Thuria or Thouria () was a town of

ancient Messenia Messenia () was an ancient district of the southwestern Peloponnese, more or less overlapping the modern Messenia region of Greece. To the north it had a border with Elis along the Neda river. From there the border with Arcadia ran along the to ...

, situated in the eastern part of the southern Messenian plain, upon the river

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Konstantinidis, Greek architect * ...

, and at the distance of 80 stadia from Pharae, which was about a mile (1.6 km) from the coast. It was generally identified with the

Homeric Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his authorship, Homer is ...

Antheia, though others supposed it to be Aepeia. It must have been a place of considerable importance, since the distant

Messenian Gulf The Messenian Gulf (, ''Messiniakós Kólpos'') is a sea that is part of the Ionian Sea. The gulf is circumscribed by the southern coasts of Messenia and the southwestern coast of the Mani peninsula in Laconia. Its bounds are Venetiko Island ...

was even named after it (ὁ Θουριάτης κόλπος). It was also one of the chief towns of the Lacedaemonian

Perioeci The Perioeci or Perioikoi (, ) were the second-tier citizens of the ''polis'' of Sparta until 200 BC. They lived in several dozen cities within Spartan territories (mostly Laconia and Messenia), which were dependent on Sparta. The ''perioeci'' ...

after the subjugation of Messenia; and it was here that the Third Messenian War took its rise in 464 BCE. On the restoration of the Messenians by

Epaminondas Epaminondas (; ; 419/411–362 BC) was a Greeks, Greek general and statesman of the 4th century BC who transformed the Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek polis, city-state of Thebes, Greece, Thebes, leading it out of Spartan subjugation into a pre ...

, Thuria, like the other towns in the country, was dependent upon the newly-founded capital

Messene Messene (Greek language, Greek: Μεσσήνη 𐀕𐀼𐀙 ''Messini''), officially Ancient Messene, is a local community within the regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') of Messenia in the region (''perifereia'') of Peloponnese (region), P ...

; but after the capture of that city by the Achaeans in 182 BCE, Thuria, Pharae, and Abia joined the

Achaean League The Achaean League () was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era confederation of polis, Greek city-states on the northern and central Peloponnese. The league was named after the region of Achaea (ancient region), Achaea in the northwestern Pelopon ...

as independent members. Thuria was annexed to

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

; but it was restored to Messenia by

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

. Pausanias found two cities of this name. The Thuriatae had descended from the summit of the lofty hill of the upper city to dwell upon the plain; but without abandoning altogether the upper city, where a temple of the Syrian Goddess still stood within the town walls. There are considerable remains of both places. Those of Upper Thuria are on the hill of the village called Paleókastro, divided from the range of mountains named Makryplái by a deep ravine and torrent, and which commands a fine view of the plain and gulf. The remains of the walls extend half a mile (800 m) along the summit of the hill. Nearly in the centre of the ruins is a quadrangular cistern, 10 or 12 feet (3 or 4 m) deep, cut out of the rock at one end, and on the other side constructed of masonry. The cistern was divided into three parts by two cross walls. Its whole length is 29 paces; the breadth half as much. On the highest part of the ridge there are numerous ruins, among which are those of a small Doric temple, of a hard brown calcareous stone, in which are cockle and muscle shells, extremely perfect. In the plain at Paleá Lutra are the ruins of a large Roman building, standing in the middle of fig and mulberry grounds.

William Martin Leake William Martin Leake FRS (14 January 17776 January 1860) was an English soldier, spy, topographer, diplomat, antiquarian, writer, and Fellow of the Royal Society. He served in the British Army, spending much of his career in the Mediterrane ...

, who visited in the 19th century, observes that "it is in an uncommon state of preservation, part even of the roof still remaining. The walls are 17 feet high, formed of equal courses of Roman tiles and mortar. The roof is of rubble mixed with cement. The plan does not seem to be that of a bath only, as the name would imply, though there are many appearances of the building having contained baths: it seems rather to have been the palace of some Roman governor. As there are no sources of water here, it is to be supposed that the building was supplied by an aqueduct from the neighbouring river of Pídhima." Its site is located near the modern Aithaia/Hellenika.

References

{{coord, 37.11343, N, 22.05141, E, format=dms, display=title, source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/31086 Populated places in ancient Messenia Former populated places in Greece History of Kalamata