Roussis

A Frankish tower in ruins stands north of the village of Roussis in Arcadia, dating from around the fourteenth century. Its square plan measures roughly 6.7 metres on each side, and what remains rises to about five metres in height. The structure appears to have served a surveillance role, watching over the small fertile plateau to its north. It was part of a network of such towers, maintaining visual contact with the nearby towers of Orchomenos (Kalpaki) and Palaiopyrgos of Mytikas. Today the tower is in a ruined state, yet its footprint and surviving masonry still convey its original defensive purpose. The position, chosen for sightlines rather than shelter, suggests a practical eye on the agricultural land below, a modest but functional link in a chain of Frankish lookouts across the Arcadian landscape.