Magne (Greece)

The Magne or Mani (in Greek: Μάνη) is a Greek Péninsule located at the south of the Peloponnese between the gulf of Messénie in the west and the gulf of Laconie in the east. Magne corresponds to the prolongation towards the south of the Mounts of the Taygète. It is bordered in the North-East by the town of Kalamata and its two principal localities are Areópoli and Gythio. The inhabitants of Magne are Maniotes. ----

The origin of the current name of Magne is discussed, but it is generally allowed that could come from Manos-i which means: sparse; dryness; without tree. The oldest quotation of this name dates from the 9th century in a report/ratio intended for Leon VI Wise the in the form of Mani (Μάνη) and Maïni (Μαΐνη) to indicate the place of dwelling of a priest. Then, the D.A.I. (De Administrando Imperio) of Constantin Porphyrogénète, going back to 948 - 956, speaks about the “inhabitant of the Mani castle”. The name is then announced as that of a cross castle frankly built by Guillaume II of Villehardouin in 1249: Large Magne / Megali Maïni (Μεγάλη Μαΐνη). Before the name of the peninsula was Lakoniki .

Geography

Traditionally Magne is subdivided between four geographical entities:

in the North-West the external Magne (Έξω Μάνη) which depends on the names Messénie;
in south-west the Magne interns (Μέσα Μάνη);
in the east the higher Magne (Κάτω Μάνη);
and in north Vardounia (Βαρδούνια).

These three last areas are currently attached to names Laconie.

Magne is an arid and mountainous area. The winters are relatively cold and the very hot and dry summers. The southern part of Magne (Magne internal and Magne higher) is the most arid part of the peninsula. Naturally the trees are rare there, the ground is poor there and the rock is often with naked. Of fact, the majority of the vegetation is consisted small bushes, of some Chêne S and cultures of olive-tree S. This aridity, is partly explained by the Géologie basement. Indeed, it is almost only consisted Marbre gray-white, is said marble maniote, ages Eocene Crétacé with .

History

Prehistory

Magne is occupied as of the period of the Moustérien (Paléolithique means) and excavations carried out in the archaeological sites of Kalamakia (Καλαμάκια) and of Lakonis (Λακωνίς) respectively located close to the towns of Aréopolis and Gythio show an occupation by the men of Néandertal as from 100.000 years before the present. In addition two craniums were discovered in the cave Apidima (Απήδημα) close Aréopolis but their attribution with men of Néandertal is dubious. Magne was undoubtedly also occupied at the time of the Paléolithique superior but there were no yet of it excavations for this période.
On the other hand the occupation of Magne at the time of the Neolithic is better known in particular thanks to the excavations in the cave of Alépotripa (Αλεπότρυπα) with Diros (Διρος). These excavations showed that as of this period (4 500 with 2700 av. J. - C.) there were exchanges of raw material (Obsidienne) between Magne and certain islands of the Aegean Sea.

Antiquity

The peninsula continued to be occupied during the Helladique old and average (3000 with 1550 av. J. - C.), then Magne then was subject to the influence of civilization mycénénienne (1600 with 1100 av. J. - C). At the end of this period Homère quotes in the Iliade inter alia, the towns of Oitylo and Kardamyli which kept their names until our days. The Doriens settled during XII E then the peninsula belonged to the sphere of influence of the city-state of Sparte as well as the remainder of Laconie. The town of Gythio becoming the main port of Sparte. With the fall of Sparte at the 3rd century Laconie - Magne included/understood - knew a short autonomy before falling under the Roman influence as from the 2nd century under the name of the Ligue from Lacédémoniens free .

The Middle Ages

After the disappearance of the Roman Empire of Occident in 476 the influence of the Byzantine Empire decreased little by little at the time of first half of the Middle Ages and in fact the peninsula was found isolated politically from Constantinople about the 7th century - 8th century because of raids of Arab pirates and the arrival and the installation in the Peloponnese of tribes Slaves and Albanian be. The latter probably brought with them a social structure ic Clan controlled by some big families and which was established especially in the south of Magne.

Between the 9th century and the 12th century the Byzantine empire took again the control of Magne and undertook the christianization area. Christianization which is really attested only as from the 9th century although some vaults date from the 5th century. The area remained a long time an enclave of the Hellenic worship, benefitting hitherto from its insulation and its distance of Constantinople.

This Byzantine influence will perdurera until the plundering of Constantinople at the time of the Fourth crusade in 1204. The peninsula fell then under control from the Venetian and French knights (all called Francs

Random links: