Messinia Prefecture & Ancient Messinia (Ithomi)
The Peloponnesian Prefecture of Messinia has as its capital Kalamata, well known
for its olives and traditional dance, 'the kalamatianon'.
In ancient times Homer tells of wise King Nestor and more recently of the sea battle of Navarino where the Great Powers defeated the Turkish navy.
Messinia is warm and mild in climate and is 2,990 sq. km. in area. Its topography has a bit of everything, lush verdant areas, long sandy beaches, small coves with pebbled beach, sheltered bays and on the slopes of the Taigetos Mountains cool mountain villages.
In ancient times Messinia was the 2nd largest state of the Peloponnese and coveted by the Spartans who waged 3 wars of conquest upon it, finally succeeding. This forced the Messinians to emigrate to Italy where they founded the city of Messinia. Those who were left behind becaome 'Helots' or slaves of the Spartans. In 371 BC the Athenians and Macedonians helped the Messinians to recapture coastal areas between Cape Teneron and The Taigetus.
Ancient Messinia - Ithomi
The site is open in summer Tues-Fri 8am-7pm; Sat-Sun 8:30am-5pm; winter Tues-Sun 8:30am-3pm; free.
The remains of Ancient Messinia are backed by high mountains, dominated by the summit of Mount Ithomi (800meters) on whose lower slopes it was built. In its center is the modern village of Mavromati (which means 'dark eye'). It is 25km to the northwest of Kalamata. Mt Ithomi is one of three mountains surrounding the ancient acropolis, the others being Eva on the southeast, and Psoriari on the west.
This city was the 4th century BC fortified capital of the ancient Messenians, noted in its times for its impressive military architecture. It dates from 369BC, after Epaminondas returned the Messenians to their country in the 4th century BC, after the battle of Leuktra, and encouraged the building of a capital. The fortified city, with its 9km/5.5mile enclosing wall, was part of the strategic barrier against Sparta organized by Epaminondas, the southernmost of a chain of walled cities including Megalopolis and Argos.
According to
Diodorus, the city was built in only 85 days. No doubt Messenians were eager to re-establish their capital after four
centuries of resistance to Spartan oppression. In 214BC Messinia was besieged by a Macedonian general, Demetrios of
Pharos, who was killed there, and it was attacked in 202BC by the Spartan tyrant Nabis, but the attack was repelled by
Philopoemen who later attacked the Messenian rebels who had been incited by the demagogue, Dinokratis to revolt
against the Achaean League. Taken prisoner by them, he was forced to take poison in the dungeon where he was thrown; his
death was avenged by Lykortas, father of Polybius, who succeeded him.
The site: The long circuit of the wall , which followed the line of the ridge descending from the summit of Ithomi, had
four gates, with towers at regular intervals, and was as much as 2.5meters (8 feet) thick in some sections, and was
continuous except at points where it was totally incaccessible. Though only 4-5meters /13-16 feet high (less than the
height of many such fortifications) the escarpment below served as extra protection. The towers projected from the walls,
and were mostly square, but with some semicircular ones as well at important angles. Seven of the towers 
remain, though
incomplete. They were of two storeys, the lower storey with four loopholes, the upper with six small windows.
The best preserved stretch is near the Arkadia Gate, actually consisting of two sets of gates separated by a rather unusual round courtyard with mortar-less, very beautiful built walls made of rusticated blocks of stone (to 'rusticate' is to mark masonry with sunken joints, or to roughen its surface). Niches in this wall displayed statues of the city's divine protectors, among them no doubt the Hermes noted by Pausanius. The inner gate has a gigantic monolithic lintel, now half fallen ; the outer gate is flanked by two towers (of which only the foundations remain), from which attackers could be assaulted with hurled javelins or arrows.
Doubtless the population was able to take refuge within the huge enclosed area behind the walls (though intended also to enclose grain fields). A short section of paved road is visible, and outside the Gate is the stepped base of a large monument.
The main road, heading west within the walls, leads to a line of towers
still standing to their original height.
The temple to Asklipios dates from the Hellenistic period and is 71.9 meters (237 feet) by 66.67meters (220 feet). A sacrificial altar was also discovered. The temple stood in a courtyard with porticos around it, with Ionic bases and Corinthian capitals with a winged nike rising from their acanthus leaves, the bases of which are visible. In the corners ofthe courtyard are semicircular benches (exedrae). The theater is next to the temple (as at Epidavros), and was used also for ritual ceremonies; near it are the bouleuterion (vouleftirion, or council house) and the Propylaia.
On the west side is the Temple of Artemis Orthia ('orthios' meaning 'standing, erect or upright') (10.3meters or 34 feet by
5.8meters or 19 feet) had three sections: the 'cella', with a statue of the goddess, attributed to the sculptor Damophon,
with a semicircle of statues of the priestesses surrounding it (housed in the museum).
The Sebasteion, to the north, was dedicated to the cult of Augustus and the Roman emperors; south of the Asklipion were the Hellenistic baths, which had a swimming bath supplied with water via terracotta pipes. The Hierthysion was a temple with statues of the 12 Olympian gods, and one of bronze of the city's founder, Epaminondas. Remains of the stadium are farther south, with 19 rows of seats as well as remains of its palaestra. There are also traces of a large funerary monument in the Doric style (the Heroon) modelled on Asia Minor mausolea.
The site is open in summer Tues-Fri 8am-7pm; Sat-Sun 8:30am-5pm; winter Tues-Sun 8:30am-3pm; free. The archaeological
museum, found between the Arkadhia Gate and the village of Mavromati, displays fragments from the architecture of the site
and sculptures including the marble statue of the goddess Artemis Lafrias, restored from fragments, and also the six
statues of the priestesses from the temple of Artemis Orthia; small bronze objects and a model of the Asklipion.
Near the village a path ascends Ithomi, leading pass the Aqueduct which supplied water to the destroyed Fountain of Klepsydra; higher up are remains of an Ionic temple discovered in 1844, perhaps the temple of Artemis Laphria. The summit of Ithomi, (803meters), is more of a ridge than a peak, and served as a refuge during the First and Third Messenian Wars. It was mentioned by Homer.
The small monastery of Vourkano, founded in the 8th century, but taking its present form in
the 16th century AD had its ikon removed when it was abandoned in 1950.
A paved threshing floor there may have been the scene of the festival of the Ithomaea, which continues to present times in an annual festival of the Panayia (Virgin Mary).
The convent is on the site of an Altar Sanctuary of Zeus Ithomatas where human sacrifice is known to have been performed.
Two large cisterns can be seen up there, as well as a view that encompasses most of Messenia, with its lush and fertile fields.
