Pyrgus or Pyrgos () or Pyrgi or Pyrgoi () was the most southerly town of

Triphylia Triphylia (, ''Trifylia'', "the country of the three tribes") was an area of the ancient Peloponnese. Strabo and Pausanias both describe Triphylia as part of Elis, and it fell at times under the domination of the city of Elis, but Pausanias ...

ancient Elis Elis () or Eleia (; ; Elean: ; ) is an ancient district in Greece that corresponds to the modern regional unit of Elis. Elis is in southern Greece on the Peloponnese, bounded on the north by Achaea, east by Arcadia, south by Messen ...

, at the mouth of the river Neda, upon the Messenian frontier, and hence described by

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephen of Byzantium (; , ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD) was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethnica'' (). Only meagre fragments of the dictionary survive, but the epit ...

as a Messenian town. It is one of the six cities (along with

Lepreum Lepreum or Lepreon (), alternately named Lepreus or Lepreos (Λέπρεος) was an Ancient Greek city-state in Triphylia, a district of Elis (now part of the Elis regional unit). It was located 40 stadia away from the sea at the west end of M ...

Phrixae Phrixa () or Phrixae or Phrixai (Φρίξαι) was a town of Triphylia in ancient Elis, situated upon the left bank of the Alfeios, Alpheius, at the distance of 30 stadion (unit), stadia from Olympia, Greece, Olympia. It is one of the six cities ( ...

Macistus In Greek mythology, Macistus or Makistos (Ancient Greek: Μάκιστος means 'tallest' or 'greatest) may refer to the following person and surname: * Macistus, a Boeotian prince as the son of King Athamas probably by the cloud-nymph Nephele, t ...

, Epium, and

Nudium Nudium or Noudion () was one of the six cities (along with Lepreum, Phrixae, Pyrgus, Epium, and Macistus) founded by the Minyans in the territory of the and Caucones, in Triphylia in ancient Elis, but which was destroyed by the Eleians in the ...

) founded by the

Minyans In Greek mythology, the Minyans or Minyae ( Greek: Μινύες, ''Minyes'') were a group of legendary people who were the inhabitants of the city Orchomenus in Boeotia, and who were also associated with Thessaly. They were named after their ...

in the territory of the and

Caucones The Caucones ( ''Kaukônes'') were an autochthonous tribe of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), who later migrated to parts of the Greek mainland ( Arcadia, Triphylian Pylos and Elis). Origin and early history The phonology of the name Caucone ...

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

comments that, in his time, most of the cities founded by the Minyans were ravaged by the Eleans. It is supposed that this happened around 460 BCE, after the

Third Messenian War The helots (; , ''heílotes'') were a subjugated population that constituted a majority of the population of Laconia and Messenia – the territories ruled by Sparta. There has been controversy since antiquity as to their exact characteristics ...

Polybius Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...

reports that it was among the towns of Triphylia that decided to ally with

Philip V of Macedon Philip V (; 238–179 BC) was king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon from 221 to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by the Social War (220–217 BC), Social War in Greece (220-217 BC) ...

in the Social War (219 BCE), after he took Samicum. Its site is located at Agios Elias near modern

Pyrgos, Elis Pyrgos () is a city in the northwestern Peloponnese, Greece, capital of the regional unit of Elis (regional unit), Elis and the seat of the Municipality of Pyrgos. The city is located in the middle of a plain, from the Ionian Sea. The river Alfei ...

, although other locations have been proposed.

References

Populated places in ancient Elis Triphylia Former populated places in Greece {{ancientElis-geo-stub