AEGINA (Egina or Engia), a Greek island, in the Saronic gulf, 20M. from the Piraeus. Tradition derives the name from Aegina, the mother of Aeacus, who was born _in and ruled the island. In shape Aegina is triangular, 8m. long from north-west to south-east, and 6m. broad, with an area of about 41 sq.m. The western side consists of stony but fertile plains, well cultivated with grain, vines, almonds, figs and some cotton. The rest of the island is rugged. From the conical Mt. Oros at the south end, the Panhellenian ridge stretches north with narrow fertile valleys on either side. From the absence of marshes the climate is the most healthy in Greece. The island forms part of the modern nomos of Attica and Boeotia, of which it forms an eparchy. The sponge fisheries are important. The chief town is Aegina, at the north west end of the island, the favourite summer residence of many Athenians.
The well known temple stands on the ridge near the north corner of the island. In 1811 Baron Haller von Hallerstein and the English architect, C. R. Cockerell, discovered much sculpture from the pediments, which was bought in 1812 by the crown prince Louis of Bavaria and set up in the Glyptothek at Munich. The restoration by B. Thorvaldsen was drastic, ancient parts being cut away to allow of additions treated in imitation of the ancient weathering. The arrangement of the figures has been disputed. Cockerell's inward-facing groups were adopted at Mun ich till 1901, when Furtwangler's excavation of the site, and fresh study of the figures and fragments in Muriich, led to a rearrange ment which may be regarded as approaching finality. The figures no longer all face towards the centre, but are broken up, as in other early compositions, into a series of groups of two or three figures each. A figure of Athena still occupies the centre of each pediment, but is set farther forward. On each side of this, in the west pediment, is a group of two combatants over a fallen war rior; in the east pediment, a warrior whose opponent is falling into the arms of a supporting figure; other figures also—the bowmen especially—face towards the angles, and so give more variety. The west pediment, which is more conservative in type, represents the earlier expedition of Heracles and Telamon against Troy; the eastern, which is bolder and more advanced, probably refers to episodes in the Trojan war. There are also remains of a third pediment, which may have been produced in competition, but never placed on the temple. (For the character of the sculptures see GREEK ART.) Inscriptions found by the recent excavations seem to prove that the shrine belonged not to Zeus or Athena as formerly supposed, but to the local goddess, Aphaea, identified by Pausanias with Britomartis and Dictynna. The present temple probably dates from the time of the Persian wars. In the town of Aegina itself are the remains of another temple, dedicated to Aphrodite; one column of this still remains standing, its founda tions are fairly preserved, and its votive offerings are important in the early history of Greek vase painting.
of Ionia (London, 1797), ii. P1. ii.–vii.; C. R. Cockerell, The Temples of Jupiter Panhellenius at Aegina, etc. (London, 186o) ; Ch. Gamier, Le Temple de Jupiter Panhellenien Egine (Paris, 1884) ; Ad. Furtwangler and others, Aegina, Heiligtum der Aphaia (Munich, 1906), where earlier authorities are collected and discussed.
