Pylus or Pylos ( grc, Πύλος) was a town in hollow Elis, described by Pausanias as situated upon the mountain road leading from Elis to

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

, and at the place where the Ladon flows into the Pineus.

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 ...

, in a corrupt passage, assigns to it the same situation, and places it in the neighbourhood of Scollium or Mount Scollis. Pausanias says that it was 80

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 city of Elis. Diodorus gives 70 stadia as the distance, and

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 '' ...

12 Roman miles. According to

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, Pylus is said to have been built by the Pylon, son of Cleson of Megara, who founded the Messenian Pylus, and who, upon being expelled from the latter place by

Peleus In Greek mythology, Peleus (; Ancient Greek: Πηλεύς ''Pēleus'') was a hero, king of Phthia, husband of Thetis and the father of their son Achilles. This myth was already known to the hearers of Homer in the late 8th century BC. Biograp ...

, settled at this, the Eleian Pylos. Pylus was said to have been destroyed 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 ...

, and to have been afterwards restored by the Eleians; but the story of its destruction by Heracles more properly belongs to the Messenian Pylus. Its inhabitants asserted that it was the town which

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 ...

had in view when he asserted 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 ...

'' that the Alpheius flowed through their territory. On the position of the Homeric Pylus we shall speak presently; and we only observe here, that this claim was admitted by Pausanias, though its absurdity had been previously pointed out by Strabo. Like the other Eleian towns, Pylus is rarely mentioned in history. In 402 BCE it was taken by 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 ...

, in their invasion of the territory of Elis; and in 366 BCE, it is mentioned as the place where the democratical exiles from Elis planted themselves in order to carry on war against the latter city. Pausanias, visiting in the second century of our era, saw only the ruins of Pylus, and it would appear to have been deserted long previously. The location of Pylus has been identified with the modern village of

Agrapidochori Agrapidochori is a settlement in the West side of Elis, Peloponnese, Greece. ''Nativity of Mary Orthodox Church'' can be found in Agrapidochori settlement. See also *List of settlements in Elis This is a list of settlements in Elis, Greece. * ...

, near

Pineia Pineia (Greek: Πηνεία) is a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ilida, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 148.572 km2. I ...

References

Cities in ancient Peloponnese Populated places in ancient Elis Former populated places in Greece {{AncientElis-geo-stub