Thermum
Thermum, located in the Aitoloakarnania Prefecture of Greece, is a historical quasi-urban center with significant archaeological and cultural heritage. The town is situated on a terrace above marshy land near Lake Trichonis and has traces of settlement dating back to the later Bronze Age. As a principal center of worship for the Aetolian people, Thermum played a crucial role in their social and political life, particularly as the meeting place for the Aetolian League established in the fourth century BC. The site is notable for its temple dedicated to Apollo Thermius, which has undergone various reconstructions, including an early Doric shrine and later architectural embellishments after suffering damage during conflicts, including the Lamian War.
Thermum's historical significance is further underscored by its involvement in various military events, including being captured and sacked by Macedonian generals. Despite these challenges, it remained an active settlement well into the Roman period, until it was overshadowed by the establishment of Nicopolis. The archaeological remains of multiple temples, stoas, and a fountain, some of which are still functional today, highlight the town's rich cultural life and its enduring legacy as a center of worship and community activities.
Subject Terms
Thermum
Thermon, Thermos (Thermon, formerly Kephalovrisi)
A quasiurban center of Aetolia in west-central Greece. Situated on a long terrace of an upland valley above marshy ground, surrounded by fields, beside the northeastern shore of Lake Trichonis, Thermum dominated the central Aetolian plain. Settlement took place in the later Bronze Age (from which houses survive), and traces of occupation in the early first millennium BC have come to light. The principal center of worship of the Aetolian people, Thermum also became the meeting place for their League when this was established in the fourth century BC. During the Lamian War, in which the Greek city-states rebelled against Macedonian rule, Thermum fell into the hands of the Macedonian generals Antipater and Craterus (323); and it was twice subsequently sacked by Philip V (218, 206), who destroyed most of the local collection of 2000 statues. But the town was rebuilt and remained in existence until eclipsed by the foundation of Nicopolis by Octavian (the future Augustus) after the battle of Actium (31).
It was here that the Aetolians elected their federal officials, holding a large Fair and athletic games to celebrate the cult of Apollo Thermius. His precinct, at the foot of Mount Mega Lakkos, included a temple which goes back to a rudimentary three-chambered structure of the early first millennium BC. This was replaced by a Doric shrine of unusually early date (c 630–600), with metope plaques displaying mythological paintings, which was remodelled in the later sixth century—when architectural decorations (antefixes) displaying bearded men and Sileni were added—and again shortly before 200, after the damage inflicted by Philip V. At this juncture the sanctuary was surrounded by a rectangular fortification protected by square towers. Nearby is a smaller, equally early temple of Apollo Lyseius, from which painted terracotta metopes have been recovered. There are also remains of another small shrine of the same epoch, which is believed to have been devoted to the worship of Artemis. Traces of three stoas (porticos) mark the site of the agora. A fountain with several spouts, dating from about the third century, is still in operation.