavrion far view.jpg|Statue of 19th-century Italian industrialist Giovanni Battista Serpieri, active here in the mines (sculp. Georgios Vroutos) </gallery>

==Climate==

Lavrio, owing to its location in the southern tip of the Athens Riviera, has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: ''BSh''), closely bordering a hot-summer mediterranean (''Csa'') climate. It has mild winters and hot summers, with particularly warm summer nights. The summer highs are 2 °C lower than in Piraeus and 4 °C lower than in downtown Athens. The driest months are July and August while the rainiest period is during December and January. Lavrio falls in hardiness zone 10b.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.meteo.gr/Monthly_Bulletins.cfm | title=N.O.A Monthly Bulletins }}</ref>

{{Weather box|location = Lavrio (2008–2025) |metric first = y |single line = y |Jan high C = 14.2 |Feb high C = 14.9 |Mar high C = 16.7 |Apr high C = 19.9 |May high C = 24.3 |Jun high C = 28.8 |Jul high C = 31.3 |Aug high C = 30.8 |Sep high C = 27.6 |Oct high C = 23 |Nov high C = 19.5 |Dec high C = 15.9 |Jan mean C = 11.3 |Feb mean C = 12 |Mar mean C = 13.5 |Apr mean C = 16.4 |May mean C = 20.7 |Jun mean C = 25.3 |Jul mean C = 28.1 |Aug mean C = 28 |Sep mean C = 24.7 |Oct mean C = 20.2 |Nov mean C = 16.8 |Dec mean C = 13.1 |Jan low C = 8.5 |Feb low C = 9 |Mar low C = 10.3 |Apr low C = 12.9 |May low C = 17.1 |Jun low C = 21.7 |Jul low C = 25 |Aug low C = 25.2 |Sep low C = 21.7 |Oct low C = 17.4 |Nov low C = 14.1 |Dec low C = 10.3 |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm = 68.3 |Feb rain mm = 47.6 |Mar rain mm = 37 |Apr rain mm = 19.6 |May rain mm = 6 |Jun rain mm = 10.6 |Jul rain mm = 2.8 |Aug rain mm = 0.3 |Sep rain mm = 22.5 |Oct rain mm = 28.6 |Nov rain mm = 56.9 |Dec rain mm = 80.5

|source 1= National Observatory of Athens Monthly Bulletins (Oct 2008 – Nov 2025) <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.meteo.gr/Monthly_Bulletins.cfm | title=Meteo.gr – Προγνώσεις καιρού για όλη την Ελλάδα }}</ref> |source 2= Lavrio N.O.A station <ref>{{cite web | url=https://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/lavrio/ | title=Latest Conditions in Lavrio – Greece }}</ref>}}

==Sports== Laurium hosts the football club Olympiacos Laurium, which played in the Gamma Ethniki in the past, and the basketball club Lavrio B.C., which plays in the Basket League. {|class="wikitable" |- !colspan="4"|Sport clubs based in Laurium |- !width="150"|Club !Founded !Sports !Achievements |- |Olympiacos Laurium||1926||Football ||Previous presence in Gamma Ethniki |- |Lavrio B.C.||1990||Basketball ||Current presence in Basket League |}

==Twin towns== * {{flagicon|Serbia}} Aleksinac, Serbia * {{flagicon|Romania}} Mangalia, Romania

==See also== * List of municipalities of Attica

==References== {{reflist}}

==Sources== * Édouard Ardaillon, "Les Mines du Laurion dans l'antiquité", No. Ixxvii. of the ''Bibliothéque des Ecoles francaises d'Athênes et de Rome''. * {{EB1911|wstitle=Laurium (Greece)|display=Laurium|volume=16|page=287}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://www.sunflowertalk.ch/itunesu/english/inhalte_e/exploring_money_world/laurion_en.mp4 A video podcast made by the MoneyMuseum on the importance of Laurion's silver mines for Greek coinage.] * [http://www.yougoculture.com/virtual-tour/lavrion-sounion/experience/the-town-of-lavrion A Virtual tour of the town of Lavrio]

Category:Populated places in East Attica Category:Lavreotiki Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece Category:Silver mines in Greece Category:Mining communities in Greece Category:Geography of ancient Attica Category:Ports and harbours of Greece Category:Athens Riviera Category:Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Attica