South-ward the road leads to Eretria which, in ancient times, was the second most important city on the island, after Halkida. It was a major maritime power and the standard of its intellectual activities was high. It was in Eretria that, in the 3rd century B.C., Menedimos, one of Plato's pupils, founded the Eretrian School of Philosophy. Excavations, undertaken in 1891, reveal many monuments and statues. Interesting objects for the visitor to see are the ancient baths, the remains of the Temple of Dafniforos Apollo, the Palaestra with its fine mosaic and the ancient theatre, unique in that it had a subterranean passage for use by the actors. The ancestral homes of several renowned seafarers still stand in the town. In the museum there are finds dating back to prehistoric, archaic, classic and hellenistic times. Eretria is also accessible by ferry-boat from Oropos.
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