THE ONLY THING NEEDED FOR THIS PHOTO : JUST TO BE THERE !!!
The area of Aedipsos has a special place in mythology. The goddess Athena asked the god of fire, Hephaestus, to bring the earth's surface waters warm, water to soothe, to heal waters so the protege of the legendary hero Hercules comes to rest after each feat. Hephaestus did not spoil the sake of his beloved sister. Hit the divine hammer of the bowels of the earth and immediately sprang warm thermal water. Upon mythology, those who settled first in Evia and the ancient Aedipsos wwere the Curetes who brought the worship of Zeus. In honor of Zeus, they built a temple, that within it brought up Zeus and after it became his prison. After the Curetes came Avantes, predominated in all the island of Evia. Aedipsos participated also in the fall of Troia.
The geographer Strabo (63 BC - 24 AD) describes the sources of the Baths as Ellopikes, by Ellopas, son of Ion, who conquered all region with the rest region of Istiea. He makes reference to earthquakes of Aedipsos, indicating that most part of Lihades islands and Cape Kinaion sank, and the baths of Aidipsos, too.
The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC), in his "Meteorological" makes reference to the sources of Baths, says that the sea forms underground rivers and from this cause created the hot springs area of Aedipsos.The region from earlier times was known for workshops of copper and perhaps justifies that was one of the few cities that had their own currency. This coin, which says Rigas Ferraios (1757 - 1798) in his "Charter", had engraved on one side a fish and at the other a crab, symbolizing the marine wealth of the region. St. Vyzantios refers to copper mines near Aedipsos and the famous "sword aedipsikon".
Historian Plutarchos (50-125 AD) describes the social life that had developed in the region, as the ideal city for fun, and with brilliant diet plenty of fish and birds. The historian also mentions that Aedipsos for more than four centuries, from the king of Macedonia Antigonus to Roman emperors Geta and Gordian enjoyed great prosperity.
According a local tradition, Leipso (ancient name of Aedipsos) was only the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah, the city of sin, because the sinner's life passed guests there is even brought their destruction after flipping and sagging of the earth, and the subsequent appearance of hot water. The same tradition says that from the biblical destruction was saved only a woman, Zacharaina or Goodness, together with the sow and her piglets, her own property, but she disobeyed the divine command not to return to see the facts and she was punished becoming marble in position. Another tradition identifies finally Aedipsos with Babel.
Use of the baths did the Roman general Sulla. According to the historian Plutarchos, when Sulla had health problems came in the bathhouse. Nowadays exist baths ruins, bearing the name "Baths of Sulla". Aedipsos was visited also by the Emperors Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Pertinos and the empress Julia Dovna. In town were found pedestals of statues of Constantine the Great and the Byzantine emperor Theodosius. With the triumph of Christianity, began to leave the spa which was associated with the Roman manners and an idolatrous habit and the population was concentrated at the region of Agia Paraskevi, near the present village of Aedipsos.
After a great period of decline and after the Greek war of indipendence (1821-1828) the region was sold to the residents and in the middle of the 19th century the first hotels. "Thermae Sylla" was built in 1859 and after that were built "Herakleion", "Stadion", "Istiea", "Aigli", "Avra", "Akti", "Petit Palais" and many others.
Many famous personalities have visited the town so far, such as Lucius Cornelius Sulla, the Emperors Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Pertinos, and latest Sir Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo, Eleftherios Venizelos, Theodoros Deligiannis, Georgios Theotokis, Ioannis Kondilakis, Archbishop of Athens Theocletus I, Aristotelis Onassis, Maria Callas, Kostis Palamas, Marika Kotopouli and others.