Cassope

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Cassope (Greek: Κασσόπη transliterated Kassopi or Kassope) was an ancient city near the north-western coast of Greece (Epirus and Preveza prefectures). It is considered the best preserved ancient Greek city today.

[edit] Geography

Cassope is situated on the south-east slopes of the Zalogos mountain, near the village of Zalogo (Zalogo Municipality, Epirus, Greece). Its approximate location is 39.8.50N 20.40.31E.

[edit] Ancient history

First settlements on site are known from the Paleolithic, however the prominent city of Cassope was founded in the middle of the 4th century B.C. and served as the capital of the Cassopaea. It was destroyed by Roman forces in 177-176 B.C. and abandoned in 31 B.C. when the remaining inhabitants were forcefully resettled to Nikopolis.

Extensive excavations were performed by a Greek team under Sotiris Dakaris in 1952 and 1955, and in 1977-1983 by a team from the University of Ioannina together with the German Archaeological Institute, co-led by Dakaris, Wolfram Hoepfner, Konstantina Gravani, and Ernst-Ludwig Schwandner.