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{{short description|Mountain and peninsula in northeastern Greece}}
{{About|the mountain and peninsula in Greece|the Eastern Orthodox monastic community and the autonomous region of Greece|Monastic community of Mount Athos||Athos (disambiguation){{!}}Athos}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name           = Mount Athos
| photo          = Mt. Athos (3939757657).jpg
| photo_size     = 280
| elevation_m    = 2033<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inathos.gr/athos/en |title=Mount Athos Home |access-date=11 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001070854/http://inathos.gr/athos/en |archive-date=1 October 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| elevation_ref  = 
| prominence_m   = 2012
| prominence_ref = 
| range          = 
| location       = [[Europe]]
| country        = [[Greece]]
| region         = [[Monastic community of Mount Athos|Agio Oros]]
| map            = Greece
| map_caption    = Location of Mount Athos in Greece.
| map_size       = 240
| label          = Mount Athos
| label_position = right
| listing        = [[Ultra prominent peak|Ultra]]
| coordinates    = {{Coord|40|09|30|N|24|19|38|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|display=inline,title}}
| topo           = 
| first_ascent   = 
| easiest_route  = 
| embedded       = {{designation list 
 |embed                   = yes
 |designation1            = WHS
 |designation1_date       = 1988 <small>(12th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
 |designation1_type       = Mixed
 |designation1_criteria   = i, ii, iv, v, vi, vii
 |designation1_number     = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/454 454]
 |designation1_free1name  = Region
 |designation1_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|Europe]]
 }}
}}

'''Mount Athos'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|θ|ɒ|s}}; {{langx|el|Ἄθως}} {{IPA|el|ˈa.θos|}}}} is a mountain on the '''Athos peninsula''' in northeastern [[Greece]] directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]] [[monasticism]]. 

The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed as an [[Autonomous administrative division|autonomous region]] in Greece by the [[monastic community of Mount Athos]], which is ecclesiastically under the direct jurisdiction of the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople]]. The remainder of the peninsula forms part of the [[Aristotelis (municipality)|Aristotelis]] municipality. By Greek law and by religious tradition, women are prohibited from entering the area governed by the monastic community.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36378690|title=Why are women banned from Mount Athos?|date=27 May 2016|publisher=BBC|access-date=11 June 2023|archive-date=14 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214103147/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36378690|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mount Athos has been inhabited since ancient times and is known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to at least 800 AD during the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine era]]. Because of its long history of religious importance, the well-preserved agrarian architecture within the monasteries, and the preservation of the flora and fauna around the mountain, the [[monastic community of Mount Athos]] was added to the UNESCO [[World Heritage List]] in 1988.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/454 |title=Mount Athos |website=UNESCO World Heritage Convention |publisher=United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization |access-date=30 October 2022 |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115202010/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/454 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Names ==
In the [[Classical Greece|classical era]], Mount Athos was called ''Athos'' and the peninsula {{Lang|la|Acté}} (in Latin) or {{transliteration|grc|Akté}} ({{Langx|grc-x-koine|Ἀκτή}}). In modern Greek, the mountain is {{transliteration|el|Oros Athos}} ({{langx|el|Όρος Άθως}}) and the peninsula {{transliteration|el|Hersonisos tou Atho}} ({{lang|el|Χερσόνησος του Άθω}}), while the designation {{transliteration|el|[[Agio Oros]]}} ({{lang|el|Άγιο Όρος}}), translating to 'Holy Mountain', is used to denote the monastic community.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davie |first1=Grace |last2=Leustean |first2=Lucian N. |title=The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Europe |date=8 December 2021 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-257106-9 |page=487 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7fVQEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA487 |language=en |access-date=21 June 2023 |archive-date=21 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621093907/https://books.google.com/books?id=7fVQEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA487 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some languages of Orthodox tradition use names that translate to 'Holy Mountain', including [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] and [[Serbian language|Serbian]] ({{lang|bg|Света Гора}}, {{transliteration|bg|Sveta Gora}}),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prime Minister Glavchev and Bulgarian delegation join the feast of Zograf Monastery in Mount Athos |url=https://www.gov.bg/en/Press-center/News/-Prime-Minister-Glavchev-and-Bulgarian-delegation-join-the-feast-of-Zograf-Monastery-in-Mount-Athos |access-date=2025-11-01 |website=www.gov.bg |language=en}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=November 2025|reason=Reliable citation needed for Serbian/Macedonian translation}} and [[Georgian language|Georgian]] ({{Lang|ka|მთაწმინდა}}, {{transliteration|ka|mtats'minda}}).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ratiani |first=Irma |author-link=Irma Ratiani |year=2023 |title=Georgian Literature before the Weltliteratur |url=https://jflc.hunnu.edu.cn/__local/A/F7/7E/8C3560930ED065B181C1752B6ED_B8A0E4BC_3CA10.pdf |journal=Journal of Foreign Languages and Cultures |publisher=[[Tbilisi State University]] |volume=7 |issue=2 |page=18}}</ref> However, not all languages spoken in the Eastern Orthodox world use this name: in the [[East Slavic languages]] ([[Russian language|Russian]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], and [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]]) it is simply called {{lang|ru|Афон}} ({{transliteration|ru|Afon}}, meaning 'Athos'), while in [[Romanian language|Romanian]] it is called 'Mount Athos' ({{lang|ro|Muntele Athos}} or {{lang|ro|Muntele Atos}}).{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

== Geography ==
[[File:Athos - from NW.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Mount Athos seen from the northwest]]

The peninsula, the easternmost "leg" of the larger [[Chalkidiki]] peninsula in central [[Greek Macedonia|Macedonia]], protrudes {{cvt|50|km|mi|0}}<ref name="Draper">Robert Draper, [http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/12/athos/draper-text "Mount Athos"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811023226/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/12/athos/draper-text |date=11 August 2011 }}, ''National Geographic'' magazine, December 2009</ref> into the [[Aegean Sea]] at a width of between {{cvt|7|and|12|km|mi}} and covers an area of {{cvt|335.6|km2|sqmi|0}}. The actual Mount Athos has steep, densely forested slopes reaching up to {{cvt|2033|m|ft|0}}. The Athos peninsula, unlike [[Sithonia]] and [[Kassandra, Chalkidiki|Kassandra]], is a geological continuation of the [[Rhodope Mountains]] of northern Greece and Bulgaria.<ref>{{cite book |last=Speake |first=Graham |title=Mount Athos: renewal in paradise |publication-place=Limni, Evia, Greece |date=2014 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-960-7120-34-2 |oclc=903320491 |page=32}}</ref>

The surrounding seas, especially at the end of the peninsula, can be dangerous. In ancient Greek history, two fleet disasters in the area are recorded: Herodotus claimed that in 492 BC, [[Darius the Great|Darius]], the king of [[Persia]], lost 300 ships under general [[Mardonius (general)|Mardonius]].<ref>[[Herodotus]], ''Histories'', book VI ("Erato"); [[Aeschylus]], ''The Persians''.</ref> In 411 BC the [[Sparta]]ns lost a fleet of 50 ships under the admiral Epicleas.<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]], ''Bibliotheca historica'' XIII 41, 1–3.</ref>

Mount Athos has an extensive [[footpaths of Mount Athos|network of footpaths]], many of which date back to the [[Byzantine period]]. Many are typically not accessible to motor vehicle traffic.<ref name="FOMA 2019">{{cite web |title=Footpaths of the Holy Mountain – FOMA |website=FOMA |date=2019-01-06 |url=https://athosfriends.org/visiting/clear-the-footpaths |access-date=2022-06-16 |archive-date=16 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616203905/https://athosfriends.org/visiting/clear-the-footpaths/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Flora==
Much of Mount Athos is covered with [[temperate broadleaf and mixed forests|mixed broadleaf deciduous]] and evergreen forests. Black pine (''[[Pinus nigra]]'') forests are found at higher elevations. [[Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests|Sclerophyllous scrub vegetation]] is also found throughout Mount Athos. Typical forest trees are sweet chestnut (''[[Castanea sativa]]''), holm oak (''[[Quercus ilex]]''), kermes oak (''[[Quercus coccifera]]''), Hungarian oak (''[[Quercus frainetto]]''), oriental plane (''[[Platanus orientalis]]''), black pine (''[[Pinus nigra]]''), and cedar (''[[Calocedrus decurrens]]''). Other common plant species include the strawberry tree (''[[Arbutus unedo]]'' and ''[[Arbutus andrachne]]''), cypress (''[[Cupressus sempervirens]]''), laurel (''[[Laurus nobilis]]''), lentisk (''[[Pistacia lentiscus]]''), phillyrea (''[[Phillyrea latifolia]]''), wild olive (''[[Olea europea]]''), and heather (''[[Erica (plant)|Erica]]'' spp.).<ref name="unep-wcmc">{{cite web |title=Mount Athos |website=World Heritage Datasheet |author=UN Environment [[World Conservation Monitoring Centre]] |date=2017-05-22 |url=http://world-heritage-datasheets.unep-wcmc.org/datasheet/output/site/mount-athos |access-date=2022-06-10 |archive-date=7 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807152226/http://world-heritage-datasheets.unep-wcmc.org/datasheet/output/site/mount-athos/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Deciduous trees that are primarily found alongside streams include [[white willow]], [[laurel (plant)|laurel]], [[Oriental plane]], and [[alder]] trees.<ref>{{cite book |last=Speake |first=Graham |title=Mount Athos: renewal in paradise |publication-place=Limni, Evia, Greece |date=2014 |isbn=978-960-7120-34-2 |oclc=903320491 |page=33 |edition=2nd}}</ref>

Aleppo pine (''[[Pinus halepensis]]'') is more commonly found in the northern part of the peninsula. Broadleaf [[maquis shrubland|maquis]] is found further south. Deciduous broadleaf forest dominated by [[sweet chestnut]] lies above the broadleaf maquis zone. There are also mixed forests consisting of deciduous oak trees, as well as [[Tilia|limes]], [[aspen]], [[hop hornbeam]], and [[maple]]. [[Pinus nigra|Black pine]] and [[stinking juniper]] can be found at higher elevations. Some herbaceous plants with tubers and bulbs include [[crocus]], [[anemone]], [[cyclamen]], and [[Fritillaria|fritillary]] species.<ref name="Speake 2014">{{cite book |last=Speake |first=Graham |title=Mount Athos: renewal in paradise |publication-place=Limni, Evia, Greece |date=2014 |isbn=978-960-7120-34-2 |oclc=903320491 |page=34 |edition=2nd}}</ref>

At least 35 plant species are endemic to Mount Athos, most of which are found in the area of the main summit in the south.<ref>Ganiatsas, K. (2003). ''I vlastesis kai i chloris tis chersonesou tou Agiou Orous''.</ref> ''[[Isatis tinctoria]]'' ssp. ''athoa'', a [[woad]] subspecies, and ''[[Viola athois]]'' are named after Mount Athos.<ref name="Speake 2014"/>

Mount Athos is also home to 350 species of mushrooms.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cosgrove |first1=Denis E. |last2=Della Dora |first2=Veronica |title=High places: cultural geographies of mountains, ice and science |publisher=I.B. Tauris & Co |publication-place=London |date=2009 |isbn=978-1-4416-2965-4 |oclc=503441715}}</ref><ref>S. Dafis, ‘Anthrōpines drastēriotētes kai fysiko perivallon’, in S. Dafis et al. (eds.), ''Fysekai Perivallon sto Agion Oros'', Thessalonica, 1998.</ref><ref>G. Sideropoulos, ''Agion Oros: anafores stēn anthropogeōgrafia'', Athens, 2000, p. 28.</ref><ref>O. Rackham, ‘Our Lady’s Garden: the historical ecology of the Holy Mountain’, ''Friends of Mount Athos, Annual Report'' (2000), p. 50.</ref><ref>D. Babalonas, ‘Chlōrida kai endemismos tou Agiou Orous’, in M. Parcharidou and M. Fountoulēs (eds.), ''Agion Oros: fysē, latreia, technē'', Vol. I, Thessalonica, 1999, p. 119.</ref>

==Fauna==
Mammals include the [[grey wolf]] (''Canis lupus''), [[wild boar]] (''Sus scrofa''), red fox (''[[Vulpes vulpes]]''), jackal (''[[Canis aureus]]''), European badger (''[[Meles meles]]''), beech marten (''[[Martes foina]]''), stoat (''[[Mustela erminea]]''), weasel (''[[Mustela nivalis]] vulgaris''), European hedgehog (''[[Erinaceus concolor]]''), shrews (''[[Crocidura]]'' spp.), and Mediterranean monk seal (''[[Monachus monachus]]'').<ref name="unep-wcmc"/> Other mammal species include [[roe deer]], [[European hare|hares]], and [[red squirrel]]s.<ref name="Speake 2014 p. 37">{{cite book |last=Speake |first=Graham |title=Mount Athos: renewal in paradise |publication-place=Limni, Evia, Greece |date=2014 |isbn=978-960-7120-34-2 |oclc=903320491 |page=37 |edition=2nd}}</ref>

Birds include the black stork (''[[Ciconia nigra]]''), short-toed snake-eagle (''[[Circaetus gallicus]]''), golden eagle (''[[Aquila chrysaetos]]''), lesser kestrel (''[[Falco naumanni]]''), capercaillie (''[[Tetrao urogallus]]''), eagle owl (''[[Bubo bubo]]''), yelkouan shearwater (''[[Puffinus yelkouan]]''), and Audouin's gull (''[[Larus audouinii]]'').<ref>Grimmett, R. & Jones, T. (eds) (1989). ''Important Bird Areas in Europe''. Technical Publication #9, ICBP, Cambridge, U.K.</ref><ref>Heath, M. & Evans, M. (eds) (2000). ''Important Bird Areas in Europe: Priority Sites for Conservation'' Vol.2. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.</ref> Other bird species include [[swift (bird)|swift]]s, [[swallow (bird)|swallow]]s, [[martin (bird)|martin]]s, [[nightingale]]s, and [[hoopoe]]s.<ref name="Speake 2014 p. 37"/>

== History ==
[[File:Mont Athos 3D version 1.gif|thumb|A 3D model of Athos]]

=== Antiquity ===
[[File:Ste01945.jpg|thumb|Imaginary view of the Alexander monument, proposed by [[Dinocrates]]; engraving by [[Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach]], 1725]]

In [[Greek mythology]], [[Athos (mythology)|Athos]] is the name of one of the [[Gigantes]] that challenged the [[Greek gods]] during the [[Gigantomachy|Gigantomachia]]. Athos threw a massive rock at [[Poseidon]] which fell in the [[Aegean Sea]] and became Mount Athos.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mythology and History of Chalkidiki (Halkidiki) |url=https://chalkidiki.com/mythology_history.html |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=chalkidiki.com |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108085611/https://chalkidiki.com/mythology_history.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to another version of the story, Poseidon used the mountain to bury the defeated giant.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

[[Homer]] mentions the mountain Athos in the [[Iliad]].<ref>Homer, ''Iliad'' 14,229.</ref> [[Herodotus]] writes that during the Persian invasion of [[Thrace]] in 492 BC, the fleet of the Persian commander [[Mardonius (general)|Mardonius]] was wrecked with losses of 300 ships and 20,000 men, by a strong North wind while attempting to round the coast near Mount Athos.<ref>Herodotus, ''Histories'' 6,44.</ref> Herodotus also states that [[Pelasgians]] from the island of [[Lemnos]] populated the peninsula, then called ''Akte,'' and names five cities thereon, [[Sane (Acte)|Sane]], [[Cleonae (Athos)|Kleonai]] (Cleonae), [[Thyssos]] (Thyssus), [[Olophyxos]] (Olophyxus), and [[Akrothoon]] (Acrothoum).<ref>Herodotus, ''Histories'' 7,22.</ref> [[Strabo]] also mentions the cities of Dion (Dium) and Akrothoon.<ref>Strabo, ''Geography'' 7,33,1.</ref> [[Eretria]] also established colonies on Akte. At least one other city was established in the Classical period: [[Acanthus (Greece)|Akanthos]] (Acanthus). Some of these cities minted their own coins.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The peninsula was on the invasion route of [[Xerxes I]], who spent three years<ref>Warry, J. (1998), ''Warfare in the Classical World'', Salamander Book Ltd., London, p. 35</ref> excavating the [[Xerxes Canal]] across the isthmus to allow the passage of his invasion fleet in 483 BC. After the death of [[Alexander the Great]], the architect [[Dinocrates]] (Deinokrates) proposed carving the entire mountain into a statue of Alexander.

[[Pliny the Elder]] stated in 77 AD that the inhabitants of Mount Athos could "live to their four hundredth year" due to the fact that they ate the skin of vipers.<ref>Pliny the Elder. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D7%3Achapter%3D2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029223357/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book%3D7:chapter%3D2|date=29 October 2021}}, Retrieved on 30 October 2021.</ref>

The lack of historical accounts shrouds the history of the peninsula during the later ages. Archaeologists have not been able to determine the exact location of the cities reported by Strabo. It is believed that they must have been deserted when Athos's new inhabitants, the monks, started arriving sometime before the ninth century AD.<ref name="Kadas1">{{cite book |last=Kadas |first=Sotiris |title=The Holy Mountain |year=1981 |publisher=Ekdotike Athenon |location=Athens |language=el |isbn=978-960-213-199-2 |page=9}}</ref>

=== Early Christianity ===
[[File:Athos peninsula.jpg|thumb|The peninsula as seen from the summit of Mount Athos]]
According to the Athonite tradition, the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]] was sailing accompanied by [[John the Evangelist]] from [[Jaffa|Joppa]] to [[Cyprus]] to visit [[Lazarus of Bethany]]. When the ship was blown off course to then-pagan Athos, it was forced to anchor near the port of Klement, close to the present monastery of Iviron. The Virgin walked ashore and, overwhelmed by the mountain's wonderful and wild natural beauty, she blessed it and asked her son [[Jesus]] for it to be her garden. A voice was heard saying, {{lang|grc|{{"-}}Ἔστω ὁ τόπος οὗτος κλῆρος σὸς καὶ περιβόλαιον σὸν καὶ παράδεισος, ἔτι δὲ καὶ λιμὴν σωτήριος τῶν θελόντων σωθῆναι"}} ("Let this place be your inheritance and your garden, a paradise and a haven of salvation for those seeking to be saved"). From that moment, the mountain was consecrated as the garden of the Mother of God and was out of bounds to all other women.{{efn|St Gregory Palamas included this tradition in his book ''Life of Petros the Athonite'', p. 150, 1005 AD.}}
[[File:Refectory in a Greek Monastery (Mount Athos).png|left|thumb|350 px|''Refectory in a Greek Monastery, Mount Athos'' by [[Théodore Ralli|Théodore Jacques Ralli]], 1885]]
Historical documents on ancient Mount Athos history are very few. Monks have certainly been there since the fourth century, and possibly since the third. During [[Constantine I]]'s reign (324–337) both Christians and followers of traditional Greek religion were living there. 
[[File:Anastasis Dionysius of Fourna.png|thumb|Anastasis by [[Dionysius of Fourna]] Timios Prodromos, Karyes, Mount Athos c. 1711]]
During the reign of [[Julian (emperor)|Julian]] (361–363), the churches of Mount Athos were destroyed, and Christians hid in the woods and inaccessible places.<ref>{{cite book |last=Speake |first=Graham |date=2002 |title=Mount Athos: Renewal in Paradise |publisher=Yale University Press |page=27 |isbn=0-300-093535}}</ref>

Later, during [[Theodosius I]]'s reign (379–395), the temples of the traditional Greek religion were destroyed. The lexicographer [[Hesychius of Alexandria]] states that in the fifth century, there was still a temple and a statue of "[[Zeus]] Athonite". After the [[Islamic conquest of Egypt]] in the seventh century, many Orthodox monks from the Egyptian desert tried to find another calm place; some of them came to the Athos peninsula. An ancient document states that monks "built huts of wood with roofs of straw{{nbsp}}[...] and by collecting fruit from the wild trees were providing themselves improvised meals."<ref>Biography of Saint Athanasius the Athonite</ref>

=== Byzantine era and onwards ===
{{expand section|date=October 2024}}
{{see|Monastic community of Mount Athos#History}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== See also ==
{{commonscat}}
{{Wikivoyage|Mount Athos}}
*[[Sacred mountains]]
*[[Okinoshima (Fukuoka)|Okinoshima]]
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle= Athos |volume= III |page=14 |short= 1}}

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{{Mount Athos}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Greece}}
{{Greek Macedonia}}
{{Byzantine Greece}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mount Athos| ]]
[[Category:Christian holy places]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Greece]]
[[Category:Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]]
[[Category:Landforms of Chalkidiki]]
[[Category:Places in the Iliad]]
[[Category:Mountains of Central Macedonia|Athos]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox Christian culture]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Greece]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Central Macedonia]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Greece]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox pilgrimage sites]]
[[Category:Mountains associated with Byzantine monasticism|Athos]]
[[Category:Mountains associated with Christian monasticism|Athos]]
[[Category:Ultra-prominent peaks of Europe]]