Elaea or Elaia ( grc, Ἐλαία), also Elea (Ἐλέα), was a town of

Thesprotia Thesprotia (; el, Θεσπρωτία, ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital and largest town is Igoumenitsa. Thesprotia is named after the Thesprotians, an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the re ...

ancient Epirus Epirus (; Epirote Greek: , ; Attic Greek: , ) was an ancient Greek kingdom, and later republic, located in the geographical region of Epirus, in north-western Greece and southern Albania. Home to the ancient Epirotes, the state was bordered by ...

toward the mouth of the

Acheron The Acheron (; grc, Ἀχέρων ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ell, Αχέροντας ''Acherontas'') is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and its drainage area is . Its source is ...

river. The town is mentioned by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...

Thucydides Thucydides (; grc, , }; BC) was an Athenian historian and general. His '' History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of " scient ...

calls the surrounding district Elaeatis (Ἐλαιατις) and indicates that Ephyra was in the territory of Elaea. Its port was

Elaias Limen Elaias Limen ( grc, Ἐλαίας Λιμήν - literally, "Bay of Elaea"), also Elaea or Elaia (Ἐλαία), was a harbour town of Thesprotia in ancient Epirus at the mouth of the Acheron river. The town is mentioned by both Scylax and Ptolemy ...

, literally the "Bay of Elaea", which the ''

Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax The ''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' is an ancient Greek periplus (περίπλους ''períplous'', 'circumnavigation') describing the sea route around the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It probably dates from the mid-4th century BC, specifically ...

'' asserts was the main port of Thesprotia. Coins ascribed to the town, with the inscription "ΕΛΕΑΤΑΝ" or "ΕΛΕΑΙ", have been found that have been dated . The town's site is identified as near Chrysavgi, where archaeological exploration has taken place.

Gallery

File:Panorama of Elaea.jpg, Aerial view of the Archaeological site of Elaea File:Walls of Elea 2.jpg, Walls and gate of Elaea File:Agora of Elaea.jpg, Ruins of the Agora File:Ruins in Elaea.jpg, Ruins in Elaea File:Gate of Elaea.jpg, Gate of Elaea File:Model of Elaea.jpg, Model of the excavated ruins in Elaea

References

* Smith, William (editor); ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'' is the last in a series of classical dictionaries edited by the English scholar William Smith (1813–1893), following ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'' and the ''Dictionary of G ...

''
"Acheron"

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, (1854) *

Richard Talbert Richard John Alexander Talbert (born 26 April 1947) is a British-American contemporary ancient historian and classicist on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is William Rand Kenan, Jr., Professor of Ancien ...

Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World The ''Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World'' is a large-format English language atlas of ancient Europe, Asia, and North Africa, edited by Richard J. A. Talbert. The time period depicted is roughly from archaic Greek civilization (pre- ...

, (), p. 54

Gallery

References

See also