Dion (Greek, Modern ???
Dio, Ancient/Katharevousa -on;) is a municipality and village in the Prefecture of
Pieria,
Macedonia,
Greece, best known for its
museum and
archaeological site. The Ancient city of Dion was a place of some importance, due to its location at the foot of Mount Olympus. Archaeological findings show that this was where
Zeus was honored. It is located 15 km. SW of
Katerini, 425 km to the North of
Athens and 65 km to the North of
Larissa.
The village owes its name to the important sanctuary dedicated to Zeus (Greek "Dias"), leader of the Twelve Gods who dwelt on Mount Olympus, as recorded by Hesiod. The ruins of the ancient city lie within its boundaries. Thyia, daughter of Deucalion, bore Zeus two sons, Magnes and Makedon, who dwelt in Pieria at the foot of Mount Olympus.
The first mention of Dion in history comes from Thucydides, who reports that it was the first city reached by the Spartan general Brasidas after crossing from Thessaly into Macedon on his way through the realm of his ally Perdiccas II during his expedition against the Athenian colonies of Thrace in 424 BC. According to Diodorus Siculus, it was Archelaus I who, at the end of the 5th century BC, gave the city and its sanctuary their subsequent importance by instituting a nine-day festival that included athletic and dramatic competitions in honor of Zeus and the Muses.
Dion used to be a village called "Malathria". In 1992 a mass demonstration was staged in Dion at the Ancient Theatre in support of the Greekness of Macedonia. This was at a time when the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was in dispute with Greece on this topic. In October 1992, it became a municipality for political reasons, and the municipality now encompasses several villages including Kondariotissa, Vrondou, Karitsa, and Dion. The municipality is called "Dimos Diou" or the "Municipality of Dion" and the administrative centre is in the village of Kondariotissa.
