Nisaea

In the first years of the Peloponnesian War (431 BC), Nisaea was defeated in a naval battle against an Athenian fleet.[7] Following their defeat, eight thousand Peloponnesian soldiers marched to Nisaea, and boarded 40 stolen Magarian ships at the port to attack Athenian strongholds.[7] Following the attack, an Athenian fleet blockaded the harbour of Nisaea to prevent shipments from being received or sent out.[7] In the fifth year of the war (427 BC), the Athenians under Nicias took possession of the island of Minoa, which allowed Athenian forces to seize full control over Nisaea.[17][3] In the eighth year of the war (424 BC), the long walls which had acted as a Peloponnesian garrison were breached and Nisaea fell to the Athenians after a siege of two days.[18][3] Nisaea became the port of Megara once again in 409 BC.[3] The walls of Nisaea which had been damaged during the Peloponnesian war were rebuilt in 343 BC by Athenian army leader Phocion as a symbol of understanding between Megara and Athens.[8]

Nisaea was the only Saronic port of Megara, and was used to ship resources across the gulf and receive resources as well.[1][8] Aristophanes describes natural salt pans found on the coast near Nisaea, where salt was collected and exported to Athens.[8] Megarians produced high quality wool used for clothing and winter attire which was shipped for trade from Nisaea over the Saronic gulf.[19] Megarians profited significantly from the exports and imports which travelled through Nisaea.[19]

A Roman marble bust of the goddess Demeter from the National Roman Museum. The bust is a copy of the original Greek version from 4th century BCE.

Nisaea housed a temple dedicated to Poseidon, who was predominant to Megarian colonies.[8] Thucidydes noted a shrine dedicated to Enaylius located near the harbour of the port town.[8] A sanctuary of Demeter Malophoros was near Nisaea, which dated back to the Archaic period.[8] An account by Pausanias describes how the roof of the Demeter Malophoros temple had collapsed due to deterioration.[8] The cult of Demeter was brought to Nisaean Megara by colonists in the Archaic period. Neither locations of the temples are known, which is also the case for the location of Nisaea itself.[8]

A poet by the name of Theognis is debated to have been from either Nisaean Megara or Megara Hyblaia in Sicily.[9] Although significant figures such as Plato doubted that Theognis was from Nisaean Megara, Theognis' poetry about the Persian Wars is said to be distinctly Megarian, but his origin still remains uncertain.[20] Historians consider it more likely that Theognis is from Nisaean Megara.[21] The poet Semonides mentions the port as "the navel of the Nisaians" in another poem about the Persian Wars, which was believed to be written in the 5th century.[22]

The second-century Greek writer Athenaeus preserves a fragment of the lost poem Georgica of Nicander in his The Deipnosophists. In this lost poem, Nicander declares the roses of Nisaea second only to Emanthian roses as the most fragrant and beautiful.[23]