Listed 7 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "PLYTRA Port ASSOPOS" .
ASSOPOS (Ancient city) LACONIA
Asopus, Asopos. A town of the Eleuthero-Lacones in Laconia, on the eastern
side of the Laconian gulf, and 60 stadia south of Acriae. It possessed a temple
of the Roman emperors, and on the citadel a temple of Athena Cyparissia. At the
distance of 12 stadia above the town there was a temple of Aselepius. Strabo speaks
of Cyparissia and Asopus as two separate places; but it appears that Asopus was
the later name of Cyparissia. Pausanias says that at the foot of the acropolis
of Asopus were the ruins of the city of the Achaei Paracyparissii. Strabo describes
Cyparissia as a town with a harbour, situated upon a chersonese, which corresponds
to the site of Blitra. The latter is on the high rocky peninsula of Kavo Xyli,
east of which there is a deep inlet of the sea and a good harbour. The acropolis
of Cyparissia or Asopus must have occupied the summit of Kavo Xyli.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited May 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
KYPARISSIA (Ancient city) ASSOPOS
Kuparissia, Kuparisseeis, Kuparissiai, Kuparissai, Kuparissos, Eth.
Kuparissieus. (Stephanus alone has the form Kuparisseus). A town on the western
coast of Messenia, situated a little south of the river Cyparissus, upon the bay
to which it gave the name of the Cyparissian gulf. (Plin. Mela, ll. cc.) This
gulf was 72 miles in circuit according to Pliny, and was bounded by the promontory
of Ichthys on the north, and by that of Cyparissium on the south. Cyparissia was
the only town of importance upon the western coast of Messenia between Pylus and
Triphylia. It is mentioned in the Homeric catalogue (Il. l. c.), and appears to
have been inhabited from the earliest to the latest times. It was beautifully
situated upon the sides of one of the offshoots of the range of mountains, which
run along this part of the Messenian coast. Upon the narrow summit of the rocks
now occupied by a castle built in the middle ages, stood the ancient acropolis.
There is no harbour upon the Messenian coast north of Pylos; but Leake remarks
that the roadstead at Cyparissia seems to be the best on this part of the coast;
and in ancient times the town probably possessed an artificial harbour, since
traces of a mole may still be seen upon the sea-shore. This was probably constructed
on the restoration of Messene by Epaminondas; for it was necessary to provide
the capital of the new state with a port, and no spot was so suitable for this
object as Cyparissia. Hence we find Messene and the harbour Cyparissia mentioned
together by Scylax (p. 16). Pausanias found in the town a temple of Apollo, and
one of Athena Cyparissia. The town continued to coin money down to the time of
Severus. In the middle ages it was called Arkadia, a name which was transferred
from the interior of the peninsula to this place upon the coast. It continued
to bear this name till its destruction by Ibrahim in 1825, and when rebuilt it
resumed its ancient name Cyparissia, by which it is now called. Some remains of
ancient walls may be traced around the modern castle; and below the castle on
the slope of the hill, near the church of St. George, are some fragments of columns.
On the south side of the town, close to the sea-shore, a fine stream rushes out
of the rock and flows into the sea; and a little above is a basin with a spring
of water, near which are some stones belonging to an ancient structure. This is
the ancient fountain sacred to Dionysus, which Pausanias perceived near the entrance
of the city, on the road from Pylus.
Stephanus calls Cyparissia a city of Triphylia, and Strabo (viii.
p. 349) also distinguishes between the Triphylian and Messenian Cyparissia, but
on what authority we do not know.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
YPERTELEATON (Ancient sanctuary) ASSOPOS
Hyperteleatum (Huperteleaton), a place in the territory of the Laconian
Asopus, at the distance of 50 stadia from the latter town, containing a temple
of Asclepius. The French Commission discovered on the coast below the village
of Demonia some remains of the inclosure of this temple on a rock artificially
cut, with many tombs excavated in the rock, and at 500 steps from the temple,
nearer Demonia, a fine source of water. (Paus. iii. 22. § 10; Boblaye, Recherches,
&c. p. 98; Leake, Peloponnesiaca, p. 168; Curtius, Peloponnesos, vol. ii. p. 294.)
Its position was identified from marble and brass inscriptions during the excavations in 1885 from the Geek Archeological Company, as well as from Pafsanias who reports that its distance was 50 stadiums from Asopos (about 9 kilometers). It was situated in a gorge South of Finiki in a part of the road, which leads to the Village Velies, where there were Temples, built dedicated to the God Apollonas and the Asklipeon of Iperteleaton. The Pantheon of Apollonas according to the inscriptions found, was the central shrine of the people, Liberal-Lakones. During the whole year a throng of palmers visits the Temple, from other cities of this Lakonean Confederation. In the Museum of Sparti there are two inscriptions, which are not legible, that were found in this area.
This text is cited Apr 2003 from the Municipality of Assopos URL below.
ASSOPOS (Ancient city) LACONIA
There are two aspects regarding the location of the ancient Assopos. One of them sets the position in today's location of Bozas and the other in the location of Plitra. The confusion resulted, because there was another ancient city in this area, Kiparissia. From the Lakonika of Pafsanias, where he mentions the distances of Assopos to the Akries (Kokkinia) and the Iperteleaton (North from Finikio), comes out, the location of Plitra. Today in the position of Kokkines in Plitra and at the bottom of the sea, ruins of a pier, podiums and other constructions are on sight. It is speculated that the town sunk after a powerful earthquake (perhaps 375 ac.), from which also resulted the separation of the rock of Monemvassia. Others say that the sinking might have been the result of the explosion of the volcano in Santorini.
KYPARISSIA (Ancient city) ASSOPOS
The laconian town of Cyparissia is located, although not with certainty, to the south of the modern Assopos village, formerly called Kontevianika (Ekdotiki Athinon, Pausaniou Periegissis, vol. 3, p. 418, note 2).
Regarding the actual location of this city (Kyparissia) there has been confusion with the location of Assopos. The most possible location should be considered west of cape Xili (Xili, for the ancient, is the shape of the cradle) on today's location of Bozas. There are two interpretations. One states that it comes from the colonists who came from Kiparissia of Messinia and the other from the Temple of Goddess Athena, which was situated in the grove of Kiparissia. Its establishment is dated during the Homer Years. Because of its exceptional position it had great prosperity. It was maintained until the Roman Years, then the reason is unknown it was abandoned. Perhaps because of the leak of habitants to the prosperous back then city of Assopos.
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