Skillountia
Encyclopedia
Skillountia the ancient Scillus , is a small village and a municipal district in the municipality of Skillounta
, Elis, Greece
. Its 2001 population was 28 for the village and 550 for the municipal district, including Nea Skillountia.
, west-southwest of the capital city of Athens
, east-southeast of Pyrgos, southeast of Krestena
, north of Zacharo
, northwest of Kalamata
and north of Kyparissia
. The GR-9
(E55
, Patras - Pyrgos - Kyparissia) is 6 km to the west, it is located in the middle where ther are no bridges over the river between the highway and the Krestena Dam and accessible ones up to near the Arcadia
prefecture. It is near the villages of Krestena and Mazi.
The name Skillous (Σκιλλούς) came from one of the leaves that grew in the area.
in the area known as Triphylia
near ancient Olympia
and the Alfeios
, and near the boundary of Pisatis. Elis controlled Scillus, along with the rest of Triphylia, for much of the 5th century BC.
The city featured the Temple of Athena
of Skillountia. Strabo
mentioned that it was founded next to the Alpheus in the area of Fellona (Φελλώνα). Inside the city was the Temple of the Ephesian
Artemis
which was constructed by Xenophon
. Having been granted land here by the Spartans, who controlled the area following the Peloponnesian war, Xenophon lived for many years in the city and resided later there following his adventures in Asia, for which he was exiled by the Athenians on account of the help which he brought to Cyrus the Younger
, an enemy of Athens, which was allied to the King of Persia, Artaxerxes II. The location of the ancient city has been excavated and is founded 3.5 km from Olympia in the location of Profitis Ilias, Makrissia. It also features the ruins of the Temple of Athena and its buildings.
Skillountia was ruled by the Ottoman
Turks
, and then it became a part of Greece
after the Greek War of Independence
. Its history between the Byzantine period and the war of independence went almost unrecorded. It adopted its current name in the early 20th century. Many of its inhabitants live in nearby Nea Skillountia. After World War II
and the Greek Civil War
, its buildings were rebuilt. Alfeioussa became connected with asphalt in the 1960s. More pavement was laid in the late 20th century. Electricity, radio and automobiles were introduced in the mid-20th century, television in the late-20th century, and computers and the internet at the turn of the millennium. During the creation and recreation of the municipalities under the Kapodistrian Plan in 1997, the village gives its name to the municipality of Skillounta.
Skillountia was affected by the 2007 Greek forest fires
on Sunday 26th August. During the afternoon, firefighters along with planes and helicopters managed to spread out the blaze and affected the southeastern portions. The blaze spread into the mountains and burned pine, spruce and cypress trees as well as a couple of groves, it destroyed half of the village's economy and may takes years to recover.
Skillounta
Skillounta is a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andritsaina-Krestena, of which it is a municipal unit. It is named after Scillus, an ancient name for the area. Its seat of administration was in the town...
, Elis, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Its 2001 population was 28 for the village and 550 for the municipal district, including Nea Skillountia.
Population
| Year | Population village | Municipal district population |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 45 | - |
| 2001 | 28 | 550 |
Location
Skillountia is located south of PatrasPatras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, west-southwest of the capital city of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, east-southeast of Pyrgos, southeast of Krestena
Krestena
Krestena is a town in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andritsaina-Krestena, of which it is the seat of administration....
, north of Zacharo
Zacharo
Zacharo is a town and municipality in southwestern Greece. Administratively, it belongs to the Elis peripheral unit, in the Periphery of West Greece. Zacharo is situated on the Ionian Sea coast, in the area of the Gulf of Kyparissia. The town is crossed by the highway named GR-9/E55, that links...
, northwest of Kalamata
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...
and north of Kyparissia
Kyparissia
Kyparissia is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The town proper has around 5,708 inhabitants. The town is located on Greek National Road 9,...
. The GR-9
Greek National Road 9
Greek National Road 9 is the second-longest national highway of Greece. It runs through the western Peloponnese, from Patras to Pylos. Its length is around .This highway travels near:*Bypasses:*Patras and Area, since 2002*Vrachneika*Alissos*Kato Achaia...
(E55
European route E55
European route E 55 is a E-route. It passes through the following cities:Helsingborg … Helsingør – Copenhagen – Køge – Vordingborg – Nykøbing Falster – Gedser … Rostock – Berlin – Lübbenau – Dresden – Teplice – Prague – Tábor – Linz – Salzburg – Villach – Tarvisio – Udine – Palmanova – Mestre...
, Patras - Pyrgos - Kyparissia) is 6 km to the west, it is located in the middle where ther are no bridges over the river between the highway and the Krestena Dam and accessible ones up to near the 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...
prefecture. It is near the villages of Krestena and Mazi.
Geography
The geography of the surrounding area consists of forests with a few bushes and grasslands. mMch of the area is mountainous, and dominated by agriculture.The name Skillous (Σκιλλούς) came from one of the leaves that grew in the area.
History
Scillus was founded during the ancient periodAncient 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...
in the area known as 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,...
near ancient Olympia
Olympia, Greece
Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
and the Alfeios
Alfeios River
Alfeiós is the longest river in the Peloponnese, in Greece. The river is 110 km long, flowing through the prefectures of Arcadia and Ilia. Its source is near Megalopoli in the highlands of Arcadia. The river begins near Davia in central Arcadia, then flows between Leontari and Megalopoli through a...
, and near the boundary of Pisatis. Elis controlled Scillus, along with the rest of Triphylia, for much of the 5th century BC.
The city featured the Temple of Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
of Skillountia. 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...
mentioned that it was founded next to the Alpheus in the area of Fellona (Φελλώνα). Inside the city was the Temple of the Ephesian
Ephesus
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era...
Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
which was constructed by Xenophon
Xenophon
Xenophon , son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary, philosopher and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates...
. Having been granted land here by the Spartans, who controlled the area following the Peloponnesian war, Xenophon lived for many years in the city and resided later there following his adventures in Asia, for which he was exiled by the Athenians on account of the help which he brought to Cyrus the Younger
Cyrus the Younger
Cyrus the Younger, son of Darius II of Persia and Parysatis, was a Persian prince and general. The time of his birth is unknown, but he died in 401 B.C. The history of Cyrus and of the retreat of the Greeks is told by Xenophon in his Anabasis. Another account, probably from Sophaenetus of...
, an enemy of Athens, which was allied to the King of Persia, Artaxerxes II. The location of the ancient city has been excavated and is founded 3.5 km from Olympia in the location of Profitis Ilias, Makrissia. It also features the ruins of the Temple of Athena and its buildings.
Skillountia was ruled by the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
, and then it became a part of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
after the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
. Its history between the Byzantine period and the war of independence went almost unrecorded. It adopted its current name in the early 20th century. Many of its inhabitants live in nearby Nea Skillountia. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
, its buildings were rebuilt. Alfeioussa became connected with asphalt in the 1960s. More pavement was laid in the late 20th century. Electricity, radio and automobiles were introduced in the mid-20th century, television in the late-20th century, and computers and the internet at the turn of the millennium. During the creation and recreation of the municipalities under the Kapodistrian Plan in 1997, the village gives its name to the municipality of Skillounta.
Skillountia was affected by the 2007 Greek forest fires
2007 Greek forest fires
The 2007 Greek forest fires were a series of massive forest fires that broke out in several areas across Greece throughout the summer of 2007. The most destructive and lethal infernos broke out on August 23, expanded rapidly and raged out of control until August 27, until they were put out in early...
on Sunday 26th August. During the afternoon, firefighters along with planes and helicopters managed to spread out the blaze and affected the southeastern portions. The blaze spread into the mountains and burned pine, spruce and cypress trees as well as a couple of groves, it destroyed half of the village's economy and may takes years to recover.