| Erymanthos | |
|---|---|
| Ερύμανθος | |
The snow-capped summits of Erymanthos |
|
| Elevation | 2,224 m (7,297 ft) |
| Pronunciation | Greek: [eˈrimanθos] |
| Location | |
| Location | westcentral Achaia, 40 km south of Patras |
| Range | Erymanthos |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | climb |
Mount Erymanthos (Greek: Ερύμανθος, Latin: Erymanthus, also Olonos (Ωλονός)) is a mountain range in the southern part of Achaea and the northeastern part of Elis. Historically it was in northwestern Arcadia and was the second tallest in the historic Arcadia, the northern portion belonged to the historic Achaea. It is the fourth tallest mountain in the Peloponnese peninsula with an elevation of 2,224 m. The summit is located on the boundary of Achaea and Elis.
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Erymanthos is surrounded by Mount Skollis to the west and in the middle a valley filled with farmlands, Panachaiko and Omplos to the north along with other, several smaller mountains to the east and further east Chelmos which can be seen and more to the south. Its rock colour is brown, butterscotch and tan and several dry streams can be seen at the mountaintop.
The mountain are heavily forested around its edges and its elevation ranges from 150 m to the north up to 800 to 1,000 m except for the south and are filled with pine, olives, cedars, birches? and spruce trees. Barren land and grasslands varies from 1,000 m up to 1,600 m and unvegetated portions up to the summit, it is also forested on the other side. Faultlines are rarely located on the mountain. Other mountain ranges connected or included includes Kallifoni and Lampeia (Divri) to the southwest. Other mountaintops includes Moungila or Mougila (Μουγγίλα) at 2,169 m, Profitis Ilias (Προφήτης Ηλίας) at 2,124 m, Pyrgakos or Pirgakos (Πυργάκος) at 2,050 m, one at 1,923 m, I Psili Tourla at 1,891 m, Lepida (Λεπίδα) at (1,541) m, Melissovouni (Μελισσοβούνι meaning the mountain of bees) at 1,461 m and Agios Athanasios (Άγιος Αθανάσιος) at 1,219 m. From the mountain is the source of Pineios to the southwest, Selinountas to the east, Erymanthos to the south, Peiros and Parapeiros to the southeast. It is also part of the Oleni-Pindos geological zone.
The view from the summit includes most of the western and northwestern Peloponnese, northern Arcadia and the hills of eastern Ilia. On clear days, the mountains of southern Central Greece and the mountains of the islands of Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Ithaca can also be seen.
In ancient times, it was famous as the residence of the Erymanthian Boar. In Greek mythology, the king of Arcadia, Lycaon, had a boar that was named Erymanthus, after the mountain. Heracles (Hercules) captured the Erymanthian Boar and brought it back to Eurystheus as one of his 12 labors.
Between the Byzantine and the Greek War of Independence, several villages were founded, including Skiada and Oreino. After World War II and the Greek Civil War, most villages were rebuilt. On February 5, 2008, the mountain was shaken by two earthquakes measuring at 5.5 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was centred in Chalandritsa, the other in Farres, outside the ranges.
This article incorporates texts from the Greek language online encyclopedia livepedia.gr which is published under the GFDL.