Lepreum or Lepreon ( grc, Λέπρεον), alternately named Lepreus or Lepreos (Λέπρεος) was an

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

city-state in

Triphylia Triphylia ( el, Τριφυλία, ''Trifylia'', "the country of the three tribes") was an area of the ancient Peloponnese. Strabo and Pausanias both describe Triphylia as part of Elis, and it fell at times under the domination of the city of Eli ...

, a district of

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 ...

(now part of the Elis regional unit). It was located 40

stadia Stadia may refer to: * One of the plurals of stadium, along with "stadiums" * The plural of stadion, an ancient Greek unit of distance, which equals to 600 Greek feet (''podes''). * Stadia (Caria), a town of ancient Caria, now in Turkey * Stadi ...

away from the sea at the west end of Mount

Minthi Minthi ( el, Μίνθη, before 1927: Άλβενα - ''Alvena'') is a mountain village and a community in the municipality of Zacharo, Elis, Greece. In 2011 its population was 77 for the village and 86 for the community, including the village Ko ...

and built around two citadels (one at Agios Dimitrios, one at Phyrcus). Surrounded by an abundance of natural resources, Lepreum became an important city in the Classical and

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

ages where it became the capital of the Triphylia region. The city has also been identified by some scholars as the mythical city of Aepy, a city described by

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

in the ''

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 ...

'' but never discovered.Hellenic Ministry of Culture archaeological report
/ref> The ruins of ancient Lepreum have been excavated near the present village

Lepreo Lepreo ( el, Λέπρεο, before 1916: Στροβίτζι - ''Strovitzi'') is a village in the municipality of Zacharo, Elis, Greece. Its population in 2011 was 219 for the village and 366 for the community, which includes the small villages Agrap ...

Mythology and Proto-History

Lepreon was the chief town of Triphylia, which is said to have been originally inhabited by the

Caucones The Caucones ( grc-gre, Καύκωνες ''Kaukônes'') were an autochthonous tribe of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), who later migrated to parts of the Greek mainland ( Arcadia, Triphylian Pylos and Elis). The phonology of the name Caucones ...

, whence Lepreon is called by

Callimachus Callimachus (; ) was an ancient Greek poet, scholar and librarian who was active in Alexandria during the 3rd century BC. A representative of Ancient Greek literature of the Hellenistic period, he wrote over 800 literary works in a wide variety ...

"fortified city of the Caukones". The Caucones were afterwards expelled by the

Minyans According to Greek mythology and legendary prehistory of the Aegean region, the Minyans or Minyae ( el, Μινύες, ''Minyes'') were an autochthonous group inhabiting the Aegean region. The extent to which the prehistory of the Aegean world ...

, who founded Lepreon, which one of six cities (along with Makistos,

Phrixa Phrixa ( grc, Φρίξα) or Phrixae or Phrixai (Φρίξαι) was a town of Triphylia in ancient Elis, situated upon the left bank of the Alpheius, at the distance of 30 stadia from Olympia. It is one of the six cities (along with Lepreum, Maci ...

, Purgoi, Epeion, and Noudion) founded by the Minyans in the territory of the

History

The earliest traces of habitation in the area are from the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

, with the inhabitants exploiting the area's natural resources and evidence of ties with the

Aegean civilizations Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age civilizations of Greece around the Aegean Sea. There are three distinct but communicating and interacting geographic regions covered by this term: Crete, the Cyclades and the Greek mainland ...

. It was the site of a grove sacred to Dione ( ''Diṓnē'', from earlier ''Diwōnā'' "she of Dyeus"). Shortly after the establishment of the city and following the

First Messenian War The First Messenian War was a war between Messenia and Sparta. It began in 743 BC and ended in 724 BC, according to the dates given by Pausanias (geographer), Pausanias. The war continued the rivalry between the Achaeans (tribe), Achaeans and t ...

, Lepreon and the rest of the Triphylia region were subdued by the Eleians, who governed them as subject places. The Triphylian cities, however, always bore this yoke with impatience; and Lepreum took the lead in their frequent attempts to shake off the Eleian supremacy. The greater importance of Lepreum is shown by the fact that it was the only one of the Triphylian towns which took part in the

Greco-Persian Wars The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the ...

. In 421 BC, Lepreum and the other cities of Triphylia revolted against the Eleians with the assistance of

Sparta 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 referre ...

, with the Eleians accepting Triphylian independence in 400 BC. With the weakening of Spartan power by their loss at the

Battle of Leuctra The Battle of Leuctra ( grc-gre, Λεῦκτρα, ) was a battle fought on 6 July 371 BC between the Boeotians led by the Thebans, and the Spartans along with their allies amidst the post- Corinthian War conflict. The battle took place in the vici ...

in 371 BC the Spartans attempted to gain supremacy over Tryphilia, who responded by joining the recently established

Arcadian League The Arcadian League ( grc, ) was a league of city-states in ancient Greece. It combined the various cities of Arcadia, in the Peloponnese, into a single state. The league was founded in 370 BC, taking advantage of the decreased power of Sparta ...

for defence. Hence, Lepreum is called an Arcadian town by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

, and

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 t ...

states the townsfolk claimed to be Arcadians in his time, though he notes that they had been subject to Eleians from ancient times and that

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states ...

described the town as Eleian. During the Classical and

ages Lepreum became the leading city of the Triphylia region, and was called a "blessed country" by

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 ...

; It controlled an area of high fertility, had both a good defensive position and mild climate thanks to the surrounding mountains and had easy access to both the

Neda River The Neda () is a river in the western Peloponnese in Greece. It is long, and its drainage area is . It is unique in the sense that it is the only river in Greece with a feminine name. It took its name from the nymph Neda. Geography The river ...

and the sea. Due to its position in control of the roads linking

with

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 ...

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 ...

, Lepreum was the de facto capital of Triphylia and was the only city in Triphylia to send troops to the Battle of Plataea during the

. A temple dedicated to

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...

was built during the classical period in the Acropolis and parts of it still stand today. After the time of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

, the Eleians again reduced the Triphylian cities, which therefore were obliged to join the

Aetolian League The Aetolian (or Aitolian) League ( grc-gre, Κοινὸν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν) was a confederation of tribal communities and cities in ancient Greece centered in Aetolia in central Greece. It was probably established during the early Hellen ...

along with the Eleians. But when

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 ...

, in his war with the Aetolians, marched into Triphylia, the inhabitants of Lepreum rose against the Eleian garrison in their town, and declared in favour of Philip, who thus obtained possession of the place. By 170 AD, when visited by

, the city had lost much of its power and influence, although it was still considered the capital of Triphylia. The city was finally abandoned between 800 and 1000 after a series of raids by pirates and barbarians.

Olympian raid

The ancient Greek Olympics were a time of inter-city sporting competition, and as such an Olympic truce was maintained in which, during the Olympic games, any attacks by participant cities on other participant cities were forbidden. At one set of games, however, the fortress at Phyrcus was attacked by

n forces, who were subsequently fined 200,000

drachmas The drachma ( el, δραχμή , ; pl. ''drachmae'' or ''drachmas'') was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history: # An ancient Greek currency unit issued by many Greek city states during a period of ten centuries, fro ...

, a heavy fine in a period where the average wage of a skilled worker was 1 drachma a day.Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 3.17.4.

Architectural style

The early buildings in the city were built on a foundation of limestone and porous bedrock, with walls of mud bricks. The buildings were orientated on a north-south line, with doors on the north side to avoid the strong south winds.

Founding myths

Lepreus, son of Pyrgeus (who was killed by

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive ...

) is considered by some to be the city's mythical founder, similar to the founding of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

by Romulus and Remus. Other historians however assert that the city's name comes from the fact that the original settlers were afflicted with leprosy, while some claim that it was due to the presence of a temple of Zeus Leukaios (Of the White Poplar).Pausanias, Description of Greece 5. 5. 3 – 5

References