Messene
Messene is an ancient city located in the southwestern Peloponnese, built on the slopes of Mount Ithome. It was established in 369 BC by the Theban general Epaminondas after Messenia regained its independence from Sparta. The city became a significant stronghold for the Messenians during their historical conflicts, particularly against Sparta in the Messenian Wars. Notable for its impressive fortifications, which include well-preserved walls and towers, Messene's defenses were considered among the strongest in ancient Greece.
The city also served as a cultural and religious center, featuring a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius and Hygiea, as well as temples and a theater. Messene issued its own coinage during the imperial period, depicting local deities such as Zeus Ithomatas and Demeter. Today, the site is recognized for its archaeological significance, showcasing the remnants of its rich history and the architectural advancements of its time, making it an important destination for those interested in ancient Greek civilization.
Messene
earlier Ithome (the modern Ithomi and Mavromati, not Messini)
A lofty, defensible height (2,646 feet) standing isolated within the plain of Messenia (qv), in the southwestern Peloponnese. Ithome was the stronghold of the Messenians in their struggles against the Spartans, notably the First Messenian War of the eighth century BC in which it was believed to have held out for twenty years (seeMessenia).
In the Third War (Helot Revolt, from c 469 or 464), the fortress again resisted, for a duration of about eight years, after which the Athenians gave the defeated garrison a refuge at Naupactus, north of the Corinthian Gulf (456). When Messenia recovered its independence in 369 with the help of the Theban general Epaminondas, he founded the city of Messene, on the slopes of Mount Ithome, to be its capital, inviting all Messenian citizens abroad to become citizens of the new community. Unable on its own account to stand up against Sparta, it sided with Philip II of Macedonia (344), to whose descendant, Philip V, the fortress was described by Demetrius of Pharos (d. 214) as one of the two horns to hold down the cow, that is to say, to control the Peloponnese (the other horn being Corinth).
Messene twice adhered to the Aetolian League—from which, however, it suffered damage—and twice also to its Achaean counterpart, revolting unsuccessfully from the latter in 183/2 and passing into Roman hands in 146. In imperial times, from the later second to early third century AD, it revived the issue of coinage, with the portrait of the mythical Triopas' daughter Messene, of whom there was a temple in the city with a gold (gilt?) and marble statue. Other coins depict Zeus Ithomatas and Demeter, both of whom had already appeared on the earliest coinages, being the principal deities of the mountain. Today, however, Messene is principally notable for its walls of the fourth or third centuries BC. Flanked by thirty-three two-storeyed towers rising to a height of more than thirty feet, they are the best preserved fortifications in Greece, fitted with exceptional precision; according to Pausanias they were the strongest defences in the entire Greek world. The colonnaded courtyard, once regarded as an agora, has now been identified (on the basis of inscriptions) as a sanctuary of Asclepius and Hygiea; at its center a Hellenistic shrine has been excavated, replacing a fourth-century building. Other temples, too, have been located in addition to a theater, stadium, monumental gateway (propylon) and council chamber.