Lousoi

Lousoi (Ancient Greek: Λουσοί, Latin: Lusi) was an ancient city in Arcadian Azania, Greece. It was situated at about 1,200 m elevation in the Aroanian mountains, near present Kalavryta.[1] Lousoi was situated on the border of the city-states Pheneus and Cleitor. In one version of the story of Proetus's daughters, Melampus leads them to Lousoi where they were healed of their madness in a sanctuary of Artemis. Agesilas, winner of the horse race at the 11th Pythian Games, was from Lousoi. When Pausanias visited the area in the 2nd century AD, nothing remained of the town.[2] The temple of Artemis, which was respected by all the Greeks as a sacred shelter, was plundered by the Aetolians during the Social War (220–217 BC).[3]

The remains of Lousoi have been found in 1897 by the archeologists Wilhelm Dörpfeld and Adolf Wilhelm, and have been excavated by the Austrian Archaeological Institute at Athens. The temple of Artemis and several buildings of the public centre of the town have been found.[1] In 1928 the nearby villages Soudena Theotokou and Soudena Agiou Vasileiou were renamed Ano Lousoi[4] and Kato Lousoi[5] respectively.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Österreichisches Archäologisches Institut
  2. ↑ Pausanias Description of Greece 8.18
  3. ↑  Smith, William, ed. (1857). "Lusi". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography 2. London: John Murray. pp. 217–8.
  4. ↑ Name changes of settlements in Greece
  5. ↑ Name changes of settlements in Greece

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