The history of Aegina is remarkably rich for so small an island, spanning from prehistoric times to the birth of the modern Greek nation. In antiquity Aegina was a formidable maritime and trading power that rivalled Athens, struck some of the first coins in the Greek world, and built the great Temple of Aphaia. In the modern era it earned a unique distinction as the first capital of newly independent Greece. This long and eventful past, from ancient sea empire to national capital. Has left its mark all over the island and gives Aegina a significance far beyond its size in the story of Greece.
Understanding the history of Aegina adds real depth to a visit, explaining its great monuments, its proud identity and its role in the wider Greek story. This guide traces that history from the island’s prehistoric beginnings and its rise as an ancient sea power, through its famous coinage and rivalry with Athens. To the medieval town of Paleochora, the struggle for independence. Its brief but pivotal moment as the first capital of modern Greece.
How far back does the history of Aegina go?
The history of Aegina goes back to prehistoric times, with evidence of settlement from around 3000 BC in the Neolithic and Bronze Age.
Aegina has been inhabited since deep prehistory, with archaeological finds showing settlement on the island from around 3000 BC in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age. The low hill of Kolona above the harbour of the modern town was the acropolis of this ancient settlement. Excavations there have revealed successive layers of occupation stretching back thousands of years. Making it one of the longest-inhabited sites in the region.
In the centuries that followed, the island shared in the great cultures of the Aegean Bronze Age before being settled. Like much of southern Greece, by the Dorians around 900 BC. This long, layered past laid the foundations for the island’s later rise. The visible remains at Kolona. Together with finds displayed in the town’s archaeological museum, connect visitors directly to Aegina’s deep and ancient roots. From these prehistoric beginnings the island grow into one of the most important powers of the early Greek world.
Why was ancient Aegina such an important sea power?
Ancient Aegina was an important sea power because of its position in the Saronic Gulf and its skilled merchants and sailors, whose ships traded across the Mediterranean.
Aegina’s rise to power was built on the sea. Lying in the middle of the Saronic Gulf, within easy reach of the trade routes of the Aegean. The island developed a strong merchant fleet whose ships carried goods to the Cyclades, Crete, the Greek mainland and far beyond. Through this trade the islanders grew wealthy and influential. By the end of the sixth century BC Aegina had emerged as a preeminent commercial and cultural power in the Greek world.
This prosperity funded great achievements, above all the magnificent Temple of Aphaia and a celebrated local school of sculpture whose work was admired across Greece. It also brought the island into direct rivalry with its powerful neighbour Athens, with which it competed for trade and naval supremacy in the Saronic Gulf. For a time, small Aegina stood as one of the leading states of Greece. A remarkable feat for an island of its size. This golden age remains the proudest chapter of its ancient history.
Did Aegina really mint the first Greek coins?
Yes, Aegina is widely credited with striking some of the very first coins in the Greek world, beginning in the mid-sixth century BC.
One of Aegina’s greatest claims to fame is its coinage. The island is recorded as one of the first Greek states, if not the first, to mint its own coins, beginning in the middle of the sixth century BC. These early silver coins are known as turtles, after the sea turtle stamped on them. They are among the earliest true coins produced anywhere in the Greek world, a milestone in the history of money.
The turtles were far more than a local curiosity. Aegina produced them in great quantities to serve its extensive trade. Their weight standard became dominant across much of Greece during the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Used and imitated well beyond the island. The coins are a direct and tangible symbol of Aegina’s commercial reach and wealth at its height. Examples can be seen in museums today. Connecting visitors to the island’s pioneering role in the ancient economy.
What happened between Aegina and Athens?
Aegina and Athens were bitter commercial and naval rivals in the Saronic Gulf.
For much of its history Aegina’s fortunes were shaped by its rivalry with Athens, its far larger and increasingly powerful neighbour across the Saronic Gulf. The two states competed fiercely for trade and control of the sea. This long antagonism was one of the defining features of the island’s ancient story. At times spilling over into open conflict as Athens sought to dominate the gulf.
The balance tipped decisively against Aegina. In the middle of that century Athens moved against the island and subdued it, breaking its naval strength and bringing its independence to an end. This marked the close of Aegina’s golden age. Although the island remained inhabited and its great temple stood on. Its days as a leading power of the Greek world were over, eclipsed by the rise of Athens.
What is the medieval history of Aegina and Paleochora?
In the medieval period, to escape pirate raids, the islanders abandoned the coast and built a hidden fortified town inland at Paleochora, which became the capital of Aegina for centuries.
Aegina passed through Roman and Byzantine hands and, like much of the Aegean, suffered greatly from the piracy that plagued the seas in the medieval and later centuries. To escape these raids, the islanders moved away from the exposed coast and built a new, hidden capital inland. The fortified town of Paleochora, safely out of sight of raiders from the sea, crowned by a castle.
For centuries Paleochora was the heart of the island, a thriving town famous for its churches. Of which dozens survive today scattered across the hillside, some still preserving old frescoes. The island later passed under Venetian and Ottoman rule, sharing the turbulent fortunes of the region. Today the abandoned ruins of Paleochora, near the great Monastery of Saint Nektarios, are one of Aegina’s most atmospheric sites, a haunting reminder of these dangerous medieval centuries and the island’s resilience.
Why was Aegina the first capital of modern Greece?
Aegina was chosen as the first capital of the newly independent Greek state in 1828, under the first governor Ioannis Kapodistrias.
Aegina’s most celebrated modern distinction came during the Greek War of Independence and its aftermath. When the new Greek state was taking shape, the island was chosen in 1828 as its first capital under Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of independent Greece, who based the fledgling government here in a safe and central Saronic location while the mainland was still unsettled.
For a brief but hugely significant period the little island was the seat of the new nation. Here some of the first institutions of the modern Greek state were founded. The first coinage of independent Greece was minted. Echoing across the centuries the island’s ancient role as the pioneer of Greek coins. Although the capital soon moved on, first to Nafplio and then to Athens, this moment left Aegina with an enduring place in the story of modern Greece, reflected in the elegant neoclassical buildings of Aegina Town that date from this era, part of the island’s rich capital heritage.
Where can you see the history of Aegina today?
You can see the history of Aegina across the island: at the Temple of Aphaia, the ancient Kolona site and archaeological museum in the town, the medieval ruins of Paleochora, and the neoclassical buildings of Aegina Town from its time.
The long history of Aegina is wonderfully visible for visitors to explore. The island’s ancient greatness lives on above all at the superbly preserved Temple of Aphaia on its eastern hill, and at the Kolona site by the harbour with its lone ancient column and its archaeological museum, one of the oldest in Greece, whose collection includes finds spanning the island’s whole story.
Elsewhere, the medieval chapter survives in the evocative ruined town of Paleochora, while the elegant neoclassical mansions of Aegina Town recall its brief life as the capital of the new Greek nation. Together these sites let visitors trace the island’s remarkable journey from prehistoric settlement and ancient sea power to national capital. For a fuller picture of how they fit into a visit, see our guide to the island of Aegina and its attractions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Aegina the first capital of Greece?
Yes, Aegina was the first capital of the modern Greek state. When Greece won its independence, the island was chosen in 1828 as the seat of the new nation’s government under Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of independent Greece, at a time when much of the mainland was still unsettled and insecure. For a brief but pivotal period the little Saronic island hosted the fledgling institutions of the state. The first coins of modern Greece were minted here. A striking echo of the island’s ancient role as a pioneer of Greek coinage. The capital was soon moved, first to Nafplio and later to Athens as the state took firmer shape.
Aegina’s place in history as the very first capital of independent Greece remains a proud distinction. Still reflected today in the neoclassical buildings of Aegina Town that date from this brief golden moment.
What were the ancient turtle coins of Aegina?
The turtle coins of Aegina were silver coins minted by the island from the middle of the sixth century BC. Among the very first true coins produced in the Greek world. They take their name from the sea turtle depicted in relief on them, which became the emblem of Aegina’s coinage. Struck in large quantities to serve the island’s extensive maritime trade. The turtles circulated far beyond Aegina. Their weight standard became dominant across much of Greece in the sixth and fifth centuries BC, used and copied by many other states.
The coins are a powerful symbol of Aegina’s wealth and commercial reach at the height of its power, when the island was one of the leading trading states of the Greek world. Examples of these historic coins survive in museum collections, testifying to the island’s pioneering role in the early history of money.
Why did ancient Aegina decline?
Ancient Aegina declined chiefly because of its rivalry with Athens, its far more powerful neighbour across the Saronic Gulf. For generations the two states competed fiercely for trade and naval dominance. As Athenian power grew rapidly through the fifth century BC, the balance shifted decisively against the smaller island. By the middle of that century Athens moved against Aegina and subdued it. Breaking its naval strength and ending its independence, which brought the island’s golden age of wealth and power to a close. Although Aegina remained inhabited and its great Temple of Aphaia continued to stand, it never regained its former standing as a leading power of the Greek world.
In later centuries the island shared the turbulent history of the region under Roman, Byzantine. Venetian and Ottoman rule. Suffered from piracy, before its dramatic return to prominence as the first capital of modern Greece.