1. The name of One of the
Greek Furies.
2. A Greek city-state, located between Athens and Sparta. Historically, Megara started out under the control of Athens during the Bronze Age. It held a couple of important colonies (Chalcedon and Byzantium) as well as the island of Salamis which was later taken over by Athens in 570
BC. It was also at Megara that the
Persian armies were stopped from their military conquests into the Peloponnesian isthmus, and was constantly fought over during the Peloponnesian War by the Athenians and the Spartans, as it is strategically located at the land crossing to the Peloponnese.
When Megara turned against the Delian League, Pericles passed the Megarian Degree which forbade Megarians from Attic markets and harbors (Attica being the general name for the southern peninsula of
Greece containing Athens, Piraeus, Marathon, &c). Many historians think this action helped start the Peloponnesian War.
During the war, the Athenians invaded Megara's land holdings and often blockaded
the city from the sea, but
never actually
broke through the main city walls. For this reason Megara is one of the few states that was independent during the war.
The land itself is not very arable -- in fact just about the only natural resource the state has is its supply of
salt from the shores. Isocrates
said that the Megarians "farmed rocks." Megara was also the birthplace of Theognis the poet.
3. Also one of Hercules' wives. In the Disney version, she's his one
true love, but in the original Greek myth she's just one of his many wives and mistresses, and ultimately kills the
hero. In the Spanish-language version of the Disney film, the voice of Megara was played by Tatiana. (Hercules was
done by Ricky Martin.)
