Epeium or Epeion ( grc, Ἤπειον or Ήπειον) or Epium or Epion (Ἔπιον or Ήπιον) or Aepion or Aipion (Αἰπίον or Αἴπιον) was a town of Triphylia in

ancient Elis Elis () or Eleia ( el, Ήλιδα, Ilida, grc-att, Ἦλις, Ēlis ; Elean: , ethnonym: ) is an ancient district in Greece that corresponds to the modern regional unit of Elis. Elis is in southern Greece on the Peloponnese, bounded on th ...

, which stood between

Makistos Macistus or Makistos (), or Macistum or Makiston (Μάκιστον), was a city of ancient Elis, in Greece. It is one of the six cities (along with Lepreum, Phrixae, Pyrgus, Epium, and Nudium) founded by the Minyans in the territory of the Paror ...

and Heraea, and may have been the successor settlement to Homeric Aepy. It is one of the six cities (along with Lepreum, Macistus, Phrixae,

Pyrgus ''Pyrgus'' is a genus in the skippers butterfly family, Hesperiidae, known as the grizzled skippers. The name "checkered" or "chequered skipper" may also be applied to some species, but also refers to species in the genera ''Burnsius'' and '' ...

, and Nudium) founded by the Minyans in the territory of Paroreatae and Caucones. At the beginning of the 5th century BCE, it was a community of perioeci of Elis. According to Xenophon, the Eleans claimed that they had bought the town from its owners for 30 talents; the identity of these "owners" is unknown. Xenophon's phrase suggests that at the time of the sale, Epeium was not controlled by its original population. It has been suggested that it belonged to the Arcadians. Towards the year 400 BCE, Epeium was liberated from the Elean government and made autonomous. It probably joined the Triphylian federation. In 369 BCE, it was a member of the Arcadian League. The site is tentatively located near modern Tripiti (formerly called Bitsibardi). Archaeologists have discovered the foundations of an old structure, a retaining wall and many tiles. The first researchers found walls of

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

, ceramics of the Classical Period, and blocks and drums of columns. The

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

occupies an area of 150 x 25 m (500 x 80 ft).

References

External links

* populated places in ancient Elis Former populated places in Greece {{AncientElis-geo-stub