Listed 2 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "MELIGALAS Small town MESSINIA" .
MELIGALAS (Small town) MESSINIA
Meligalas constitutes the agricultural centre of Upper Messinia and
is found in the centre of its fertile and all green valley, in the area where
according to the ancient, 2nd century A.D. tradition, the king and queen of Messinia
Polycaon and Meropi had their base.
During the 11th century B.C., that’s where the small Kingom (=polisma)
of King Kresfondi and his queen Meropi was created and where, in 459 B.C, was
a fierce battle between Spartans and Messinians who made a heroic exit from the
Acropolis of Ithomi. The first settlement in the area of the contemporary Meligalas
was built during the decay of Byzantio and it had been a fief of the Byzantine
lord Meligala after whom it was also named.
As a town, it developed during the domination by the Franks and the
Eneti through which the promotion of the agricultural products of Upper Messinia
took place.
The bridge of Mavrozoumena is a monument of this era which was built
in the 4th and restored in the 12th century A.D.
Meligalas took part in the Revolution of 1821 with the recruiting
of men and the offering of provisions.
Today, it constitutes an administrative and commercial centre of the
area of Upper Messinia.
This text is cited March 2003 from the Messenia Prefecture Tourism Promotion Commission URL below, which contains image.
The chief town of Upper Messenia, already occupied in prehistoric times. Not far to the W is the Mavrozoumenos Bridge, just above the confluence of the Leukasia and Amphitos (Vivari) forming the Pamisos river. The triple bridge spans the two streams and runs back as a causeway on the low-lying tongue of land between them. There are seven arches and one rectangular opening, which is ancient. Below the Turkish masonry, the foundations of the piers and six courses of one arch are also ancient; the stones are not voussoirs but are corbeled to the arch shape.
M. H. Mc Allister, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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