Nafplio through time

 

Nafplio is one of the most charming and historic cities in Greece, having played a significant role both in ancient and modern history of the region and the country. Nafplios, son of Poseidon and Amymoni, was the founder of the city of Nafplio. The most famous of his successors was his 5^th descendant of the same name, Nafplios, who played an important role in the argonautic expedition. His son, Palamides, became well-known as an inventor, doctor, astronomer, poet, mathematician and a philosopher. He discovered the letters of the alphabet, the numbers and measuring weights. The castle of the city, Palamidi, holds its name. Ever since, the city followed the fate of its region, Argolida. During the Roman and Byzantine years it was a traditional city of the Hellenic world. Nafplio was for several years under Frankish, Venetian and Turkish domination. It became the first capital of the independent Hellenic state following the 1821 revolution against the Turks. In the years that followed, Nafplio played a leading role in the political developments of that time. Nafplio today is an open museum of nearly every historic period.

 

The names of Nafplio

 

As you walk through the city, you might realise that the name of the city is either Ναύπλιο (pronounced Nafplio, it is the Modern Greek version) or Ναύπλιον (pronounced Nafplion, it is the ancient Greek version). The city is also widely known as Ναύπλια (pronounced Nafplia) or Ανάπλι (pronounced Anapli), which would have been more common during the Venetian and Ottoman domination. Nafplio is also known as the Napoli di Romania (the word Romania refers to a region inhabited by people belonging to the Greek orthodox faith and distinguishes the city from the other Napoli, Naples in Italy).