Mothone
Mothone, historically known as Methone, is a significant harbor town located on the Messenian peninsula in southwestern Peloponnese, Greece. Its historical relevance is underscored by its mention in Homer's works, particularly as one of the cities promised to Achilles by Agamemnon. Initially a dependency of Sparta, Mothone experienced a notable siege by Athenian forces during the early Peloponnesian War. In a pivotal moment of its history, Philip II of Macedonia incorporated Mothone into Messenia, marking a shift in its governance.
The town gained prominence in the second century BC, issuing its own coinage and joining the Achaean League until it fell under Roman control in 146 BC. Mothone played a crucial role during the civil war between Antony and Octavian, serving as a strategic point for naval operations. Under Emperor Trajan, Mothone was granted the status of a free city, leading to the development of its harbor. Archaeological investigations in the area have revealed numerous shipwrecks and artifacts, including temples dedicated to deities like Athena Anemotis and shrines to Artemis, reflecting the town's rich cultural heritage and historical significance.
Subject Terms
Mothone
or Methone, identified with Homer's `vine-clad Pedasus,’ one of the seven cities promised by Agamemnon to Achilles (although some authorities believed that Pedasus was Corone instead)
Mothone was a harbor town on the peninsula of Messenia (southwestern Peloponnese, southern Greece), beside the rocky islet of Mothon. A dependency of Sparta, who gave it to refugees from Nauplion (Nauplia) in the Argolid, Mothone was unsuccessfully besieged by the Athenians at the outset of the Peloponnesian War (431 BC). Philip II of Macedonia (359–336) removed the town from Spartan rule and attached it to Messenia. In the second century it was issuing its own coinage and became a member of the Achaean League, until annexation by Rome (146).
In 31, during the course of the civil war between Antony and Cleopatra VII in the east and Octavian (the future Augustus) in the west, Mothone played a decisive role in history. Antony's forces and fleets were extended along a series of strong points lining the east coast of Greece from Corcyra (Corfu) in the north to Mothone in the south, where his commander was the exiled Mauretanian king Bogud. Contrary to all expectation, Octavian's admiral Agrippa crossed the Ionian Sea as early as March (when the milder weather had scarcely begun) and employed not the direct route but a long diagonal passage bringing him to Mothone, which he immediately captured, killing Bogud and stationing a garrison in the town. From this base he could harass Antony's other naval stations, and it was now only a matter of time before Octavian himself arrived and the decisive victory at Actium was won.
Mothone was granted the status of a free city by Trajan (AD 98–117). A mole, first constructed in this time or a little later, reinforced the bar that ran out to Mothon island, and protected the harbor. This semicircular port, surrounded by colonnades, is depicted on a coin of Geta, the son of Septimius Severus (193–211), showing a statue at the entrance and a galley about to come in. Other coins of the same period depict a number of deities, including Athena Anemotis, whose temple Pausanias saw: he also visited a shrine of Artemis, and noted an unusual spring of water mixed with pitch.
A number of the many wrecks found off the coast have been investigated by underwater archaeologists, including two of the Roman imperial period containing fragments of columns and sarcophagi.