Dymaean Wall

The Dymaean Wall, also known as Kalogria Castle, is a prehistoric acropolis in western Achaea, some 35 kilometres west of Patra near the village of Araxos. Human occupation of the hill began around 3500 BC, but the great fortification dates from the Mycenaean period, probably 1300 BC. Its cyclopean walls, built of massive stone blocks, ran 200 metres in length, stood ten metres high and were five metres thick. The site saw long use: Byzantines and Venetians added modifications, and it may appear in Frankish records as the Castle of Fanari of Malta. King Philip V of Macedon seized it during the war between the Achaean and Aetolian Leagues (220 to 217 BC). Abandoned in the 18th century, it was damaged by Italian occupying forces in the Second World War, who built installations over it. The hill's west and southwest sides were naturally defended by steep slopes and, in antiquity, the sea, now swamps formed by the river Larissos. Three gates gave access, though the northwest one is destroyed. The wall survives in part, with periodic repairs.

Heritage data from Wikidata, compiled and verified in the Atika atlas.