Polyneri

Polyneri, also known as Koutsi, is a rare instance of a place inhabited continuously from the Paleolithic era to the present day. On the eastern side of Mount Vrahonas, it overlooks the coastal valley of Plataria near Syvota. Historical records are silent on its fortunes, but its establishment likely dates to the 4th century BC, alongside other Thesprotian settlements. It endured through the Hellenistic period, only to be probably destroyed with the rest of Epirus's cities by the Romans in 167 BC, after Perseus's defeat at Pydna. Around that time, or slightly later, a small triangular castle rose in the settlement's north-western corner, apparently still used during the Byzantine years. The ruins of this medieval fortification survive among the remains of various periods, though its later history is unknown. In more recent centuries, the settlement spread beyond the walls. Today the site is in poor condition.