The Lousios (; ), also known in antiquity as Gortynius or Gortynios (), is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

and a

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

in western Arcadia that stretches from

Karytaina Karytaina or Karitaina () is a village and a community in Arcadia, Greece. Karytaina is situated on a hill on the right bank of the river Alpheios, near its confluence with the Lousios. The village dates back to the Middle Ages, but its history ...

north to

Dimitsana Dimitsana () is a mountain village and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it has been part of the municipality Gortynia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit ...

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 ...

. The river begins near Lykochori and flows through the Lousios Gorge. The river is treacherous and flows rapidly. It empties into the

Alfeios The Alpheios (, , Latin Alpheus), sometimes spelled Alfeiós, is the main stream of the Alpheios Valley drainage system, a dendritic type, originating on the north slopes of Mount Taygetus, located in the center of the Peloponnesus of Greece, a ...

northwest of Karytaina and south of

Atsicholos Atsicholos () is a mountain village in the municipal unit Gortyna, Arcadia, Greece. It is considered a traditional settlement which is situated on a mountain slope above the right bank of the river Lousios, near its confluence with the Alfeios. I ...

. The river forms a deep, narrow gorge. Its length is approximately from north to south and its width is approximately wide. The gorge is very popular amongst hikers. At the northern end of the gorge lies the town of

. At the southern end is the ancient city of

Gortys Gortyna (; also known as Gortyn (Γορτύν)) was a town of ancient Crete which appears in the Homeric poems under the form of Γορτύν; but afterwards became usually Gortyna (Γόρτυνα). According to Stephanus of Byzantium it was or ...

with the temple of

Asclepius Asclepius (; ''Asklēpiós'' ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of Apollo), Coronis, or Arsinoe (Greek myth), Ars ...

. Much of the gorge is heavily forested, and there are steep cliffs. According to tradition, the river took its name from

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

, the father of the

Olympian gods upright=1.8, Fragment of a relief (1st century BC1st century AD) depicting the twelve Olympians carrying their attributes in procession; from left to right: Hestia (scepter), Hermes (winged cap and staff), Aphrodite (veiled), Ares (helmet and s ...

, who according to Pausanias washed at its sources after his birth. Pausanias also considered Lousios the coldest river in the known world. The Lousios gorge is also known as the "

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

of the Peloponnese" on account of the many monasteries that dot its walls: the Timiou Prodromou, Philosophou, Aimyalon, Panagias Kalamiou monasteries, and the Church of St. Andrew in Gortys. The gorge also features several old water-mills for tabac and

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

production.

Nearest places

* Lykochori *

, east of the river *

Stemnitsa Stemnitsa () is a mountain village in the municipal unit of Trikolonoi, Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. It was the seat of the former municipality Trikolonoi. Stemnitsa is a traditional settlement and is considered one of the most beautiful vill ...

, east of the river *

Gortyna Gortyna (; also known as Gortyn (Γορτύν)) was a town of ancient Crete which appears in the Homeric poems under the form of Γορτύν; but afterwards became usually Gortyna (Γόρτυνα). According to Stephanus of Byzantium it was or ...

, west of the river *

Elliniko Elliniko (, meaning 'Hellenic' or 'Greek') is a coastal municipality in the Attica region and a southern suburban town in the Athens agglomeration in Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality of Ellin ...

, east of the river

Gallery

Image:Dimitsana-Panorama.jpg, A view of Megalopoli and the Alfeios valley from Dimitsana Image:Podromos.jpg, Prodromou Monastery Image:Philosophou.jpg, Philosophou Monastery Image:lousiosgorge_with-monasteries.jpg, Prodromou Monastery at left, Philosophou Monastery at right File:Lousios River.jpg, Lousios river

References

External links

Landforms of Arcadia, Peloponnese Rivers of Greece Rivers of Peloponnese (region) Canyons and gorges of Greece Places in Greek mythology {{Greece-river-stub