Gortyna ( el, Γόρτυνα), is a former municipality in

Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

Megalopoli Megalopoli ( el, Μεγαλόπολη) is a town in the southwestern part of the regional unit of Arcadia (regional unit), Arcadia, southern Greece. It is located in the same site as ancient Megalopolis ( grc, Μεγαλόπολις, literally ''la ...

, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 116.205 km². Its seat was in the village

Karytaina Karytaina or Karitaina ( el, Καρύταινα or Καρίταινα) is a village and a community in Arcadia (regional unit), Arcadia, Greece. Karytaina is situated on a hill on the right bank of the river Alpheios, near its confluence with the L ...

. The name of the municipality was taken from the ancient city of Gortys.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Gortyna is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets): *

Atsicholos Atsicholos ( el, Ατσίχολος) is a mountain village in the municipal unit Gortyna, Arcadia, Greece. It is considered a traditional settlement which is situated on a mountain slope above the right bank of the river Lousios, near its confluen ...

(Karytaina, Kalyvakia, Karvounari) *

Katsimpalis Katsimpalis ( el, Κατσίμπαλης) is a village in the municipal unit of Gortyna, southwest Arcadia, Greece. It is situated on a hillside above the right bank of the river Alfeios. It is 2 km southwest of Zoni, 3 km east of Kypari ...

* Kotili (Kotili, Palatos, Strongylo) *

Kourounios Kourounios ( el, Κουρουνιός) is a mountain village in the municipal unit Gortyna, southwestern Arcadia, Greece. It is situated in the eastern foothills of mount Lykaion, overlooking the Alfeios valley. It is 2 km west of Mavria, 3&nb ...

Kyparissia 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. ...

Mavria Mavria ( el, Μαυριά) is a village in the municipal unit of Gortyna, Arcadia, Greece. It is located near the left bank of the river Alfeios, 1 km north of Kyparissia, 4 km southeast of Karytaina and 9 km northwest of Megalopoli ...

* Sarakini (Sarakini, Kryonero, Palaiokastro) *

Vlachorraptis Vlachorraptis ( el, Βλαχορράπτης, also Βλαχορράφτης - ''Vlachorraftis'') is a village in western Arcadia, Greece. It is situated on a hill above the right bank of the river Alfeios, at about 650 m elevation. It is 2 km ...

* Zoni

Population

Ancient Gortys

The ancient city

Gortys Gortyna ( grc, Γόρτυνα; also known as Gortyn (Γορτύν)) was a town of ancient Crete which appears in the Homeric poems under the form of Γορτύν; but afterwards became usually Gortyna (Γόρτυνα). According to Stephanus of ...

was located in the valley of the river

Lousios The Lousios ( el, Λούσιος; la, Lusius), also known in antiquity as Gortynius or Gortynios ( grc, Γορτύνιος), is a river and a gorge in western Arcadia that stretches from Karytaina north to Dimitsana in Greece. The river begins n ...

. It reputedly was founded by Gortys, son of

Stymphalus In Greek mythology, Stymphalus or Stymphalos (Ancient Greek: Στύμφαλος or Στύμφαλον) may refer to the following personages: * Stymphalus, an Arcadian prince as one of the 50 sons of the impious King Lycaon either by the naiad ...

, a legendary king of Arcadia. When

Megalopolis A megalopolis () or a supercity, also called a megaregion, is a group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and so on. They are integrated enoug ...

was founded in the 4th century BC, many inhabitants moved to the new city, but Gortys was still inhabited in the 2nd century AD, a village belonging to Megalopolis then. Ancient Gortys was known for its Temple of

Asclepius Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of ...

. The ruins of Gortys have been excavated between 1940 and 1956. They are located near the road from

Elliniko Elliniko ( el, Ελληνικό, meaning "Greek") is a coastal suburb of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Elliniko-Argyroupoli, of which it is a municipal unit. Elliniko is known for the Helli ...

. The remains of several fortifications, temples and baths have been found.

Geography

The territory of the municipal unit Gortyna is very mountainous: the

Mainalo Mainalo ( el, Μαίναλο, grc, Μαίναλος or Μαίναλον, Mainalos or Mainalon; la, Maenalus) is the tallest mountain in the Menalon highlands of the Peloponnese, and is located in Arcadia, Greece. In antiquity, the mountain wa ...

lies to the northeast, and the

Lykaion Mount Lykaion ( grc, Λύκαιον ὄρος, ''Lýkaion Óros''; la, Mons Lycaeus) is a mountain in Arcadia, Greece. Lykaion has two peaks: ''Stefani'' to the north and St. Ilias (, ''Agios Īlías'') to the south where the altar of Zeus is loc ...

to the southwest. The rivers Lousios and

Alfeios The Alfeiós or Alpheios ( el, Αλφειός, grc, Ἀλφειός, Latin Alpheus) is the main stream of the Alpheios Valley drainage system, a dendritic type, originating on the north slopes of Mount Taygetus, located in the center of the Pelop ...

flow through it and have created deep gorges. The plain of Megalopoli lies to the southeast. Gortyna borders on

Elis Elis or Ilia ( el, Ηλεία, ''Ileia'') is a historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a regional unit of the modern region of Western Greece. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until 2011 it was ...

to the west, and

Messenia Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a ...

to the southwest. Gortyna is about 12 km northwest of Megalopoli, 12 km south of

Dimitsana Dimitsana ( el, Δημητσάνα) is a mountain village and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Gortynia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The ...

, 30 km west of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

, 50 km north of

Kalamata Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia reg ...

and 60 km southeast of Pyrgos.

References

External links