Árgos

Árgos, city, central Greece, in the Pelopónnisos Region, near Corinth. Árgos dates from the Bronze Age and is believed to be the oldest city in Greece. In the Homeric Age, Árgos was reputedly ruled by the warrior Diomedes. The city subsequently became part of the Mycenaean civilization. In historic times, specifically during the reign of King Pheidon (flourished 7th century bc), Árgos was the most powerful city-state in the Pelopónnisos. After a disastrous protracted struggle with Sparta in the 5th century bc, Árgos lost power and influence. In 229 bc it joined the Achaean League, and it became part of the Roman province of Achaea in 146 bc. During the late Middle Ages Árgos was part of the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Empire held the city from 1460 until 1830. In the 1820s, during the Greek struggle for independence, the city served briefly as the seat of the Greek National Assembly. An Ottoman army sacked the city in 1825. The present city is an important railway junction and is noted for the ruins of a temple to the Greek goddess Hera. Population (1991) 22,289.