Myrtuntium or Myrtountion ( grc, Μυρτούντιον), called Myrsinus or Myrsinos (Μύρσινος) 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 ...

, was a town of

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 ...

. Homer mentions it among the towns of the

Epeii 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 ...

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 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 ...

''.

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 ...

describes Myrtunium as situated on the road from the city of Elis to

Dyme Dyme ( grc, Δύμη), or Dymae, was a town and polis (city-state) of ancient Achaea, and the most westerly of the 12 Achaean cities, from which circumstance it is said to have derived its name. The location of Dyme is near the modern Kato Achaia. ...

ancient Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (; el, Ἀχαΐα, ''Akhaia'', ) was (and is) the northernmost region of the Peloponnese, occupying the coastal strip north of Arcadia. Its approximate boundaries were to the south the mountain range of Erymanthus, to the so ...

, at the distance of 70

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 ...

from the former place and near the sea. Myrtuntium is usually located on the eastern shore of the lagoon Kotiki, about west of the town of

Kapeleto Kapeleto ( el, Καπελέτο) is a village and a community in the municipal unit Vouprasia, Elis, Greece. It is located in a rural area, 4 km south of the town of Varda, 5 km northeast of Kourtesi Kourtesi (Greek: Κουρτέσι) is a v ...

, in an area that is supposed to have been adjacent to the sea in antiquity. Others, however, they consider this identification unlikely and believe that Homer's Myrsinus should not be identified with Strabo's Myrtunium, but with a Mycenaean fortress known as the

Dymaean Wall The Dymaean Wall ( el, Τείχος Δυμαίων, ''Teichos Dymaiōn'') or Kalogria Castle is a prehistoric acropolis in western Achaea, Greece. The fortress stands in a strategic position on a rocky hilltop, north of the Prokopos lagoon, near ...

located south of the cape of

Araxus Cape Araxos ( el, Ακρωτήριον Άραξος), also known as Cape Pappas (Άκρα Πάππα), is a cape in the northwest of the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the northwesternmost point of Peloponnese and separates the Gulf of Patras from th ...

. Others identify that site with

Larissa Larissa (; el, Λάρισα, , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 144,651 according to the 2011 census. It is also capital of the Larissa regiona ...

- Ignacio Miguel Pascual Valderrama,
Un estudio topográfico e histórico de Acaya entre los siglos VIII y III a.C.
', p.328, doctoral thesis, Madrid: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (2010)

References

Populated places in ancient Elis Former populated places in Greece Lost ancient cities and towns {{ancientElis-geo-stub