Lavrio

{{see|Thoricus|Mines of Laurium}}

File:Carte du Laurion antique.jpg

File:Theatre at Thorikos.jpg

File:Archaeological museum of Lavrion, building, 190140.jpg

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.{{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}}

Systematic exploitation of mineral resources seem to have begun in the 6th century BC under Peisistratus.{{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}}

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. An unrecorded number were children. It was a miserable, dangerous, and brief life. As many as 20,000 slaves were employed at the height of the mining. A silver mint (Argyrocopeum) was at Laurion.

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, may still be seen at many locations. There were well engineered tanks and reservoirs to collect rainwater for washing the ore since abundant supplies from streams or rivers was impossible at the site.

The mines were reworked in the late 19th century by French and Greek companies, but mainly for lead, manganese and cadmium. 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.{{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}}

The Mineralogical Museum of Lavrion comprises samples of minerals from the region of Lavrion.

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)

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. {{cite web | url=https://www.meteo.gr/Monthly_Bulletins.cfm | title=N.O.A Monthly Bulletins }} According to the station of the National Observatory of Athens, Lavrio has never recorded an air frost.

{{Weather box|location = Lavrio (2008–2024)

|metric first = y

|single line = y

|Jan high C = 14.1

|Feb high C = 15.0

|Mar high C = 16.6

|Apr high C = 20.0

|May high C = 24.3

|Jun high C = 28.7

|Jul high C = 31.2

|Aug high C = 30.8

|Sep high C = 27.7

|Oct high C = 23.0

|Nov high C = 19.4

|Dec high C = 15.9

|Jan mean C = 11.2

|Feb mean C = 12.1

|Mar mean C = 13.4

|Apr mean C = 16.5

|May mean C = 20.7

|Jun mean C = 25.2

|Jul mean C = 28.1

|Aug mean C = 28.0

|Sep mean C = 24.7

|Oct mean C = 20.2

|Nov mean C = 16.7

|Dec mean C = 13.1

|Jan low C = 8.4

|Feb low C = 9.1

|Mar low C = 10.3

|Apr low C = 13.0

|May low C = 17.1

|Jun low C = 21.7

|Jul low C = 25.0

|Aug low C = 25.2

|Sep low C = 21.7

|Oct low C = 17.5

|Nov low C = 14.0

|Dec low C = 10.3

|Jan record high C = 22.9

|Feb record high C = 23.1

|Mar record high C = 23.3

|Apr record high C = 27.7

|May record high C = 32.8

|Jun record high C = 39.3

|Jul record high C = 42.4

|Aug record high C = 38.2

|Sep record high C = 38.7

|Oct record high C = 33.1

|Nov record high C = 27.4

|Dec record high C = 23.7

|Jan record low C = 0.1

|Feb record low C = 0.6

|Mar record low C = 0.6

|Apr record low C = 5.8

|May record low C = 10.8

|Jun record low C = 14.8

|Jul record low C = 19.9

|Aug record low C = 19.6

|Sep record low C = 14.3

|Oct record low C = 8.8

|Nov record low C = 6.6

|Dec record low C = 2.4

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 70.8

|Feb rain mm = 47.4

|Mar rain mm = 39.4

|Apr rain mm = 20.3

|May rain mm = 6.2

|Jun rain mm = 11.3

|Jul rain mm = 2.9

|Aug rain mm = 0.3

|Sep rain mm = 22.5

|Oct rain mm = 27.5

|Nov rain mm = 52.6

|Dec rain mm = 77.5

|source 1= National Observatory of Athens Monthly Bulletins (Oct 2008 – Nov 2024) {{cite web | url=https://www.meteo.gr/Monthly_Bulletins.cfm | title=Meteo.gr – Προγνώσεις καιρού για όλη την Ελλάδα }} |source 2= Lavrio N.O.A station {{cite web | url=https://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/lavrio/ | title=Latest Conditions in Lavrio – Greece }}}}

The Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport is 35 km away from Lavrio or about 30 minutes drive.

Lavrio is connected to Athens by car using the Lavrio/Sounio Leoforos (Highway) and then Attiki Odos. This trip takes about an hour.

A quite convenient solution to go to Athens is to "park and drive". Drive from Lavrio to Koropi Train Station and there take the suburban railway or metro that goes straight to Athens center. (30 minutes drive + 30 minutes train)

Lavrio was the terminal station of the Athens-Lavrion Railway, which was abandoned in 1957.

The mining town of Laurium, Michigan was named after the famous Greek Laurium.

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.

• {{flagicon|Serbia}} Aleksinac, Serbia
• {{flagicon|Romania}} Mangalia, Romania

• List of municipalities of Attica

{{reflist}}

• Édouard Ardaillon, "Les Mines du Laurion dans l'antiquité", No. Ixxvii. of the Bibliothéque des Ecoles francaises d'Athênes et de Rome.
• {{1911|wstitle=Laurium (Greece)|volume=16|page=287}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://users.ntua.gr/dtert/trena/ekdromes/Lavrio/ About the abandoned railway line Athens – Lavrio] {{in lang|el}}
• [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]

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{{Landmarks of Attica}}

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