Ancient Town of Ermioni

Ermioni (former Kastri), the most picturesque port on the eastern coast of Ermionida, extends along a cape cut into the bay of the same name, and its east and west limits are defined by archaeology that is still visible today. Ancient written sources, the visible ruins and archaeological finds help us piece together the history of the ancient city.

According to Aristotle, the most ancient inhabitants of Ermioni must have been the Carians. Prior to the ‘descent of the Dorians’, the amphictyony of Kalavria was formed, of which Ermioni was a part. In historic times, the Ermionites believed themselves to be Dryopes, who had migrated to the area during the descent of the Dorians from their faraway homeland on Parnassos or Oiti. It is not known when exactly, but customs and language show that the Dorians took over the city. It was, most likely, a gradual and peaceful process, during which the main influence moved from Argos to Sparta. In 525 BC, the Ermionites sold the island of Hydra to the Samians, who had been expelled by Polycrates. In 460 BC, they ceded land close to modern Porto Cheli to the Tyrians, who had been forced into exile and who founded the city of Alies there. During the Persian Wars, they participated with 3 ships at the Battle of Salamis (480 BC) and 300 men at the Battle of Plataea (479 BC). During the Peloponnesian War, Ermioni belonged to the Peloponnesian League and was therefore destroyed by the Athenians in 430 BC. The city's coinage bearing the head of Demeter dates from between 350 and 322 BC. In 316 BC, the city supported Cassander and, in 229 BC, Aratos forced it to become a member of the Achaean League. Coins have survived from that time which bear the inscription, ACHAEON ERMIONEON [Achaean Ermioni]. Cleomenes took the city in 224/3 BC. From a resolution taken somewhere around the end of the 3^rd and beginning of the 2^nd century BC, which mentions offices and professions (rulers, treasurers, law writers, artists, thearodokos, prytaneis) we learn details of the arrangement of civil society. In the 1^st century BC, pirates destroyed the temples in Ermioni. In the time of Pausanias, Ermioni was a small city, which, however, had important temples, which the traveller described. The city seems not to have gone into decline. On the contrary, resolutions from the Imperial period of the Roman occupation confirm some prosperity.

Ermioni's past still speaks to us today. At many points there are visible signs bearing witness its long history. As we follow in the steps of the ancient traveller, Pausanias, we will try to locate the monuments he describes. Pausanias came to Ermioni in 2^nd century BC by ship, after sailing along the bay of Agion Anargyron (Kapari) and disembarking at the eastern tip of the Bisti peninsula. His description divides it up into three sections: the eastern edge of the cape; the area that was inhabited during his time; and the western section of the town, which was outside the walls. He recorded that the first section had a sanctuary of Poseidon, two temples to Athena — one ancient and ruined and a newer one in the centre of the cape — a stadium near to the temple of Athena as well as other temples dedicated to Helios, the Graces, Sarapis, and Isis. Finally, there is mention of enclosures for ceremonies dedicated to Demeter. It was on this site that the ancient city has been located. In his time, the city seems to have moved to the west, occupying the area covered by the modern-day city, as Pausanias mentions that it was about four stadiums from the tip of the peninsula (about 750m). He writes, without giving precise locations, that inside the city there were two temples to Aphrodite, a sanctuary of Demeter Thermasia, a temple to Dionysus Melanaigidos, a sanctuary of Artemis, one of Hestia, three temples to Apollo and the newest of all, the sanctuary of Tyche. He also writes of two fountains — one ancient one contemporary — which can be found in the centre of the city near to the harbour. The water for this fountain came from the area around Leimonos. The whole city was surrounded by a wall. He recalls that on Pronos, outside the wall, there was a sanctuary of Demeter Chthonia, a temple to Clemenus (one of the epithets of the god Hades), one to Aris and an arcade dedicated to Echo. Behind it, he mentions there were enclosures for Clemenus, Pluto, and the so-called Acherousia Lake. He believed that the first enclosure was the location of the entrance to Hades, through which Heracles brought Cerberus to the world above. Finally, near the city gate and inside the wall, he saw the sanctuary of Eileithyia, the goddess who protected pregnant women. The road from Masitas ended at this gate.

Although Ermioni has not been systematically excavated, we can recognise the traces of many of the monuments that Pausanias mentions. In the centre of the cape, beneath the huge pine trees, you can make out the foundations of a Doric pavilion temple of the Early Classical period. This must be the great temple to Athena. Traces of the ancient harbour were visible at the beginning of the century on the site of the modern pier, as well as the remains of the city's central fountain, a little to the south. This is where the Roman aqueduct must have ended, which can still be seen today along quite a length of the north slope of Pronos hill, heading towards the city. We must place the sanctuary of Demeter Chthonia up on the hill, below the church of the Taxiarches, while a little to its north, below the old town hall, was the Arcade of Echo. The wall survives at many points and its gate is located close to the entrance to the modern city, on the Vontas property.

It is curious that although Pausanias left Ermioni along the road to Masitas, he never mentioned the location of the necropolis, which was discovered by the archaeologist Alexandros Philadelpheas at the beginning of the 20^th century. Exploration of this site was continued between 1991 and 1994 by the 4^th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, which has given us a clear idea of the layout, organisation and density of the necropolis over time.

The most ancient use of the area for burials dates from the Proto-Geometric and Geometric periods (10^th to 8^th century BC) and is represented by the cist graves constructed to house one burial each time. The necropolis remained in use during the Classical and Hellenistic periods, when the graves were organised into burial enclosures lined up along the length of a burial road, and were used for successive burials until Late Antiquity (5^th century AD).