Mesatis () was a town of

ancient Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (; , ''Akhaḯa'', ) is the northernmost region of the Peloponnese, occupying the coastal strip north of Arcadia. Its approximate boundaries are: to the south, Mount Erymanthus; to the south-east, Mount Cyllene; to the eas ...

, in the neighbourhood of

Patrae Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's 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 Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf ...

. It is said to have been founded by the

Ionians The Ionians (; , ''Íōnes'', singular , ''Íōn'') were one of the traditional four major tribes of Ancient Greece, alongside the Dorians, Aeolians, and Achaeans. The Ionian dialect was one of the three major linguistic divisions of the ...

, when they occupied the country. After their expulsion,, the Achaean hero

Patreus Patreus (Ancient Greek: Πατρεύς; Modern Greek: Πατρέας, ''Patreas'') was the mythical founder of the city of Patras, Greece. Family Patreus was the son of Preugenes and ninth descendant of Lacedaemon, the founder of Sparta. My ...

withdrew the inhabitants from

Antheia In Ancient Greek religion, Antheia () or Anthea, was an epithet of both the goddesses Hera and Aphrodite. According to the geographer Pausanias, there was a temple of Hera Antheia at Argos, while according to Hesychius, Antheia was a name used ...

and Mesatis to Aroë, which he enlarged and called

after himself. The city's acropolis probably continued to be called Aroë, which was often synonymous with Patrae. In the war between the Achaeans and the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, Patrae suffered so severely that most residents left for the surrounding villages of Mesatis, Antheia, Bolina,

Argyra ''Argyra'' is a genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae. The name "''Argyra''" comes from the Greek word for "silver", referring to the silver pruinescence found on the males of many of the species. Species *'' Argyra albicans'' Loew, 186 ...

, and Arba. Its site is unlocated. The modern

Messatida Messatida () is a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Patras, of which it is a municipal unit. The seat of the municipality was in Ovria.

takes its name from the ancient place.

References

Populated places in ancient Achaea Former populated places in Greece Places in Greek mythology Lost ancient cities and towns Messatida {{AncientAchaea-geo-stub