Messenia

Messenia (Greek Μεσσηνία Messēnía) is a peripheral unit of Greece, located on the periphery of Peloponnese. Its capital is Kalamata. Until January 1, 2011, it was one of the 51 prefectures into which the country was divided. It is bordered on the east by Lakonia; to the north, with Elis and Arcadia; and to the south and west with the sea. It is separated from Laconia by Mount Taygetus. The southern coast forms the so-called Gulf of Messinia.

Physical geography

Mountains

A central mountain range today called Tetrazi (its ancient name may have been Eira) occupies the central part (about 1400 meters high). To the east, the mountains today called Makryplai, formed the ancient Nomia mountains (Νομία ὄρη), and to the west the prolongation of the Tetrazi today called Kuvela (in the Neda valley) was called Elaeos (Elaeum, Ἐλάϊον). Mounts Itome and Evan were the main ones.

Aegaleum or Agalios was a mountain range that ran parallel to the western coast, of which the Buphras (Βουφράς) and Tomeos (Τομεύς) mountains were part. Tematia (Temathia, Τημαθία) or Matia (Matia, Μαθία) was a mountain that would correspond to modern Lykodimo, with almost 1000 meters, in the southwestern part.

Rivers

The rivers were: Pamiso (Pamisus, Παμισός), Neda, Balira (Balyra, Βαλίρα), Electra (Ἠλέκτρα), Ceoos (Coeus Κοῖος), Leucasia (Λευκασία), Amphitus (Ἄμφιτος), Charadrus (Κάραδρος), Aris (Ἄρις), Nedon (Νέδων), Selas (Σέλας) and Cyparissos (Κυπάρισσος).

Cables

The main one is Cape Acritas (Ἀκρίτας), or Cape Gallo, the southernmost part of Messinia; to the west the Corifasion (Coryphasium), which forms the entrance to the bay of Pylos, the Platamodes (Πλαταμώδης) or Platanodes and the Ciparision (Cyparissium) to the north, in the city of Ciparisia (Cyparissia)

Islands

• TeganussaTheganussa, κγγανο),σα), modern Venetiko, in front of Corporal Acritas
• Islands Oenussae (MILITARY)
• Esfacteria (Sphacteria) in front of Pilos
• Protein (GENPLES)

History

The regions of the Peloponnese in Antiquity. Mesenia occupied the southwest of the peninsula.

The first inhabitants mentioned are the léleges. Polycaon, son of Lélege, the king of the Léleges, married the Argive Messene and ruled the country to which he gave the name of his wife and built various cities, among them Andania where he established his capital.

After five generations came the Aeolians led by Perieres, son of Aeolus, who was later succeeded by his son Aphareus, who welcomed the fugitive from Thessaly, Neleus, who founded Pylos, and he and his descendants ruled the west coast. The family of Afareo became extinct and the country passed to the Atrids of Laconia and the rest remained in the hands of the kings of Pylos. At this time the boundary between Messinia and Laconia was the Pamiso river.

After the Peloponnese was conquered by the Dorians, Mesenia fell to Cresfontes, who married a daughter of Cypselus of Arcadia, expelled the Neleids from Pylos and ruled over the entire country, which he divided into 5 parts, and established the royal capital in Esteniclaro, and the other 4 demarcations were governed by viceroys and gave the former inhabitants the same rights as the Dorians conquerors. That caused the uprising of the Dorians and Cresfontes only kept Esteniclaro, and finally he was killed with all his children, saving only the young Épito, who was in Arcadia with his grandfather Cípselo. A few years later he was restored as king of Messenia by the Arcadians, Spartans and Argives, founding the Heraclid dynasty of the Epitides, and his descendants ruled six generations (Epitus, Glaucus (son of Temenus), Isthmius (son of Glaucus), Dotadas, Sibotas, and Feints.

Then began the first Messenian war that lasted from 743 to 724 B.C. C. The Second Messenian War was from 685 to 668 B.C. C. The third was from 468 to 458 BC. C. Together they are known as "Messenian wars".

The first Messenian war meant territorial losses for the Messenians, but the second meant the conquest of the territory by the Spartans (668 BC). Thousands of Messenians fled the country and settled elsewhere in Greece or in the colonies; one of the main groups, led by Aristomenes, settled in Rhegio, in Italy, from where it later also passed to Zancle, located opposite, which took the name of Mesene, later deformed into Mesana (present-day Messina). Those who stayed were turned into helots (serfs).

With the earthquake of 464 B.C. C. that left Sparta in ruins, the Messenian helots, who had already rebelled 4 years ago, rose up en masse in what was called the third Messenian war, which ended with the departure of the helots besieged in Itome towards the foreigner.

The helot uprisings were harshly repressed, for fear of the Spartans, in clear numerical inferiority, added to the continuous campaign of punishment that they carried out, and which even included one day a year in which the Spartans went out to "hunt" and kill helots, with which, evidently, the rancor had to be strongly seated among the Messenians, turning them into a potential revolt. This danger that the Spartans had continuously behind them led them to avoid leaving the city with all their troops in case of war, and to gradually militarize society as a survival mechanism both externally and internally. The other mechanism to keep the helot masses submissive consisted of destroying their social structure, instilling in them all the vices, in such a way that they could not trust each other, nor find a leader to follow, although the revolts show the intent of the helot society to throw off the yoke.

The exiled Messenians ruled Naupactus, a city razed by the Ozolian Locrians, and were close allies of Athens ever since, and especially during the Peloponnesian War. After Athens was conquered by the Spartans (April 404 B.C.), the Messenians left Naupactus and partly took refuge in Reggio or Sicily, and the rest on the African coast, where they were welcomed by the Libyan people of the Euesperites.

In 371 B.C. C., Epaminondas defeated the Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra, and to weaken Sparta he restored the independence of Messenia and formed the Arcadian League. The hilotas were declared free and the exiled Messenians in Reggio, Sicily and Africa were invited to return. The new capital, Messene, was built in 369 B.C. C. and its citadel was Itome. The Messenians had conserved during 300 years of exile and slavery, their customs and their Doric dialect. Other cities were also rebuilt and Mesenia was then allied with Thebes and Arcadia.

When Thebes fell from power, the Messenians sought the alliance of Philip II of Macedonia and therefore he was not in the Greek camp at the battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. C. The Macedonian king forced Sparta to cede to Messenia the Limnas region and some border districts (Alagonia, Gerenia, Cardamila and Leuctra) over which the Messenians had claims. A few years later Sparta regained these districts, but the exact time is unknown.

Then the Messenians joined the Achaean League and fought alongside the Achaeans and Antigonus Doson at the Battle of Sellasia in 222 BC. C. At the end of the fight, Sparta had to cede again Alagonia, Gerenia, Cardamile and Leuctra.

King Philip V of Macedonia, to whom his advisors indicated that Itome and Acrocorinth were the keys to the Peloponnese, wanted to seize Messenia and sent an expedition led by Demetrius of Faros, then in the Macedonian court, which failed and Demetrius himself died.

Another conquest attempt was made by Nabis, tyrant of Sparta, who managed to enter the walls of Messene, but was finally rejected by the head of the Achaean League, Philopoemen, who came to help from Megalopolis. In the treaty between Nabis and Rome in 195 B.C. C., the Spartan tyrant was forced to restore everything he had conquered to Mesenia.

Shortly thereafter, disputes broke out between Messinia and the Achaean League, which ended in open warfare. The Achaeans were defeated and Philopoemen was taken prisoner and executed in 183 BC. C., but his successor, Licortas, defeated the Messenians and entered Mesene where he executed all those who had participated in the execution of Philopemes. Messinia had to re-enter the Achaean League, and Abia, Turia and Faras (Pharae) became independent and entered the league separately.

When the Roman consul Lucius Mummius fixed the borders of the Greek states, Abia, Turia and Fares were returned to Messenia, as well as the district called Dentheliates Ager that had been occupied by Sparta. As this district remained disputed, an arbitration was requested from Miletus and the praetor of Achaia, Atidius Geminus, who confirmed Messenia as the legitimate owner.

Messenia favored Mark Antony, and Octavian Caesar Augustus as punishment, after the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. C., he delivered Turia and Faras and the Dentheliates Ager to Sparta, but Tiberius reversed Augustus's decision and returned the districts to Messenia.

Historic cities

Andania was the capital of the first kings. The main stronghold was Itome and also Eira. The capital from 369 B.C. C. was Mesene, near Itome.

Cities can be divided into three groups:

• In the plain of Esteniclaro:
  • Andania
  • Ecalia
  • Anfea
  • Estenicla
  • Abia or Ire
  • Mesene with the citadel of Itome.
  • Policne
  • Dorio
• On the plain of Macaria:
  • Lighthouses, modern Kalamata
  • Calamas
  • Limnas
• On the western peninsula and west coast:
  • Corone
  • Ásine
  • Colonides
  • Metone
  • Pilos
  • Érana
  • Ciparisia
  • Aulon
• From unknown location:
  • Etea

Municipalities

Since 2011 it is divided into 6 municipalities:

• Dytikí Mani
• Kalamata
• Messini
• Oichalía
• Pilos-Néstor
• Trifylía