#messene

[gemsofgreece]

What to see in Messenia

Messenia or Messinia is a region located in the far south of the Peloponnese, mainland Greece. It is one of the most popular destinations of the mainland, notable for its natural beauty and its history. Below is what you should not miss in a trip to Messenia:

Kalamata

The regional capital city of Messenia is Kalamata, a city built along the Messenian gulf and on the foot of Mt Taygetus, the biggest mountain in the Peloponnese. In Kalamata you should first and foremost visit the Old Town, with its traditional hat shops, the Church of Panagia Ypapanti, the Archaeological Museum of Messenia and the Byzantine Church of the Apostles. There you will also find the War Museum and the Folk Museum of Kalamata, which houses one of the best collections of Greek traditional costumes from the entire country. The Old Town is close to the city center, where the central square of King George is, as well as most shops and restaurants. Kalamata can be explored with bikes, as it is one of the few Greek cities in which the citizens prefer this mode of transportation. Of course, it is impossible to miss the most important feature of the city, its long waterfront and beach where you can take a stroll or a swim.

I could have gone with a more typical travel photo but I saw this cute picture, apparently taken during the the Carnival, and could not resist it.

Pylos and Voidokiliá

But when it comes to beaches, the obvious answer is Voidokilia in Pylos, one of the prettiest beaches in the country. Aside from the pristine and dramatic coastline, in Pylos one can see several Byzantine and Frankish fortresses, such as Niókastro and Palaeókastro of Navarino and the castle of Methoni. In Pylos is where you will also find the best preserved Mycenaean royal archaeological site, the Palace of Nestor.

Voidokilia beach || eftopia_gr (IG)

Messene and Messenia

As of late however, the archaeological site that draws the most attention is the ancient city of Messene or Messini, which gave its name to the whole region. The archaeological site keeps being excavated and its archaeological museum is brand new. Nature is another strong attraction for Messenia though: some few examples are Polylímnio and Neda, hidden gorges with waterfalls and lakes, the coast of Finikounda but also the beautiful Koroni with its spectacular views.

Ancient Messene

The Shadowy Mani

Also known as Messenian Mani or Outer Mani (as opposed to its other side in Laconia, which is called Laconian Mani or Inner Mani or Sunny Mani), this is the Messenian part of the Mani peninsula that is formed by Mount Taygetus. A remote place of natural beauty with many pristine beaches and traditional villages. While - maybe counter-intuitively - the Shadowy Mani offers a more green and less stern landscape than the Sunny Mani, it still comes with its fair share of impressive landscapes combined with Byzantine monuments. The region has also several caves and gorges that can be hiked and explored but the ultimate gem is probably the area of Kardamyli.

In the small gorge of Neda in Messinian Mani || arethousahotel.gr

What to eat

Let's start with the obvious one; when you hear "Kalamata", does anything come to mind? Messenia is home to some of the best olive groves and quite possibly the most famous olives in the world. They are known as "Kalamata Olives" abroad, we call them "Eliés Kalamón". Messenia is also renowned for its olive oil obviously, its figs, its peanuts and the "lalángia", which are like oily breadsticks that can be found in every bakery. For the sweet tooth, the diples and the pastelia (pastries with honey and nuts) should be tried, as well as a curiously named one; "the tongue of the mother-in-law", a dessert with filo crust and cream.

Tavern in Old Kardamyli || Eleanna Gousi

[not-ester]

The Dorian Invasion pt.2

(and how its events unfold in my AU)

(It’s best advised if you read the first part, as to be in tune with the reasoning behind the following.)

As we have set the earliest date of the Dorians’ residence in Phthiotis to 1560, I’ll be setting Doris’s exile on that date;

Mycenae, upon putting Achaea under his control, had consulted the oracle regarding his future as supreme ruler of Peloponnesus. The oracle foretold that his thread of life would be cut short by one of his own;

“The claws of the lion that you cherish, are to bring you to the gates of Hades”

Evidently agitated by that prospect, he determined the one to slay him and put an end to his reign would be his son, Doris. He thus exiled him to Phthiotis, believing that by doing so he secured his position as ruler.

Doris quickly rose to become the chieftain of the Achaeans settled there, who started dubbing themselves “Dorians” after him.

Four centuries later, in 1250, he was met by the unprecedented threat that were the Sea peoples, who, having escaped their dry homelands and in search for supplies, were raiding the coast of Phthiotis. In charge of the resettlement, he led the Dorians to Istiaeotis, displacing southwards the Aeolians that resided there.

Now, paralleling the Herakleides with Tiryns (Heracles’s birthplace):

Meanwhile, the drought had made itself present in the eastern Mediterranean. It, along with the constant raids launched by the Sea Peoples were enough for Tiryns, Mycenae’s sister, to rebel against him in 1212. Fearing another coup, he attempts to murder her, but she manages to flee and seek asylum in Athens. From there she would wander aimlessly for a while before finding herself in Istiaeotis.

Doris, still embittered by his exile and losing his right to the throne, welcomed her and proposed to work together as to launch an invasion into Peloponnesus and put an end to Mycenae’s tyranny. Their plans were, however, interrupted by the Cadmeians, who, pushing them inwards, forced them to resettle once more in the north of the mountain range of Pindus in 1210. A few years later, they would move to Dryopis (renamed to Doris) where they’d found the Doric Tetrapolis (:four cities). Erineus and Voion were the oldest, followed by Kytinion and Pindus. Erineus, being slightly older (by 2 minutes) and favoured due to his fighting skills was also called Dorion, after his father.

Around the end of the century, the palace of Tiryns was burned down by the Sea peoples. It was not rebuilt as, by then, the city was under the crown of Argos. Tiryns had nothing to return to now. Doris had promised her city back, but she remained faithful to the plan regardless, hoping that she’d achieve some favourable place in Doris’s court or that he would help her rebuild it.

Doris and Tiryns launched the first invasion in 1187, but were unsuccessful. Despite their initial failures, they were able to burn down the palace of Mycenae (1150), who fled to his brother, Argos, and prompted him to gather an army as to fight off the invaders. Multiple invasions followed, all falling in the pit of failure. By then, his four children had become of age and were able to partake in the struggle.

The final invasion was launched in 1104.

Doris and Mycenae engaged in a duel and, with one final blow, Doris came out victorious, killing Mycenae and fulfilling the prophesy. He then split Peloponnesus between him, his two sons and Aetolia, who’d been a notable ally in the invasion. Aetolia granted his portion to his daughter, Hlis.

Later, Doris and his children would invade Athens (unsuccessfully). He would die shortly after this, and would be succeeded in ruling Messenia by his daughter Kytinion. She, however, would not live long as she was killed in cold blood by Messene, daughter of Pylos (who had died in 1180), thus returning the governing of Messenia to the Achaeans.

Argos was pressured by both Sparta and Ephyra (Corinth) into spitting his territory, thus giving the thin strip of land connecting Central Greece with Peloponnesus to the latter.

I’ll put a parenthesis here as, initially, I had headcanoned that there had been 4 Dorian groups (instead of the mythological 3, Corinth and Argos being of the same group) due to me wanting to make a parallel between them and the four cities of Doris. The three paragraphs above are the new narrative as, of course, Doris would prioritise himself and his sons over his daughters.

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I was tempted to make Erineus and Dorion separate people, as to symbolise the dual kingship of Sparta, however that would become real complicated real quick.

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Do note that I omitted several details from this post, as to not spoil scenes that I am to include in future comics.

[elladastinkardiamou]

Ancient Greek Theaters of Sicyon and Messene are Treasures of the Peloponnese

With the Greek authorities’ recent announcement that they were making these sites more accessible to the public, increased attention has been drawn to the Peloponnese’s ancient theaters at Messene and Sicyon, which were centers for drama and culture in both ancient times and during the Roman period of Greek history.

The Hellenistic theatre at Sicyon (present-day Kiato) was built between 303 and 251 BC, but was renovated and altered at least twice by the Romans. The scene building was expanded in the first century and the stage was altered in the late Roman period. With a seating area estimated at 122 meters (400 feet) wide and 58 meters (190 feet) deep, it is one of the largest theaters in the Peloponnese.

The present day ruins at Sicyon are a faint reminder of the Romanized theatre the historian Pausanias visited in the second century AD.

However, in February, 2013, the monument underwent a restoration program so that it could be protected once and for all and could once more be recognized for the cultural landmark that it is.

[kararadaygum]

..

[club-president]

Athenians: We must unite all the Hellenic world to fight off the Macedonians!

The Spartans- still salty about that city they lost:

[amiigrowsinbrooklyn]

Greece - 2017

[diioonysus]

greek mythology → princesses

[melanaigis]

Last year