Astakos is a beautiful town of Aitoloakarnias
which is built in an inlet of the gulf with the same
name. It took its name from the well known
shellfish, the lobster, ( also depicted on ancient
coins )
which was abundant in the bay. This seems
to be the most likely reason, even though it goes
against the assertion of Meletios that it
took its name from the son of Poseidon and the nymph
Olvia.
Ancient accounts of Astakos.
The geographer Skylaka of Kariandea ( 6 th
century )
Thucydides ( Thuc. B' 30.33.25 )
Its participation in the Akarnanian Federation,
in Aktio ( 2 nd century BC ) in which its
representatives participated.
Stravona ( 65 BC - 25 AD ) who lived during
the era of Augustus.
Appian who lived in the 1 st century A.D.
Claudio Ptolemaio ( 125 - 161 A.D. )
Sometime after these references, Astakos disappeared
for six centuries. It reappears during the
middle ages with a different name, Dragamestos,
a Byzantine town. From 1425 until 1684 the
traces of Dragamestos disappear. Then we have
evidence of Astakos in the form of the
disembarkation of Morozini at Petala, to help
the revolutionaries of Xeromero who asked the Venetians for help. The first
inhabitants of Astakos, according to Stephanos Byzantio, were from Kephalonia,
even if the old settlements seem to be older than those of the pre - Hellenic
centuries after the excavations of Platygiali.
Present day Astakos was inhabited after
1821. Today, remains of the ancient town consist of
its castle on the Astakos - Agrinio road which,
unfortunately, is derelict and can be reached only after 20 - 30 minutes of rough walking as there is no road.1.1 Mythology
In ancient times western Greece was a land
of two great nations - Aitolon and Akarnanon. The disputed boundary between them
was the Acheloos River.
Akarnania was comprised of the western part from the Ionian sea till the
Acheloos and from the Amvrakiko Gulf till the Gulf of Astakos and the estuaries
of the Acheloos.
There is a legend that the area of Astakos
was the land of the more specifically,
on
the rugged slope of Veloutsas over Kasteli
is located the cave of the Cyclops which blinded Odysseas while some impressively large boulders in
the valley are believed to be those which the angry Cyclops threw at Odysseas and his companions in order
to sink their ship.
According to mythology, and what Thoukidides tells
us, the first colonizer of the area of Astakos was Alkmeon, son of the
king of the Argos, Amphiaraov Alkmeon, was thrown out by the Furies after
haven killed his mother. He reached estuaries of the Acheloos and settled
there. He became the head of the area and had
a son, Akarnana, whose name was later given to this area.
1.2 Antiquity
The most ancient trace of inhabitants in Aitoloakarnania
were found in caves near Astakos and at the foot of Varsovas ( Kryoneri
) while at St: Elias ruins can be dated to the Neolithic era.
Settlements from this era were not saved.
However, we have important remnants of facilities and mansions of the early
age of copper at Platygiali near Astakos, ( St.
Pantelemonas ) at Palaia Plevron and at Palaiomanina ( Savria
).
During the Mycean years, the influence of
the centers of Eastern Greece becomes noticeable in many sectors of Aitolia and Akarnania in the towns
koronta
and Pelasgiko, Astakos and Palero.
In the 5 th century BC in Akarnania, there were centres
which were highly developed, minting their own money and haven their own armies.
From 500 - 300
BC many wars were fought in this area as well as the making of various
alliances according to the need of the time.
During the years of the Peloponesian war,
Astakos was mentioned by Thucydides twice.
The first time was during the first
year of the war when 100 Athenian triremes attacked Astakos and overthrew
Evarcho who soon asked the Corinthians and Lakedemonians or help.
They arrived at Astakos with forty ships
and reinstated the tyrant. ( 431 B.C. ) the rule of Corinth
over Astakos lasted about 2 years. The second
reference refers us to the third year of the war when the Athenian fleet
approached Astakos for the second time with Phormiona as commander. A landing
force of 800 men pouched their way into the interior of Akarnania and for
a rather long period of time conducted various undertakings with the intention
of strengthening the Athenian rule over all the land.
Thucydides also mentions another stronghold
Koronta.
Around 218 - 206 B.C. the decline of
Aitolia and Akarnania began with the attack of Phillip 5 th. Around 30
B.C. with the founding of Nicopolis and the Roman settlement of Patra i
14 B.C.
the depopulation of the area started
with the population moving towards Amvrakiko
and Nicopolis, from various sources we gather
that the towns Anaktorio, Thyrrei, Livia and Metropolis existed until the 2 nd century B.C. today
they are know as Palaia manina, Astakos and Koronta.
1.3 Byzantian Era
From the Roman era until the revolution 1821,
the area of Akarnania and Aitolia went through a period in which developments were rapid and they
show in the archeological findings and in the ruins of ancient Christian churches. A blossoming of artistic expression from the
centers of Byzantium, most especially Constantinople and Thessaloniki, is noticed.
Akarnania, with the founding of the state of Epirus which
was called a domain ( 1204 ) suffered from
barbarian raids such as Slavs, Arabs and Bulgarians who plundered, destroyed and ruined.
The whole
area was later destroyed again during the Venetian-Turkish wars. We ascertain that the area was continually
under the clouds of war during this time.
1.4 Later Years
Many conflicts of the then strong nations
continued during the following years for the domination of the area due
to the importance of its geographical location.
In 1358 all the fortresses which belonged
to the domain of Epirus were taken over by the Albanians until 1405 when
Charles I, count of Kephalonia and Lefkada, become victorious.
In 1430 the whole area passed into the
hands of Sinan Pasa and the long - lasting rule of
the Turks in the area was strengthened. On
October 7, 1571, in the area of Astakos, near the Echinades Islands, with 25.000
soldiers. One of the biggest naval battle of the Middle
Ages - the battle of LEPANTE - took place. The united Christian fleet, with 285 ships of the Venetians,
Spaniards and Pope Pious and which 8000 were Greeks under Don Juan of the
Austrians, confronted and crushed the Turkish fleet of Kapoudan Pasa.
This naval battle was the beginning
of the collapse of the myth that Ottoman Empire
was unbeatable on land and sea. The reconstruction
of the nation is owed a great deal to the institution of communities which was the basic nuclear
social organization.
The Akarnanians of Xeromero were forerunners in the freedom fight and in many
revolutionary movements.
The battles which took place during this period were numerous and
bloody
. In the Akarnanian mountains the klephts flourished. In the area of Dragamestov,
George Karaiskakis
deployed his encampment. For this reason, the old village Dragamestov, in
its new location, is now called Karaiskaki. In Dragamesto General George
also deployed an encampment in 1827 on May 25 1921 the revolution in Xeromero
was declared with the publication and circulation of the revolutionary
proclamation written by George Varnakioti
In August 1824, Karaiskakis lay in ambush
for a Turkish convoy at the location " Manina ". On July 10, 1827, Dimos
Tselios made a landing at Dragamesto.
He's units with the forces of Rangou
and together they attack the Turks and take possession of Mitikas and Kandila.
On November 17, 1827 Greek forces carry out a landing at Dragamesto and
continue on to seize Chrysovitsa and Ligovitsi. Later , during the period
1940 - 1944, the offering and participation of the people of the area was
important. A significant battle against the occupation forces took place
at Tsapournia.
2. Cultural Heritage
The prefecture of Aitoloakarnia played an
important role in the cultural and historical development of the country.
To whichever part pf the prefecture
one goes, one comes across archeological ruins,
castles and monuments which prove this.
2.1 Ancient monuments
St Pantelemona. In the bay of St. Pantelemona
there is a vast archeological site, probably pre -
historic, with various ruins of different
periods, such as an ancient bath dated 2 nd century B.C
It is said that there are buildings, now under
the bay, which can be seen when the water is clear
and still. Half of the ruins are in good condition.
Recently, a blue casque was found during the
excavations of the foundation for a farmhouse.
Roman villa. Recently, during the excavations
of the foundation for the warehouse of the agri-
cultural Bank near the existing Astakos -
Karaiskaki road the ruins of a Roman villa was discovered.
Vaulted Tomb ( Mycean ): At Mila, Xeromero,
E. Mastrokostas excavated a large vaulted tomb
between the villages of Palaiomanina and Pentalofos
in 1965.
Geometric burial jar : In 1961 - 62,
during the digging of the foundation of the church of St:
Constantine a treasure of silver was found
inside earthen pots. Also, they found destroyed graves
with various copper items.
Three box - shaped graves of the late classic
years: In the area of Palaiomanina, during the
construction of the irrigation cannel, 16 pots
were found.
Archeological
site of the ancient town of Koronta:
Near the village of Chysovitsa are the ruins
of the ancient town of Koronta. Cyclopean
walls and Mycean graves have been found. The
castle has three gates and the market place
and reervoir have been found. The temple, which
was of the Doric style, was dedicated to female
deity. The pronaos, the cella and the opisthodomas where the image of the deity was kept, were
clearly discernible.
A large number of edifaces, as wellas graves, inside and outside the walls
have been found.
Even though the site has been pillaged many times, they have found many items,
such as ancient pots, gold and copper knives, golden wreaths of laurel leaves, gold masks,
a gold pig and nine piglets and many other objects which are in the museum of
Agrinio.
A building
of unknown use was found a short distance away.
2.2 Christian and Byzantine Monuments.
St: George
Portas, Babini: Notable for its architectural design, it once had
a list of bishops and
abbots which was written on the walls, but
was painted over in 1726 when the temple was painted
in religious icons. There are two icons of
St Nicholas dating from the 16 th century Prophet Elias,
Dragamesto: A good example of the heavily
iconic temples which date from the 17 th century,
Included among the usual icons are ones which
show the miracles and parables of Christ as well
as modern martyrs.
Small temples: The little Naiskos of
Panagitsas Achelleiov is noted especially for the rectangular
tower it has rather than the more usual dome,
obliging one to accept the paleochristian shapes
which revived in the post - Byzantine period
in Akarnania. Other temples in the area have the
same characteristic, such as Saint Sotira,
Saint Basil and Saint Theodore in Skourtou.
2.3 Castles
Due to its geophysical configuration and its
turbulent history, Aitoloakarnia is the only prefecture
which has such a large number of natural strongholds
which were developed and strengthened
by its inhabitants for the defense of their
land from prehistoric periods until the Greek revolution.
Graves, Astakos:
On the southernmost peak of the hill of graves, at a distance of 1500 meters
north of Astakos, the medieval castle dominate
the area. At a short distance further north is the
vast area of Astakos with various buildings
and its surrounding wall which is called Cyclops wall.
Outside the wall, are the western ancient
graves of the kings of Astakos. At a distance of 200
meters west of the acropolis was a 4 th century
temple which is said to be the temple of Karaov
Dios. To the north and in contact with the
acropolis there is an ancient Christian basilica. In the
same area the castle of Dragamesto was raised
on the northwest side of Veloutsas near the
walls of ancient Astakos. The east and west
sides, both rugged, are impenetrable. Built in the
11th century, the castle of Dragamesto, followed
the fate of the area passing into hands of the
Albanians, the Venetians and the Turks. Today,
there are few ruins.
Walls of the
ancient town of Palaiomanina: Dated from the 1st half of the 4th
century, the impressive
walls rise from the valley on the west bank
of the Acheloos. The walls are separated into sections
with partitions. There is a hard square walling around the sides above the top, under which there
is an almost flat surface which totally surrounds
the precipitous area of the town. The northern
walls rise up the hill in an almost straight
line until the square acropolis, while the southern walls
hug the wider area forming a hollow curve
facing out, the acropolis is surrounded on both sides
by squared rocks of trapezoid shape. The most
worthwhile piece is a big gate. The width of the
passage is a little more than two meters while
the horizontal beams are found three meters above
the floor of the passage, although the interior arch has a diameter of 4.35 meters. The arch which
covers the entrance consists of two enormous
stones. This gate is known as " Avloporta."
Besides the archeological ruins it is worth
mentioning that Astakos is recognized as a historical
place which needs special government protection
because a major commercial port existed there
not only during the Greek revolution of 1821,
but also during the whole of the 19th century. It
also consists of buildings which are important
for the study of the history of architecture. Twenty
one structures have been judged as perceivable
in Astakos because they show significant examples
examples of local architecture. Some are the
building complex Katsabouri at Platygiali, Astakos
because it presents special architectural interest and consists of a morphological and typological
cross - section of the first buildings of
the settlement, the community liberty building in Astakos
on the central square, a two - story building
with strong neoclassical characteristics, A two story
privately owned store building with well preserved
masonry.
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