Ancient Messene

Located 30 kilometers from Kalamata, on the western foothills of Mount Ithome near the modern village of Mavrommati, Ancient Messene spans a large area and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece.

Excavations of Ancient Messene have been gradually revealing its past since the time of the Revolution, and due to its size and significance, it provides fascinating insights into its glorious history. It is a rare archaeological site where visitors are impressed by the sight of temples, houses, walls, and public buildings, many of which are still standing to great heights and in excellent condition. The city was built in 369 BC by the Theban general Epaminondas, after his victory over the Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra. Following this victory, he invaded Laconia and freed the Messenians from Spartan domination. The site for the city’s founding was supposedly chosen after discovering the location of the will of Aristomenes, a Messenian hero, with the help of priests and seers.

The city took its name from the mythological pre-Dorian queen of the country, who was the daughter of the Argive king Triopas and the wife of the Laconian Polycandros. According to Pausanias, Messene was deified around the 10th century BC and gradually became one of the main deities of the city.

All the buildings in Messene share the same orientation and are arranged according to a grid formed by horizontal streets (east-west direction) and vertical streets (north-south direction). This urban planning system is known as the Hippodamian grid, named after Hippodamus of Miletus, the 5th-century BC architect, urban planner, geometer, and astronomer. It is noteworthy that this prearranged grid, based on the principles of equality, citizenship, and fairness—virtues of a democratic government—features extreme geometric order and adapts to the specific geographical and climatic conditions of the region, blending harmoniously with the natural environment. The central idea of the Hippodamian system is that all citizens should have equally sized and appropriately located plots, with access to public and sacred buildings, i.e., shared spaces marked by monumental proportions and rich decoration.

On these principles, in 369 BC, Epaminondas and his Argive allies built the new capital of the independent Messinia, which was named after the first mythological pre-Dorian queen of the land, Messene, daughter of the Argive king Triopas and wife of the Laconian Polycandros.

The founding of the sanctuary of Zeus Ithomatas at the summit of Ithome is also traditionally attributed to Queen Messene (Pausanias 4.26-33). Pausanias also informs us that already during the reign of Glaucus (10th century BC), Messene was deified and worshipped. She became one of the city’s main deities alongside Zeus Ithomatas. The temple dedicated to her was uncovered in the southwestern part of the agora. It is a peripteral temple with 6 by 12 sandstone Doric columns. Inside the cella stood a golden statue of the goddess and a fresco by Omphalion, a student of Nicia, depicting thirteen mythical kings and queens of the land.

Ancient Messene remained the cultural center of Messinia until 395 BC, when the invasion of the Goths under Alaric is thought to have dealt the decisive blow to the city.

Monuments of the Site:

1. The Theatre
   The first monument you encounter when descending from the Museum to the archaeological site is the theatre. It was also used for large political gatherings. Inside the theatre, the meeting between King Philip V of Macedon and Aratus of Sicyon took place in 214 BC. According to a testimony by Livy (39.49.6-12), many inhabitants of Messene gathered in the city’s theatre, demanding that the famous general of the Achaean League, Philopoemen of Megalopolis, who had been captured by the Messenians in 183 BC, be brought there in public view. The auditorium rests on an artificial embankment formed by a strong semicircular mound.

The fortress-like architecture is enhanced by the high pointed gateways with staircases for ascent. These elements, as well as the fact that the mound of the auditorium was fully visible and accessible from the outside, make the theatre of Messene a unique structure, foreshadowing the colossal theatres and amphitheaters of the Roman period. A large portion of the western embankment of the auditorium is preserved, which features pointed gateways at regular intervals (about every 20 meters) leading to staircases that ascend to the upper tier. From there, other staircases lead downward to the orchestra, simultaneously defining the seating area. The exterior of the embankment is constructed like the towers and fortifications of the city’s defensive wall. The imposing wall of the eastern passage is built with particular care and stands in excellent condition to a height of five meters, consisting of ten rows of rectangular stones. It did not simply serve as a retaining wall for the auditorium but also formed the northern wall of a large rectangular building, a scene building measuring 31.46 by 8.07 meters. Architectural remains of a similar scene building were found at the theatre of Arcadian Megalopolis. At the base of the scene building in Messene, three parallel grooves were discovered, with continuous concave indentations for the wheels of a mobile stage from the Hellenistic period. The use of a mobile stage in ancient Greek theatres, called a “pigma” (similar to the term “parapigma”), is also documented for the theatre of Sparta. Just behind the northern wall of the scene building in Messene is a paved ascent leading to the middle tier of the auditorium, adding to the architectural innovations of the Messene Theatre.

2. The Fountain of Arsinoe
   Between the Theatre and the Agora, a large fountain was uncovered. The traveler Pausanias (4.31.6) informs us that the fountain of the Agora was named after Arsinoe, the daughter of the mythical king of Messene, Leucippus, and mother of Asclepius, and that it received water from the Klepsydra spring. The fountain includes an elongated basin about 40 meters long, which is located just in front of a retaining wall. Between the basin and the wall, there was a shallow colonnade with Ionic half-columns. A semicircular platform in the middle of the basin displayed a set of bronze statues. Two additional basins are positioned at a slightly lower level, symmetrically placed on either side of a paved courtyard.

The facade of the first phase of the fountain building (late 3rd century BC) was closed with a Doric colonnade, which was later removed in the second phase during the 1st century BC. In the third and final phase of repairs and modifications to the Fountain, square projections were added symmetrically at the edges of the front side during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305 AD). The fountain followed the fate of the other public and sacred buildings in the city, which were abandoned around 360-370 AD. The eastern section of the fountain remained intact and was used during the early Christian period, as evidenced by the construction of an upper basin and a water mill built in front of the fountain in the first half of the 6th century AD.

3. The Agora
   In the Agora, specifically in connection with the Temple of Zeus Soter, whose statue is mentioned by Pausanias (4.31.6), fragments of a breastplate made of local sandstone decorated with a diamond-shaped frame containing the winged lightning bolt of Zeus were found. From the Temple of Poseidon, also mentioned by Pausanias, come scattered Doric stone fragments and sculpted metopes, one of which, dating to the 3rd century BC, depicts Andromeda chained to a rock and the dragon guarding her. Another shows, in relief, a sea horse with a gigantic swirling fish tail, carrying Triton or a Nereid on its back. In the Agora, there were also temples to Aphrodite and the Mother of the Gods (Cybele). The Doric peripteral temple of the deified first queen of the country, Messene, has been uncovered. Pausanias describes the golden statue of the goddess and a fresco by Omphalion in the temple’s cella. Along the southern side of the temple, there is a series of inscribed bases for the erection of bronze statues of Roman emperors (Claudius, Germanicus, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Faustina the Younger, Galerius, and others). Along the northern side of the same temple, seven columns were found with decrees concerning land distribution. Immediately north of the temple of the goddess Messene, the remains of the Bouleuterion can be seen. In front of its southern façade, columns with decrees in honor of Messinian judges were found.

4. The Sanctuary of Demeter and the Dioscuri
   At the southwestern edge of the Agora, near the Asclepius, a building measuring 24 by 24 meters was uncovered. Excavation inside revealed the foundations of a cult building from the 4th-3rd century BC, surrounded by annexes. Beneath the floors of the central building, a large number of terracotta votive plaques and figurines were discovered, depicting a wide variety of themes. The plaques had been discarded along with broken pottery and animal bones in cavities of the natural rock. It is certain that the sanctuary was originally dedicated to the worship of a hero and later to the chthonic goddess Demeter. Pausanias (4.31.10) mentions the “sacred temple of Demeter” and statues of the Dioscuri in Messene, which, according to the order in his description of monuments, must have been located to the south of the Agora near the Asclepius, where this sanctuary is located. An inscription dating to the reign of Augustus-Tiberius from the Sebasteion mentions repairs to the sanctuary of Demeter.

5. The Asclepius Complex

Pausanias presents the Asclepius Complex as a museum of artworks, mainly statues, rather than a typical sanctuary for treating the sick. It was the most prominent space in Messene, the center of public life in the city, functioning alongside the adjacent marketplace. More than 140 bases for bronze statues of primarily political figures and five platforms surround the Doric temple and altar, with many also placed along the stoas. A nearly square outdoor space (71.91×66.67 m) is enclosed by four stoas, open towards the central outdoor area. Each stoa on the north and south sides had 23 Corinthian columns at the front, supporting an entablature consisting of an Ionic architrave and a frieze with reliefs of ox-skulls alternately decorated with flower garlands and rosettes. The stoas on the eastern and western sides were similar, but each had 21 columns. Inside each stoa, there was a second internal colonnade, with 14 columns on the north and south sides and 13 on the eastern and western sides.

In the eastern wing of the colonnaded courtyard, there is a complex of three buildings: the small covered theater-like Ecclesiasterion, the Propylaea, the Senate or Bouleuterion, and the Archives of the Secretary of the Councillors. Along the western wing are a series of rooms-houses that, according to Pausanias’ description, contained statues of the following gods from south to north: Apollo and the Muses, Heracles-Thebes-Epaminedes (House N), Fortune (House M), Artemis Phosphoros (House K).

The northern wing of the Asclepius Complex is enclosed by a large two-part building built on a high podium, accessible by a central monumental staircase that leads to a propylaeum with a pedimental finish at its northern end. The two rooms of the building, to the right and left of the northern staircase, each divided identically into five rooms, have been identified as the Sebasteion or Caesarion of the inscriptions. They were dedicated to the worship of the goddess Roma and the emperors. At the eastern end of the northern wing, at the level of the stoa, there is a carefully constructed House H with a pedestal for statues. The construction of the Asclepius Complex, which must have been completed immediately after the events of 215/14 BCE, seems to be part of an ambitious architectural program, modeled on the Athenian Acropolis, aiming to promote the Messenians as a distinct people in the Peloponnese with deep roots in the pre-Dorian and Dorian past of the region. Almost all of the sculptures in the Asclepius building complex were works of the sculptor Damophon, with the exception of the gold-plated statue of Messene and the iron statue of Epaminondas (Paus. 4.31.10).

The largest part of the central outdoor space of the Asclepius Complex is occupied by the imposing Doric peripteral temple and its large altar. The temple was a peripteral Doric (6×12 columns) structure with a pronaos and opisthodomos, each with two columns between the antae. The external dimensions of the monument are 13.67×27.94 m, while its total height was approximately 9 m. It rests on a three-stepped platform. On its eastern side, where the entrance is, there is a ramp. The cella, pronaos, and opisthodomos were built from local limestone, while the stylobate was made from coated sandstone. The inner sanctum was separated from the rest of the temple by a screen wall, and at its end, there was a sculptural religious composition. Dedications related to the worship of the healer god Asclepius have not been found. It confirms the view that the Asclepius of Messene did not primarily have the healing aspect, but the political one, that of the “Messenian citizen” (Paus. 4.26.7). He had his place within the genealogical tree of the mythical kings of Messenia, both before and after the Dorian invasion of the Peloponnese. His mother was Arsinoe, daughter of Leukippus, who also gave her name to the Arsinoe Fountain in the marketplace.

a. The Ecclesiasterion

The Ecclesiasterion is a small theatrical structure with a semi-circular seating area inside a rectangular shell and a circular orchestra, 9.70 m in diameter, and a stage 21 m wide. It had a proscenium with three openings in front and a staircase at the eastern end for exit. The seating area, shaped larger than a semicircle, is divided by a walkway into upper and lower parts. The lower seating area consists of eleven rows of stone seats and is divided into three sections by two staircases. Two more staircases are located at the ends of the seating area near the entrances. Two entrances on the eastern side lead, one to the orchestra with a staircase down and the other directly to the walkway between the upper and lower seating areas. The seating area is surrounded by a strong retaining wall, which, on the eastern and northern sides, is built with smooth orthostats at the lower part and with a pseudo-isodomic vaulted system at the upper part, which is also found in Priene in Asia Minor. A covered staircase at the northwest corner of the retaining wall led to the upper walkway from the northern side. At the eastern end of the orchestra, in front of the staircase leading to the eastern entrance of the building, a large pedestal was placed in the 2nd century CE for an equestrian bronze statue in honor of the governor Saitidas.

b. The Propylaea

The Propylaea leads from the ascending eastern road to the lower-lying Asclepius Complex. In the middle of its length, it had a transverse wall with three doors, one larger in the center and two smaller ones at the ends, of which the thresholds with grooves for the bolts and pivots, as well as for securing the wooden doorposts, are preserved. To the east of the wall, there was a projection of four square pillars supporting Ionic columns. Between the external colonnade and the transverse wall with the three-door opening, the floor made of large square stones is preserved. The projection, facing the Asclepius Complex, had two Corinthian columns. In late antiquity (3rd/4th century CE), this western projection was roughly repaired. The two dissimilar bases of the Corinthian columns that remain in place are from this later repair.

c. The Bouleuterion

The Bouleuterion was the main gathering place for the councillors, representatives of the cities of autonomous Messenia. It was almost square in shape, measuring 20.80 x 21.60 m, with a four-pitched roof supported internally by four pillars. Three sides (north, east, and south) were enclosed by walls 1.20 m thick, while there was an entrance only on the western side through two large three-door openings. Along the three enclosed sides, a continuous stone bench was preserved, with embedded masonry and sculpted lion’s paws at the two ends. The total length of the bench (56 m) allowed for the comfortable seating of 76 councillors, the number of members of the sacred senate.

d. The Archives Room

The Archives Room, measuring 16.45 x 19.75 m, is fully constructed from the early Byzantine period. Given the public political nature of the eastern wing of the Asclepius Complex and its proximity to the Bouleuterion of the city, it is most likely that it had a similar public function. According to an inscription found in front of the eastern entrance of the room, it likely housed the Archive of the Secretary of the Councillors.

e. The First Sanctuary of Orthia

In the northwest of the Asclepius Complex, a pronaos temple with dimensions of 8.42 x 5.62 m was discovered, with a nearly square cella, a shallow broader pronaos, and a ramp at the center of the four-columned façade. Around the façade of the temple, bases for votive offerings and inscribed columns were uncovered. Along the northern side, two treasure hoards of coins were found, including bronze coins from Messene and silver ones from the Achaean League of the mid-2nd century BCE, as well as numerous clay figurines mainly depicting Artemis the Huntress and Phosphoros. Fragments found to the north of the temple likely belonged to a marble statue of Orthia. After the construction of the Asclepius Complex, the sanctuary of Orthia ceased to function, and the worship of the goddess was transferred to House K in the western wing of the complex, i.e., to the newer Artemisium.

6. The Eastern Road

The excavation along the eastern side of the Asclepius revealed an approximately 80-meter-long wide road running in a north-south direction. The road, 12 meters wide, features a stone sewer pipe covered by massive limestone slabs and is bounded to the east by the Asclepius and to the west by a new building block that has not yet been excavated. At the intersection with the east-west road, which runs between the northern side of the Asclepius and the southern side of the Agora, a rectangular limestone base with a circular depression in the middle of its upper side was found. This depression was intended for the placement of a column found nearby, which was erected on the base. The base has a height of 1.358 meters, a lower diameter of 0.48 meters, and bears the following four-line inscription on its upper side:

Artemiti Dionysios Dorias Dionysodoros

A stone statue of Hecataeus, 0.73 meters high, depicting Artemis in three different poses around a small column, was found next to the inscribed column, where it was most likely erected with the intervention of a crown.

a. The Christian Settlement

To the northeast and east of the Asclepius, along the road, a densely built residential area was uncovered, forming part of a settlement dating from the 5th to the 7th century AD. This settlement extended into the Archive Hall of the Asclepius. The settlement continues south along the entire length of the eastern road and north into the Agora area, where, according to scattered architectural remains, at least two Early Christian basilicas were likely located. The settlement includes over forty Christian tombs uncovered over time to the northwest and north of the Asclepius, containing typical pottery and bronze brooches as grave offerings. Scattered Christian graves were also found among the buildings, where fragments of marble Christian funerary inscriptions were discovered. The walls of the Christian houses were roughly constructed with various stones, fragments of architectural elements (from the western wing of the Asclepius and surrounding Hellenistic buildings), and fragments of inscriptions and sculptures. Among these, notable finds include the stony remains of two female statues from the mid-2nd century BC.

b. The Funerary Enclosure

A Hellenistic funerary monument in the form of a rectangular enclosure, consisting of a stepped base, orthostats, and a crown, with a series of box-shaped tombs inside, was uncovered at the eastern end of the above-mentioned road. According to an inscription on the crown, the tombs belong to six men and four women who likely died during the capture of Messene by Nabis of Sparta in 201 BC. Messinian women had also participated in the battle against Demetrius of Pharia, a general of Philip V, who unsuccessfully attempted to seize the city in 214 BC. The tombs in the enclosure continued to be used for burials of other individuals, as shown by subsequent inscriptions of names, up until the Roman imperial period. The tombs contained the skeletons of the buried individuals, accompanied by interesting and fairly rich grave offerings: pottery and glass vessels, metal objects, gold jewelry, and bone brooches, some of which ended in masks, a lyre, and a pinecone. Three lead caskets from the 1st century BC contained the remains of cremated individuals.

7. The Ierothytion

The traveler Pausanias, heading south from the Asclepius towards the Gymnasium, first mentions the Ierothytion, a structure that housed statues of the twelve gods, a bronze statue of Epaminondas, and “ancient tripods,” which Homer refers to as “fireless” (Pausanias 4.32.1). The Ierothytion, as the name suggests, was likely closely related to the “ierothytes,” elected annual officials responsible for organizing the Ithomian and other religious festivals, who are mentioned in many inscriptions from Messene in connection with the agonothetes and chalydophors (wine bearers). On the city’s coins, the tripod typically accompanies the image of Zeus Ithomatas, the chief deity of Messene. The presence of the statue of Epaminondas among the twelve gods in the Ierothytion highlights the importance that the Messenians attributed to him as a hero-founder of their city. Just south of the Asclepius, a large architectural complex began to be revealed, measuring approximately 50 meters in width and 70 meters in length.

The northern wall of the complex is adjacent to the bathhouse south of the Asclepius, while it is surrounded by roads to the east and west. It consists of several architectural units, more than four in number. The northwest unit is characterized by the presence of an open peristyle with spacious rooms around it, which take the form of androns. The possible function of these rooms as spaces for ritual banquets does not contradict the character of the Ierothytion as a dining hall for the ierothytes and agonothetes during religious festivals, as well as a place for the establishment of statues of the twelve gods and the statue of the hero-founder Epaminondas. The location of this building complex coincides topographically with the position of the Ierothytion described by Pausanias.

8. The Stadium and the Gymnasium

The Stadium and the Gymnasium are among the most impressive architectural complexes in terms of preservation. The northern, horseshoe-shaped section of the Stadium includes 18 rows of seats, separated by stairways. It is surrounded by Doric colonnades, with most of the columns still standing. The northern colonnade is double, while the eastern and western are single. These colonnades belong to the Gymnasium, which formed a unified architectural complex with the Stadium. The western colonnade does not seem to extend to the end of the track, stopping about 110 meters from its northern edge. It is connected to a peristyle courtyard in the Doric style, approximately 30 meters on each side, which can be identified as a palestra. Inscribed bases between the columns of the western colonnade supported statues of gymnasiarchs, and many lists of youths were found around. In the Hellenistic period, gymnasiums became busy centers of public life in the city and places for the exhibition of significant works of art, as attested by the recent finds in the Gymnasium.

West of Room XI in the western colonnade of the Gymnasium, and at a higher level, the funerary monument K3 was uncovered, containing eight box-shaped tombs arranged symmetrically in pairs around a square structure. The surviving architectural elements suggest it took the form of a square chamber (approximately 4.66×4.66 meters) with a conical roof, at the peak of which stood a Corinthian column with a bronze piece affixed to the surviving capital. The form of this monument is completely unusual for Greek standards. The lintel of the entrance, shaped like an Ionic cornice, bears the names of the deceased, both men and women, who were honored with such a grand monument.

A funerary, as proven, is also the more northernly monument K1, which was adorned with a frieze featuring animals in relief and an entirely sculpted scene of a lion devouring a deer. Inside the chamber of monument K1, which was sealed with a stone door, similar to Macedonian tombs, seven box-shaped tombs were uncovered, which, despite being looted, preserved significant grave goods, including gold jewelry.

9. The Heroon of the Stadium

An integral part of the Stadium is the Heroon, which took the form of a prostyle four-columned Doric temple. It is located on the southern side of the stadium, built on a rectangular base that protrudes from the wall like a bastion. The temple-like structure was funerary in nature, representing a type of hero-memorial, akin to the tradition of the Anatolian mausoleums. In some aspects, it also relates to the Heroon of Calydon. The prominent individual to whom the Messenians granted heroic honors, as recorded by Pausanias (4.32.2), was Saithidas, the lifelong high priest and ruler of Messenia. Therefore, it is certain that the Heroon-mausoleum of the Stadium belonged to the Saithidas family. In this structure, the distinguished members of the family were buried and honored with heroic rites, from the establishment of the Heroon in the 1st century AD until at least the time of Pausanias’ visit (155-160 AD).

10. The Sanctuaries of Ithome

The Monastery of Vulkano, dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, is situated at the summit of Mount Ithome, where the ancient sanctuary of Zeus Ithomatas once stood. According to tradition, its foundation is attributed to monks who fled there to escape the iconoclasts in 725 AD during the reign of Leo the Isaurian. Another tradition suggests that the monastery was established during the reign of Emperor Andronikos Palaiologos, with its construction credited to Empress Andronikos. The icon of the Virgin Mary, believed to be miraculous, is said to have been preserved to this day and is known as “The Guide” (Odigitria), with the inscription “The Guide, called in the Mount Vulkano,” and is attributed to the Apostle Luke.

In 1638, the Monastery’s Catholicon (main church) was adorned with frescoes painted by the brothers Dimitrios and Georgios Moschos, famous iconographers from Nafplio. The name Vulkano or Vurkano first appears in the 10th-century hagiography of Saint Niketas the Repentant. According to one testimony, “Zeus built a country and a fortress, and they called it Velkian, which also appears as Vurkano, ruined” (S. Lampros, N. Ellinomnimon 3, 1906, p. 140). The monastery’s sigillia (documents) refer to it as Dorkano (1583), Vurkano (1630), and Vulkano (1769 and 1798). On March 5, 1625, the monks, unable to endure the difficulties of life at the monastery due to its inaccessibility, water supply issues, and harsh living conditions, purchased a large flat area in the location of an abandoned village from “the father of Memetaga Efendi” of Androusa, for ten thousand five hundred grosia. This was to establish the New Monastery of Vulkano. The deserted village was named Tzemi or Tzumi and was located east of Saint Basil.

The ancient sanctuary of Zeus Ithomatas, on the highest peak of Ithome, is now the site of the old Monastery of Vulkano. Further east, the foundations of the sanctuary of Zeus Ithomatas are still visible. A bronze foot of a votive tripod found near the monastery indicates that the worship of Ithomatas dates back to at least the geometric period. According to Pausanias (4.31.2), in ancient times, musical contests were organized at the site, as suggested by the verses of Eumelos, a 6th-century BC poet. Therefore, the sanctuary’s existence long before the founding of Messene in 369 BC is considered certain. The statue of Zeus depicted on Messene’s coins, holding a lightning bolt in his right hand and an eagle in his extended left hand, represents the form of Ithomatas. The annual chief priest kept the statue of the child Zeus in his house. It seems that the type of Zeus with the thunderbolt was the main religious image, while a smaller statue of the child Zeus, sculpted by Ageladas (late 6th-early 5th century BC) for the Messenians of Naupactus, was brought to the sanctuary by the repatriated Messenians in 369 BC. According to tradition, the Messenian general Aristomenes sacrificed three hundred prisoners, including the king of the Lacedaemonians, Theopompus, for Ithomatas (Clement, Protrepticus 36R). This human sacrifice recalls similar practices for the Lycian Zeus in Arcadia. To honor Ithomatas, the Ithomaia games were held, organized by agonothetes, with the stadium as the venue for the contests.