Dorium or Dorion ( grc, Δώριον) was a town of
ancient Messenia, Dorium appears in the
Catalogue of Ships
The Catalogue of Ships ( grc, νεῶν κατάλογος, ''neōn katálogos'') is an epic catalogue in Book 2 of Homer's ''Iliad'' (2.494–759), which lists the contingents of the Achaean army that sailed to Troy. The catalogue gives the na ...
in
Homer's ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...
'', where he mentions it as the place where the bard
Thamyris was smitten with blindness, because he boasted that he could surpass the
Muses
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the p ...
in singing.
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
says that some persons said Dorium was a mountain, and others a plain; but there was no trace of the place in his time, although some identified it with a place called
Oluris (Ὄλουρις) or
Olura (Ὄλουρα), in the district of Messenia named
Aulon.
Pausanias, however, places the ruins of Dorium on the road from
Andania
Andania ( el, Ανδανία) is a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oichalia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 88.694&n ...
to
Cyparissia
Kyparissia ( el, Κυπαρισσία) is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. ...
. After leaving Andania, he first came to
Polichne; and after crossing the rivers
Electra
Electra (; grc, Ήλέκτρα) is one of the most popular mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, '' Electra'' by Sophocles and '' Electra'' by Euripides. She is also the centra ...
and
Coeus
In Greek mythology, Coeus (; grc, Κοῖος, ''Koios'', "query, questioning" or "intelligence"), also called Polus, was one of the Titans, one of the three groups of children born to Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth).
Mythology
Coeus was an o ...
, he reached the fountain of
Achaia and the ruins of Dorium.
Its site is located near the modern
Malthi
Malthi (/’maalthi:/; Ancient Greek: Μαλθι) was an ancient Greek city of ancient Messenia. Malthi was a farming community, with an active settlement during the Middle-Late Helladic periods, or the Early Mycenaean period. The settlement was l ...
.
[
]
References
Populated places in ancient Messenia
Former populated places in Greece
Locations in the Iliad
{{AncientMessenia-geo-stub