At a distance of 30 kilometers from Kalamata, in the western foothills of Mount Ithomi near the present village of Mavrommati, Ancient Messina spreads over a large area , one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece.
Ancient Messina has been excavated and revealed gradually since the time of the Revolution and due to its size, but also its importance, it gives wonderful information about its glorious past. It is a rare archaeological site, where the visitor is impressed by the sight of the temples, houses, walls and public buildings, preserved at such a great height and in good condition.
History
Ancient Messina was built in 369 BC. by the Theban general Epaminondas, after the battle of Leuctra, in which he defeated the Spartans, invaded Laconia and freed the Messenians from Spartan rule.
The specific location for the foundation of Ancient Messina is said to have been chosen after the discovery of the spot where the testament of Aristomenes, a Messenian hero, was made with the mediation of priests and diviners.
The city took its name from the mythical, Prodorian queen of the country, who was the daughter of the Argive king Triopas and the wife of Lacona Polykaon. According to Pausanias, Messina was deified around the 10th century BC. and gradually he was proclaimed one of the main deities of the city.
Η διάταξη της Αρχαίας Μεσσήνης ακολουθούσε το λεγόμενο ιπποδάμειο σύστημα, όπου όλα τα οικοδομήματα έχουν τον ίδιο προσανατολισμό και ο χώρος διαιρείται σε οριζόντιους και κάθετους άξονες.
Ancient Messina remained the cultural center of Messinia until 395 BC, when Alaric's Goth invasion supposedly dealt the decisive blow to the city.
The Monuments in Ancient Messina
The wall that surrounded Ancient Messina has a total length of 9 kilometers. It protected the city from all directions, except for the northeast, where Ithomi stood like a natural fortress. It had two monumental gates, the Arcadian Gate (or Megalopolis Gate) and the Laconic one, which is not preserved. Today it is best preserved on its northern side.
The Theater of Messina is the first monument one encounters in the archaeological site.
Between the Theater and the Agora of Ancient Messina, the Fountain of Arsinoe was revealed, who was the daughter of the mythical king of Messinia Leucippus and mother of Asclepius. The Fountain received water from the Klepsydra spring, includes several reservoirs and seems to have been used at least until the 6th century AD.
Immediately to the east of the fountain begin the boundaries of the market of Archaia Messina, a huge square projected by arcades. In this market, the excavations of which are ongoing, the political life of the ancient city mainly took place.
The Asklepiio was the most prominent space of Ancient Messines, the center of the city's public life, which functioned alongside the market. More than 140 pedestals for bronze statuettes of mainly political figures and five platforms surrounded the Doric temple, the foundations of which dominate the center of the Asklepiion.
The Stadium and the Gymnasium belong to the most impressive buildings in terms of preservation Αρχαίας Μεσσήνης. The Stadium includes 18 stands with 18 rows of seats, separated by staircases and surrounded by Doric arcades.
Most of the findings from the excavations are kept in the Museum of Ancient Messene, the two-story building before the entrance to the archaeological site.
