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PEANION (Ancient city) IERA POLIS MESSOLONGIOU
Paeanium (Paianion), a town, in Aetolia, near the Achelous, a little
S. of Ithoria, and N. of Oeniadae, which was on the other side of the river. It
was only 7 stadia in circumference, and was destroyed by Philip, B.C. 219. (Polyb.
iv. 65.) Paeanium was perhaps rebuilt, and may be the Same town as Phana (phana),
which was taken by the Achaeans, and which we learn from the narrative in Pausanias
was near the sea. (Paus. x. 18.) Stephanus mentions Phana as a town of Italy ;
but for Polis Italias, we ought probably to read Polis Altolias. (Steph. B. s.
v. phanai.)
Located about 500 m N of Mastru village, on a low scrub-covered chain
of hills a short distance E of the Acheloos. The identification of the ruins as
those of the Aitolian town of Paianion is now widely accepted. Paianion appears
only once in ancient literature, in Polybios' account of the expedition of Philip
V in 219 B.C. Philip stormed the town, razed its walls, houses, and other buildings,
and floated the stone and other materials downstream, to be reused at Oiniadai.
The sequence of sites and events in Polybios, together with the ancient sites
now identifiable on the E bank of the Acheloos, suggests that the Paliokastro
of Mastru must be Paianion.
Polybios gives the length of the circuit as less than seven stades;
the Mastru Circuit is given as 500 m by Kirsten, 850 m by Konstas. The presence
of houses at Paianion indicates an urban settlement; at Mastru there seem to be
remains inside the walls, many graves have been found at the foot of the hill,
and chance finds go back to Subgeometric. Unfortunately no coins or inscriptions
giving the ancient name have come to light. The name Paianion probably derives
from Paian, indicating a special relationship to Apollo; but no temple is known.
Konstas thinks the extant walls predate 219 B.C.; Kirsten, more plausibly,
dates them after the destruction by Philip V.
F. E. Winter, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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