Zarax ( grc, Ζάραξ) or Zarex (Ζάρηξ) was a town on the eastern coast of

ancient Laconia Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, con ...

, with a good harbour, situated upon a promontory, which is a projection of

Mount Zarax Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

. Like

Prasiae Prasiae or Prasiai ( grc, Πρασιαί),Aristophanes, ''Pac.'' 242 or Prasia (Πρασία),''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' p. 17 also known as Brasiae or Brasiai (Βρασιαί), was a town on the eastern coast of ancient Laconia, described by P ...

and some other places on this part of the Laconian coast, it passed into the hands of the

Argives Argos (; el, Άργος ; grc, label=Ancient Greek, Ancient and Katharevousa, Ἄργος ) is a city in Argolis, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece and is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inh ...

in the time of the Macedonian supremacy; and this was apparently the reason why it was destroyed by

Cleonymus of Sparta Cleonymus ( grc, Κλεώνυμος) was a member of the Spartan royal family of the Kings of Sparta, Agiads. Biography Cleonymus was the second son of Cleomenes II and a pretender to the Spartan throne. He did not succeed his father (died 309/ ...

. From this disaster it never recovered.

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

made it one of the

Eleuthero-Laconian The League of Free Laconians () was established in southern Greece in 21 BC by the Emperor Augustus,Greenhalgh and Eliopoulos. ''Deep into Mani: Journey to the southern tip of Greece'', 21 giving formal structure to a group of cities that had been ...

towns; but

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 ...

, who visited in the 2nd century, mentions it as being “...the most ruinous of the towns of the Free Laconians...”, owing to the devastation carried out by Cleonymus. He adds that the only remarkable building in town at the time was a Temple of Apollo, graced by “... a statue holding a lyre”. Its site is located near the modern

Ierakas Ierakas ( el, Γέρακας) is a small village built along a natural fjord on the south east coast of Laconia, Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Zarakas. Ierakas is famous for its port or Limani, ( el, Λιμάνι) providing docks f ...

, and can be accessed by following a footpath up from the modern day harbour. The remains, though scenic, are scarce, unprotected, and rapidly deteriorating.

References

Populated places in ancient Laconia Former populated places in Greece {{AncientLaconia-geo-stub