Pheia (Elis)
Pheia (Ancient Greek: Φειά, also Φειαί - Pheiai) was a small town and a port in Elis in the ancient country of Pisatis.[1] It was built in a natural bay near today's Katakolo. It was destroyed in the 4th century.[2] It was located on the isthmus connecting the cape of Katakolo with the mainland, near the river Iardanus.[3] During the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians conquered the small town and used its ports as their base for military operations in Elis.[4] In the location of the acropolis, a castle was built in the Middle Ages which survives today, known as Pontikokastro.[3]
The first excavations were made in 1911.[2] In 1973 the Hellenic Institute of Marine Archaeology made a survey in the bay of Agios Andreas near Katakolo, and found the remains of the town at a depth of 5 m below sea level.[5]
References
- ↑ Strabo Geography 8.3
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 SKRIP newspaper, page 2, 3/31/1911, accessed from the Greek national library
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Smith, William, ed. (1857). "Pheia". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography 2. London: John Murray. p. 593.
- ↑ Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 2.25
- ↑ Hellenic Institute of Marine Archaeology
Coordinates: 37°39′N 21°18′E / 37.650°N 21.300°E