Peloponnese Peninsula

Messene’s location at Mount Ithome has always been known. The fact that a small village resides near the site prevented it from becoming a forgotten site. Excavations started in 1828 by the French during the Greek War of Independence. And more occurred in 1895, 1909, and 1925 where they unearthed adjacent buildings. In 1957 until the 1970s, in the direction of Anastasios Orlandos, a major excavation began where they found large empty squares. In these square areas they found fragments of sculptures of Apollo, temple of Artemis, and sculptures of other gods as well (Habicht, 1985, p. 40-41).

            Previously part of the Lakedaimon, a Spartan state, way before it was called Messene. It gained independence in 369 B.C. (Luraghi, 2008, p. 3). The traditions and language of the citizens of the city always lead to a debate among scholars. Nobody knows if Messene existed before the Spartans took over. Or if they kept their Spartan identity or did they continue to live on and prosper as a Heliotized city (Luraghi, 2008, p. 5-6).

            The once prosperous city state has been reduced to separate buildings and stones. During his visit in between 155-160 A.D. the ancient traveler Pausanias describes the temples, gymnasium, marketplace, and sanctuary in a way that shows that it was a buzzing metropolis during its heyday (Habicht, 1985, p. 39). But its grandness can still be seen in the designs of the last remaining buildings such as the Asclepieium, a temple of Asclepius, that was dated back to the Hellenistic period. The remaining theater and buildings are also great examples of Hellenistic architecture (Habicht, 1985, p. 44). Its walls that dates back to the fourth century B.C. are extremely well preserved. The city walls are considered to be the most impressive and famous wall in Greece, mightier than the walls of Byzantium and Rhodes (Habicht, 1985, p. 39). A Mausoleum called the Saithidai Heroon Podium was dated back to the Roman Period. According to research, “Its walls were made out of porous sandy limestone blocks that were fitted without mortar” (Zamba, Stamatakis, Cooper, Themeless, Zambas, 2007, p. 4). According to Deligiannakis, mostly of the buildings in the city were either destroyed or abandoned right around 360-370 A.D. (Deligiannakis, 2005, p. 392).

            As of today it is considered to be a major attraction. Most of the site has been excavated and restored for viewing.