Leontio (, before 1923: ) is a mountain village and a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the municipality of Erymanthos,

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek language, Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaḯa'', ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwest ...

West Greece Western Greece Region (, ) is one of the thirteen Modern regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece. It comprises the western part of Central Greece (geographic region), continental Greece and the northwestern part of the Peloponnese pen ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Erymanthos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 71.586 km². It is situated in the southern foothills of the

Panachaiko The Panachaiko (, "Panachaean"), also known as Vodias (Βοδιάς) mainly at the Middle Ages, is a mountain range in Achaea, Peloponnese, Greece. It spans about 20 km in length from north to south, and 15–20 km from east to west. I ...

, 13 km east of

Chalandritsa Chalandritsa () is a town and a community in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Erymanthos, of which it is the seat of administration. Chalandritsa is situated in hills north of the riv ...

, 22 km southeast of

Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...

, 20 km southwest of

Aigio Aigio, also written as ''Aeghion, Aegion, Aegio, Egio'' (, ; ), is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Achaea, West Greece, on the Peloponnese. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the mun ...

and 19 km northwest of

Kalavryta Kalavryta () is a town and a municipality in the mountainous east-central part of the regional unit of Achaea, Greece. The town is located on the right bank of the river Vouraikos, south of Aigio, southeast of Patras and northwest of Tripoli, G ...

. Its population in 2021 was 394 for the community and 477 for the municipal unit. The village was renamed after the ancient town of Leontium, the remains of which lie nearby.

Subdivisions

The municipal unit Leontio is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets): * Ano Mazaraki * Demesticha *Leontio (Leontio, Vetaiika, Golemi, Thomaiika, Katsaitaiika, Kounavaiika, Ovryokambos)

Population

History

Evidence suggests that the Achaeans settled Leontio after the Trojan Wars, at this time it was a Polis. This is supported by archeological excavations in the area by the archaeologist N. Kiparisis during the period 1931–32. Mycenean tombs from the 14th-12th century BC were found. The different artifacts excavated in a number of ancient cemeteries confirmed the Polis flourished at about 1,000 BC. Though older findings date it back to 3,000-2,000 BC. The acropolis dates back to around the 3rd century BC. It was located on the ancient border of Achaea and Arcadia near Vlasia where excavations uncovered a Mycenean tomb and an ancient theater from the 4th century BC. The temple of

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

was located along the ancient road which led to Arcadia. Its length was 35 m and its width was 11 m. The city was destroyed at the end of the 3rd century BC by Philip V Macedon. Leontio controlled several places including

Chios Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...

and Leontopoda.

Stefanos Thomopoulos Stefanos Thomopoulos (, 11 April 1859 – 31 July 1939) was a Greek writer and historian, who wrote especially on the history of Patras and its surrounding region. He was the son of the notary Nikolaos Thomopoulos, and was born at 74 Ermou ...

, ''History Of The Cities In Patras From The Ancient Period Until 1821, Volume I'', Achaikes Editions, Patras 1998 The area followed the fate of the rest of Achaea.

References

{{Leontio Populated places in Achaea Erymanthos (municipality) Ancient Achaea Cities in ancient Peloponnese