Acropolis of Samiko

Built in a naturally protected location on the western foothills of Mount Lapitha, the ancient fortification of Samiko is surprising due to the meticulous construction of its strong walls and their good preservation at a height of 5 – 12 blocks in its largest part. The excellently chosen position allows exceptional supervision of a large part of the western coastline of the Peloponnese and the Ionian Sea and controls the very important passage of ancient Triphylia that ensured communication between Eleia and Messenia.

The walls are built according to the pseudo-polygonal system, with square towers, gates and sally ports. The walls of the fortification probably date back to the 4th c. BC or in the Hellenistic era. Within the fortified enclosure are preserved foundations of buildings and retaining walls, which were necessary for the creation and utilization of flat surfaces as the ground is extremely inclined. Excavations in the past have brought to light a public stoic building, cisterns and room complexes.

The fortified acropolis of Samiko of Classical times which probably belonged to a city named Makistos, Samia or Samikon or Samos should not be confused with the prehistoric acropolis of the rocky outcrop at the site Kleidi, possibly identified with the Homeric Arini and later Makistos. This is the lowest mound directly visible on the west of the current Pyrgos - Kyparissia road.

At the site Kleidi, pottery sherds from the Middle Helladic-Late Helladic period, remains of a Mycenaean building that are not preserved today, have been found. A tumulus with multiple burials has also been excavated, yielding important findings from the late Middle Helladic to the late Mycenaean period, as well as an extensive cemetery of the late Middle Helladic period with cist graves and a chambered tomb covered by burial mounds.
 

Copyediting: Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia