Kyllini ( el, Κυλλήνη) is a port town and a community in the municipal unit of
Kastro-Kyllini
Kastro-Kyllini ( el, Κάστρο-Κυλλήνη) is a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Elis (regional unit), Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravi ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
. It is situated on the
Ionian Sea coast, 11 km west of
Andravida
Andravida ( el, Ανδραβίδα, ) is a town and a former municipality in Elis, in the northwest of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is a ...
, 28 km northeast of
Zakynthos
Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Z ...
and 39 km northwest of
Pyrgos. From the port of Kyllini there are several ferry connections to the Ionian islands
Zakynthos
Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Z ...
and
Cephalonia. It was the terminus of the now dismantled
Kavasila–Kyllini railway.
History
Kyllini was first mentioned 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 his
epic poem
An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants.
...
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 ...
where Otos from Kyllini was killed during the
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has ...
.
[Πουλυδάμας δ' Ὦτον Κυλλήνιον ἐξενάριξε Φυλεΐδεω ἕταρον, μεγαθύμων ἀρχὸν Ἐπειῶν. Ομήρου ''Ιλιάς'' Ραψωδία Ο 518] The ruins of the medieval town
Glarentza
Glarentza ( el, Γλαρέντζα), also known as or Clarenia, Clarence, or Chiarenza, was a medieval town located near the site of modern Kyllini in Elis, at the westernmost point of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. Founded in th ...
are situated in Kyllini. The town was named after
Cyllene ( grc, Κυλλήνη), a port 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 ...
. Following the Ottoman invasion of the
Duchy of Athens
The Duchy of Athens (Greek: Δουκᾶτον Ἀθηνῶν, ''Doukaton Athinon''; Catalan: ''Ducat d'Atenes'') was one of the Crusader states set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade as part of the ...
in 1458, the
Arvanite
Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a bilingual population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They traditionally speak Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded as settlers ...
population migrated westward toward
Kalavryta
Kalavryta ( el, Καλάβρυτα) is a town and a municipality in the mountainous east-central part of the regional unit of Achaea, Greece. The town is located on the right bank of the river Vouraikos, south of Aigio, southeast of Patras and ...
and later Glarentza. The town remained largely Arvanitic-speaking until a mixture of
language attrition
Language attrition is the process of losing a native or first language. This process is generally caused by both isolation from speakers of the first language ("L1") and the acquisition and use of a second language ("L2"), which interferes with ...
and assimilation from Greece.
Population
See also
*
List of settlements in Elis
This is a list of settlements in Elis, Greece.
* Achladini
* Aetorrachi
* Agios Andreas, Katakolo
* Agia Anna
* Agia Kyriaki
* Agia Mavra
* Agia Triada
* Agioi Apostoloi
* Agios Charalampos
* Agios Dimitrios
* Agios Georgios
* Agios Il ...
*
Otus of Cyllene
In Greek mythology, Otus ( grc, Ὦτος) was a hero from Cyllene, Elis. He participated in the Trojan War with Meges, commander of the Epeians. He was killed by Polydamas.Homer, ''Iliad'', 15.514
Note
References
* Homer
Homer (; ...
References
External links
GTP - Kyllini
{{Andravida-Kyllini div
Populated places in Elis
Kastro-Kyllini