Overview

According to legend, Aegina was named after the daughter of Asopos. She was kidnapped by Zeus who brought her to the then, uninhabited island. There, they bore a son named Aiakos, who later became king of the island. The archeological record shows the island to have been inhabited since the Neolithic period and is thought to be the birthplace of the poet, Aristophanis.Today the ancient site is called Colonna, due to the single remaining column that towers above the remains. As mentioned earlier, you may enter the remains through the gate at the archaeological museum. The Austrian Institute has been working at the site for some time, cleaning and surveying the site.

There have been numerous remains of Early-Late Helladic structures found here, and these are some of the most visible from the the platform at the column. The column itself was once part of a Temple of Apollo that was once thought to belong to Aphrodite. It is thought that the temple was built around 520-500 BCE, but some scholars are hesitant to accept this date. It definitely was of the Doric order, and the columns were obviously monolithic. There were six columns on the ends and 12 on the sides. A late Roman fortress was built atop the temple and parts still remain towards the sea. Unfortunately during the construction of the harbor by Capodistrias, much of the conglomerate blocks from the structure were used to create a modern mole (which sits atop the ancient one). Tip: You can see the ancient foundations underwater if you take a look at an aerial view of the town (try a postcard).