Acropolis of Thisbe

The hill north of the modern village of Thisvi in Boeotia carries the remains of Paleokastro, the upper acropolis of the ancient city. Homer names Thisbe among the settlements that sent men to Troy, and in the classical period it prospered, boasting a notable temple of Artemis. Pausanias derived the city's name from the nymph Thisbe, and Strabo also records it. The fortification walls here show at least four, possibly six, distinct building phases, running from the Archaic era through to Byzantine times, suggesting near-continuous occupation. Repairs in the late Roman period used semi-processed stone and mortar, while a square tower at the southwest corner appears to be a Frankish addition. Much of the circuit now stands damaged and low. A younger lower acropolis, Neokastro, dates from the Hellenistic period and remained in use into the Frankish occupation. The Byzantine name may have been Kastorion, home of Osios Loukas, though the village was long known as Kakosi until 1915, when the ancient name returned.