Lasion ( gr, Λασίων or Λασιών) was the chief town of the mountainous district of

Acroreia Acroreia or Akroreia ( grc, Ἀκρώρεια) was a mountainous district of ancient Elis on the borders of Arcadia, in which the rivers Peneius and Ladon take their rise. The inhabitants of the district were called Acrocreii (Ἀκρωρεῖοι) ...

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 ...

proper, situated upon the frontiers of

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 ...

near

Psophis Psophis (Ancient Greek: , '' Eth.'' ) was an ancient Greek city in the northwest end of Arcadia, bounded on the north by Arcadia, and on the west by Elis. It was located near the modern village Psofida, part of the municipality Kalavryta. City n ...

. Lasion was a frequent object of dispute between the Arcadians and Eleians, both of whom laid claim to it. In the war which the

Spartans Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...

carried on against Elis at the close of the

Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time until the decisive intervention of th ...

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC *Pausanias of Sicily, physician of th ...

, king of Sparta, took Lasion. The invasion of Pausanias is not mentioned by

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, wikt:Ξενοφῶν, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Anci ...

in his account of this war; but the latter author relates that, by the treaty of peace concluded between Elis and Sparta in 400 BCE, the Eleians were obliged to give up Lasion, in consequence of its being claimed by the Arcadians. In 366 BCE, the Eleians attempted to recover Lasion from the Arcadians; they took the town by surprise, but were shortly afterwards driven out of it again by the Arcadians. In 219 BCE, Lasion was again a fortress of Elis, but upon the capture of Psophis by

Philip V of Macedon Philip V ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 238–179 BC) was king ( Basileus) of Macedonia from 221 to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of the Roman Republic. He would lead Macedon ag ...

, the Eleian garrison at Lasion straightway deserted the place; after Philip took the town, he gave it to the Achaeans.

Polybius Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail. Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...

mentions along with Lasion a fortress called

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 '' ...

, which he places in a district named Perippia. It is located in the upper Ladon valley, north of modern

Koumani Koumanis ( el, Κούμανης, also Κούμανι - ''Koumani'') is a mountain village and a community in the municipal unit of Foloi, Elis (regional unit), Elis, Greece. Its population in 2011 was 498 for the village and 506 for the community, ...

References

Populated places in ancient Elis Former populated places in Greece {{ancientElis-geo-stub