Lepreum
Encyclopedia
Lepreum was an Ancient Greek
city-state in Triphylia
, a district of Elis
(now part of the Ilia Prefecture). Located 40 Stadia away from the sea at the west end of Mount Minthi
and based around two citadels (one at Agios Dimitrios, one at Phyrcus) and surrounded by an abundance of natural resources, Lepreum became an important city in the Classical
and Hellenistic
ages where it became the capital of the Triphylia region. The city has also been identified by some scholars as the mythical city of Aepy, a city described by Homer
in the Iliad
but never discovered.
period, with the inhabitants exploiting the area's natural resources and evidence of ties with the Aegean civilization
. Herodotus
mentions that the city was originally one of 6 founded by the Minyans
as a Hexapolis, with the area previously being inhabited by the Caucons. Shortly after the establishment of the city and following the First Messenian War
Lepreum and the rest of the Triphylia region were subdued by the Eleians. In 421 BC
, however, Lepreus and the other cities of Triphylia revolted against the Eleians with the assistance of Sparta
, with the Eleians accepting Triphylian independence in 400 BC
. With the weakening of Spartan power by their loss at the Battle of Leuctra
in 371 BC
the Spartans attempted to gain supremacy over Tryphilia, who responded by joining the recently-established Arcadian League
for defence.
During the Classical
and Hellenistic
ages Lepreum became the leading city of the Triphylia region, and was called a "blessed country" by Strabo
; It controlled an area of high fertility, had both a good defensive position and mild climate thanks to the surrounding mountains and had easy access to both the Neda River
and the sea. Due to its position in control of the roads linking Elis
with Arcadia
and Messenia
Lepreum was the defacto capital of Triphylia and was the only city in Triphylia to send troops to the Battle of Plataea
during the Greco-Persian Wars
. A temple dedicated to Demeter
was built during the classical period in the Acropolis and parts of it still stand today.
AD, when visited by Pausanias
, the city had lost much of its power and influence, although it was still considered the capital of Triphylia. The city was finally abandoned between 800
and 1000 AD after a series of raids by pirates and barbarians.
forces, who were subsequently fined 200,000 drachmas
, a heavy fine in a period where the average wage of a skilled worker was 1 drachma a day.
) is considered by some to be the city's mythical founder, similar to the founding of Rome
by Romulus and Remus
. Other historians however assert that the city's name comes from the fact that the original settlers were afflicted with leprosy, while some claim that it was due to the presence of a temple of Zeus Leukaios (Of the White Poplar).
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
city-state in Triphylia
Triphylia
Triphylia was an area of the ancient Peloponnese. Strabo and Pausanias both describe Triphylia as part of Elis, and it fell at times under the domination of the city of Elis, but Pausanias claims they reckoned themselves Arcadian, not Elean. They fell under the rule of Elis in the 8th century BC,...
, a district of Elis
Elis
Elis, or Eleia is an ancient district that corresponds with the modern Elis peripheral unit...
(now part of the Ilia Prefecture). Located 40 Stadia away from the sea at the west end of Mount Minthi
Minthi
Minthi is a village in the municipality of Zacharo, Ilia Prefecture, Greece. Its 2001 population was 144 for the village and 221 for the municipal district, including the village Kotroni. It is 15 to 20 km east of the GR-9/E55 and overlooks the Anydro River. Its elevation is 760 m...
and based around two citadels (one at Agios Dimitrios, one at Phyrcus) and surrounded by an abundance of natural resources, Lepreum became an important city in the Classical
Classical Greece
Classical Greece was a 200 year period in Greek culture lasting from the 5th through 4th centuries BC. This classical period had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire and greatly influenced the foundation of Western civilizations. Much of modern Western politics, artistic thought, such as...
and Hellenistic
Hellenistic period
The Hellenistic period or Hellenistic era describes the time which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great. It was so named by the historian J. G. Droysen. During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia...
ages where it became the capital of the Triphylia region. The city has also been identified by some scholars as the mythical city of Aepy, a city described by Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
in the Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
but never discovered.
Early history and golden age
The earliest traces of habitation in the area are from the NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period, with the inhabitants exploiting the area's natural resources and evidence of ties with the Aegean civilization
Aegean civilization
Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age civilizations of Greece around the Aegean Sea. There are three distinct but communicating and interacting geographic regions covered by this term: Crete, the Cyclades and the Greek mainland. Crete is associated with the Minoan civilization...
. Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
mentions that the city was originally one of 6 founded by the Minyans
Minyans
According to Greek mythology and legendary prehistory of the Aegean region, the Minyans were an autochthonous group inhabiting the Aegean region...
as a Hexapolis, with the area previously being inhabited by the Caucons. Shortly after the establishment of the city and following the First Messenian War
First Messenian War
The First Messenian War was a war between Messenia and Sparta. It began in 743 BC and ended in 724 BC, according the dates given by Pausanias. They are considered solid....
Lepreum and the rest of the Triphylia region were subdued by the Eleians. In 421 BC
421 BC
Year 421 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vibulanus and Barbatus...
, however, Lepreus and the other cities of Triphylia revolted against the Eleians with the assistance of Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
, with the Eleians accepting Triphylian independence in 400 BC
400 BC
Year 400 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Esquilinus, Capitolinus, Vulso, Medullinus, Saccus and Vulscus...
. With the weakening of Spartan power by their loss at the Battle of Leuctra
Battle of Leuctra
The Battle of Leuctra was a battle fought on July 6, 371 BC, between the Boeotians led by Thebans and the Spartans along with their allies amidst the post-Corinthian War conflict. The battle took place in the neighbourhood of Leuctra, a village in Boeotia in the territory of Thespiae...
in 371 BC
371 BC
Year 371 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Fifth year without Tribunate or Consulship...
the Spartans attempted to gain supremacy over Tryphilia, who responded by joining the recently-established Arcadian League
Arcadian League
The Arcadian League was a federal league of city-states in ancient Greece. It combined the various cities of Arcadia, in the Peloponnese, into a single state. The league was founded in 370 BC, taking advantage of the decreased power of Sparta, which had previously dominated and controlled Arcadia...
for defence.
During the Classical
Classical Greece
Classical Greece was a 200 year period in Greek culture lasting from the 5th through 4th centuries BC. This classical period had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire and greatly influenced the foundation of Western civilizations. Much of modern Western politics, artistic thought, such as...
and Hellenistic
Hellenistic period
The Hellenistic period or Hellenistic era describes the time which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great. It was so named by the historian J. G. Droysen. During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia...
ages Lepreum became the leading city of the Triphylia region, and was called a "blessed country" by Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
; It controlled an area of high fertility, had both a good defensive position and mild climate thanks to the surrounding mountains and had easy access to both the Neda River
Neda River
The Neda is a river that flows through the Arcadia, Ilia and the Messinia prefectures in the western Peloponnese in Greece. It is unique in the sense that it is the only river in Greece with a female name.-Geography:...
and the sea. Due to its position in control of the roads linking Elis
Elis
Elis, or Eleia is an ancient district that corresponds with the modern Elis peripheral unit...
with Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
and Messenia
Messenia
Messenia is a regional unit in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided by the Kallikratis plan, implemented 1 January 2011...
Lepreum was the defacto capital of Triphylia and was the only city in Triphylia to send troops to the Battle of Plataea
Battle of Plataea
The Battle of Plataea was the final land battle during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place in 479 BC near the city of Plataea in Boeotia, and was fought between an alliance of the Greek city-states, including Sparta, Athens, Corinth and Megara, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes...
during the Greco-Persian Wars
Greco-Persian Wars
The Greco-Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire of Persia and city-states of the Hellenic world that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the Greeks and the enormous empire of the Persians began when Cyrus...
. A temple dedicated to Demeter
Demeter
In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
was built during the classical period in the Acropolis and parts of it still stand today.
Later history and demise
By 170170
Year 170 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Clarus and Cornelius...
AD, when visited by Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
, the city had lost much of its power and influence, although it was still considered the capital of Triphylia. The city was finally abandoned between 800
800
Year 800 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. It was around this time that the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years, so from this time on, the years began being known as 800 and onwards.- Europe :* December 25 - Pope Leo III...
and 1000 AD after a series of raids by pirates and barbarians.
Olympian raid
The ancient Greek Olympics were a time of inter-city sporting competition, and as such an Olympic truce was maintained in which, during the Olympic games, any attacks by participant cities on other participant cities were forbidden. At one set of games, however, the fortress at Phyrcus was attacked by SpartanSparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
forces, who were subsequently fined 200,000 drachmas
Greek drachma
Drachma, pl. drachmas or drachmae was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history:...
, a heavy fine in a period where the average wage of a skilled worker was 1 drachma a day.
Architectural style
The early buildings in the city were built on a foundation of limestone and porous bedrock, with walls of mud bricks. The buildings were orientated on a north-south line, with doors on the north side to avoid the strong south winds.Founding myths
Lepreos, son of Pyrgeas (who was killed by HerculesHercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
) is considered by some to be the city's mythical founder, similar to the founding of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
by Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder...
. Other historians however assert that the city's name comes from the fact that the original settlers were afflicted with leprosy, while some claim that it was due to the presence of a temple of Zeus Leukaios (Of the White Poplar).