ERETRIA (mod. Aletria)  , an ancient coast town of Euboea about 15 M . S.E. of Chalcis, opposite to Oropus . Eretria, like its neighbour Chalcis (q.v.), early entered upon a commercial and colonizing career . Besides founding townships in the west and north of Greece, it acquired dependencies among the Cyclades and joined the great mercantile alliance of Miletus and Aegina . Since the so-called . Lelantine War (7th century B.C.) against the coming league of Chalcis, it began to be overshadowed by its rivals . The interference of Eretria in the Ionian revolt (498) brought upon it the vengeance of the Persians, who captured and destroyed it shortly before the battle of Marathon (490) . The city was soon rebuilt, and as a member of both the Delian Leagues attached itself by numerous treaties to the Athenians . The latter, through their general Phocion, rescued it from the tyrants suborned by Philip of Macedon (354 and 341) . Under Macedonian and Roman rule Eretria fell into insignificance; for a short period under Mark Antony, the triumvir, it became a possession of Athens . Eretria was the birthplace of the tragedian Achaeus and of the " Megarian " philosopher Menedemus . The modern village, which is sometimes called Nea Psarra because the inhabitants of Nara were transferred there in 1821, is on unhealthy low-lying ground near the sea .

The excavation of the site was carried out by the

American School of Athens (1890-1895) . At the foot of the Acropolis Hill, where the ground begins to rise, the theatre lies; and though the material of which this was built is rough, and only seven imperfect rows of seats remain, a good part of the scena and of the chambers behind it is preserved, and beneath these there runs a tunnel, which, together with other peculiar features, has raised interesting questions in connexion with the arrangement of the Greek theatre, the orchestra being at present on a level about 12 ft. below that of the rooms in the scena . Near by are the substructions of a temple of Dionysus and a large altar, and also a gymnasium with arrangements for bathing . Besides these, in 'goo the substructions of a temple of Apollo Daphnephoros were unearthed . Both the northern and the southern side of the hill are flanked by walls, which seem to have reached the sea, where there was a mole and a harbour; and the wall of the acropolis itself remains in one part to the height of eight courses .