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Messene (Greek Messínî or Messénę ) was an ancient Greek city, the capital of Messenia (until the modern prefecture was formed), founded by Epaminondas in 369 BC, after the battle of Leuctra and the first Theban invasion of the Peloponnese.
The town was built by the combined Theban and Argive armies and the exiled
Messenians who had been invited to return and found a state which should be independent of Spartan rule. The site was chosen by Epaminondas and lay on the western slope of the mountain which dominates the
Messenian plain and culminates in the two peaks of Ithome and Eua. The former of these
(2630 ft.) served as the acropolis, and was included within the same system of
fortifications as the lower city.
Messene remained a place of some importance under the Romans, but we
hear nothing of it in medieval times and then the hamlet of Mavromati occupies a small part of the site. The city has been
revived, and is home to over 10,000 people. Messene is a suburb of Kalamata nowadays. It is no longer the capital of Messenia.
Pausanias has left us a description of the city
(iv. 3 1—33), its chief temples and statues, its springs, its market-place and gymnasium, its place of sacrifice, the tomb
of the hero Aristomenes and the
temple of Zeus Ithomatas on the summit of the acropolis with a statue by the famous Argive
sculptor Ageladas, originally made for the Messenian helots who had settled at
Naupactus at the close of the third Messenian War.
But what chiefly excited his wonder was the strength of its fortifications, which excelled all those of the Greek world. Of
the wall, some 5 miles in extent, considerable portions yet remain, especially on the north and north-west, and almost the entire
circuit can still be traced, affording the finest extant example of Greek fortification. The wall is flanked by towers about 31
ft. high set at irregular intervals: these have two storeys with loopholes in the lower and windows in the upper, and are entered
by doors on a level with the top of the wall which is reached by flights of steps. Of the gates only two can be located, the
eastern or Laconian, situated on the eastern side of the saddle uniting Ithome and Eua, and the northern or Arcadian gate. Of the
former but little remains: the latter, however, is excellently preserved and consists of a circular court about 20 yds. in
diameter with inner and outer gates, the latter flanked by square towers some 11 yds. apart. The lintel of the inner gate was
formed by a single stone 18 ft. 8 in. in length, and the masonry of the circular court is of astonishing beauty and accuracy. The
other buildings which can be identified are the theatre, the stadium, the council chamber or Bouleuterion, and the
propylaeum of the market, while on the shoulder of the mountain are the foundations of a small temple, probably that of
Artemis Laphria.
Landmarks near Messene today includes the airport of Kalamata ot its east, and beaches south of the city.
Part of this texts incorporates from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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