What is Messenia?

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Messenia Prefecture Νομός Μεσσηνίας

Messenia or Messinia (Μεσσηνία) is a prefecture in the Peloponnese, a region of Greece. Messenia is bounded on the east by Mount Taygetus, on the north by the river Neda and the Arcadian Mountains, and on the west and south by the Mediterranean Sea, more specifically on the west by the Ionian Sea, and on the south by the Gulf of Messenia. The plain is bounded on the north by Mt. Nomia (mod. Tetrasi, 1,800 m, 5210 ft.) and other mountains, on the west by the mountains of Cyparissia (1,550 m, 4000 ft.) the southern continuation of which forms the peninsula of the Morea, attaining its greatest height in Mt. Mathia (mod. Lykódimo about 950 m, 3160 ft.), its current tallest point is Taygetos located to the east. Off the south coast of this peninsula lie the three Oenussae islands and the islet of Theganussa (Venetikó). About less than half of the population live within GR-7, in places from Allagi to south of Kalamata, along with the plain as the Kalamata-Messene metropolitan area, Peloponnese's third largest metropolitan city. Kalamata has an airport 5 km west of Kalamata. A harbor and port named from this city is not far from the downtown, originally connected with train tracks. It is one of the largest waterfronts in the peninsula.

History

Ancient period

The earliest known inhabitants of Messenia are said to have been Pelasgians and Leleges, of whom the latter had their capital at Andania. Then came an Aeolo-Minyan immigration, which apparently extended to Messenia, though the Pylos of Nestor almost certainly lay in Triphylia, and not at the site which in historic times bore that name. In the Homeric poems eastern Messenia is represented as under the rule of Menelaus of Sparta, while the western coast is under the Neleids of Pylos, but after Menelaus’s death the Messenian frontier was pushed eastwards as far as Taygetus.

Excavations at Pylos and Nichoria have revealed for Messenia's late Bronze Age (1300s BC) a bureaucratic, agricultural kingdom ruled by the wanax at Pylos. The Messenians spoke Mycenaean Greek, and worshipped the Greek gods at local shrines like that at PA-KI-JA-NE (*Sphagianes). Later, Greeks agreed that a body of Dorians under Cresphontes invaded the country from Arcadia and taking as their capital Stenyclarus in the northern plain, extended, first their suzerainty, and then their rule over the whole district. However, given that the Arcadian language is a direct and conservative descendent of Mycenaean Greek, it is more likely that the Dorians pushed the native Messenians into Arcadia.



The task apparently proved an easy one, and the Dorians blending with the previous inhabitants produced an amalgamated Messenian tribe with a strong national feeling. However, the relative wealth of Messenia in fertile soil and favourable climate attracted the expansionistic neighbouring Spartans. War broke out, it was said, as a result of the murder of the Spartan king Teleclus by the Messenians - which, in spite of the heroism of King Euphaes and his successor Aristodemus ended in the subjection of Messenia to Sparta (c. 720 BC). Two generations later the Messenians revolted and under the leadership of Aristomenes kept the Spartans at bay for some seventeen years (648 BC—631 BC, according to Grote). However, the stronghold of Ira (Eira) fell after a siege of eleven years.

As the object of the Spartans was to increase the number of lots of land for their citizens, many of the conquered Messenians (those who did not manage to leave the area) were reduced to the condition of Helots. Servitude was hard, though their plight might have been harder, for they paid to their lords only one-half of the produce of the lands which they tilled. The Spartan poet Tyrtaeus describes how the Messenians endured the insolence of the masters:

The next revolt broke out in 464 BC, when a severe earthquake destroyed Sparta and caused great loss of life. The insurgents defended themselves for some years on the rock-citadel of Ithome, as they had done in the first war; but eventually they had to leave the Peloponnese and were settled by the Athenians at Naupactus in the territory of the Locri Ozolae. After the Battle of Leuctra (371 BC), Epaminondas invited the exiled Messenians scattered in Italy, Sicily, Africa and elsewhere to return to their country. The city of Messene was founded in 369 BC to be the capital of the country and, like Megalopolis in Arcadia, became a powerful check on Sparta. Other towns, as well, were founded or rebuilt at this time, though a great part of the land still remained very sparsely populated. Although quite independent, Messenia never became really powerful or able to stand without external support.

After the fall of the Theban power, to which it had owed its foundation, it became an ally of Philip II of Macedon and took no part in the battle of Chaeronea (338 BC). Subsequently it joined the Achaean League, and we find Messenian troops fighting along with the Achaeans and Antigonus Doson at Sellasia in 222 BC. Philip V sent Demetrius of Pharos to seize Messene, but the attempt failed and cost the life of Demetrius. Soon afterwards the Spartan tyrant Nabis succeeded in taking the city, but was forced to retire by the timely arrival of Philopoemen and the Megalopolitans. A war afterwards broke out with the Achaean League, during which Philopoemen was captured and put to death by the Messenians (183 BC), but Lycortas took the city in the following year, and it again joined the Achaean League, though much weakened by the loss of Abia, Thuria and Pherae, which broke loose from it and entered the League as independent members.

In 146 BC, the Messenians, together with the other states of Greece, were brought directly under Roman sway by L. Mummius. For centuries there had been a dispute between Messenia and Sparta about the possession of the Ager Dentheliales on the western slope of Taygetus: after various decisions by Philip of Macedon, Antigonus, Mummius, Caesar, Antony, Augustus and others, the question was settled in 25 by Tiberius and the Senate in favour of the Messenians (Tac. Ann. iv. 43). In 395 BC, the Roman Empire was split into the East and the Western Roman Empire and Messenia was ruled by the East and was later known as the Byzantine Empire, it was later invaded by the Slavs.

Medieval period

In the Middle Ages, Messenia shared the fortunes of the rest of the Peloponnese. Striking reminders of these conflicts are afforded by the extant ruins of the medieval strongholds of Kalamata, Coron (anc. Asine, mod. Korone), Modon (Methone) and Pylos. Messenia was a part of the Frankish Empire.

Ottoman and Venetian period

Much of Messenia fell into the hands of the Ottoman Turks, a part of the area remained with the Venetian Republic and a whole shortly in the mid to late-15th century. Again in the 1680s, the whole of Messenia was part of the Venetian Republic again before being ruled again by the Ottomans in the 1730s. Messenia did not became Greek until the Greek War of Independence of 1821 and several months and years later was liberated by the Greeks. One of the most famous battles was the Battle of Navarino which took place in the middle of the war and defeated its Turkish fleets. A part of modern Messenia was the Mani Peninsula and was autonomous from the Turkish rule due to that it did not had any harbors.

From the Greek War of Independence until World War II

Messenia had improved its economy including its agriculture in the first years of the modern country of Greece. It was later connected by rail (OSE's SPAP line and four highways. Emigration to the United States and later larger towns and cities including Athens also began slowly. The prefecture later included the Ionian Islands of Sapientza and Schiza.

Modern period

After World War II and the Greek Civil War, most of its buildings were rebuilt. Emigration increased and later included much of North America and Australia and later western Europe and slowed down in the 1980s. The population in the area of Kalamata and Messene boomed from 30,000 before the war up to nearly 80,000 in the present day.

The highway bypassed Messene in the 1970s. In 1999, the construction of the GR-7 was opened and added an interchange in the mid-2000s with the GR-9. The Ministry of Transportation will extend the bypass with two lanes downward to Kalamata with the bypass that opened in 2004, it length will be approximately 30 km, the section will open as early as 2012.

On Thursday July 26, 2007, the central part of the prefecture was strucked by a small fire that consumed several forests, groves and farms and ruined a part of its economy. Some houses were destroyed in villages that are built in a valley. The fire lasted into July 28.

Today, Messenia forms a prefecture with its capital at Kalamata.

Climate

Climate may vary, in the lowlands, temperatures are a bit warmer than Athens. Snow is not common during winter months except for the mountains especially the Taygetus. Rain and clouds are common inland. For one day in July 2000, morning temperatures were at the 37°C point in many areas.

Transport

There are four major highways in Messenia:

• Greek National Road 7, N, Cen.
• Greek National Road 9, NW, W, SW
• Greek National Road 9A, NW, N
• Greek National Road 82, SW, Cen., E

Population

Year	Population	Density
1991	167,292	- 56/km²
2001	172,875	57.7/km²

Communications

Television

• Notioi Elliniki Teleorasi, (Southern Greece Television)

Municipalities and communities

Municipality	YPES code	Seat (if different)
Aetos	3802	Kopanaki
Aipeia	3803	Longa
Andania	3804	Diavolitsi
Androusa	3805
Arfara	3808
Aris	3806
Aristomenis	3807
Avia	3801	Kampos
Avlona	3809	Sidirokastro
Chiliochoria	3831	Chandrinos
Dorio	3812
Eira	3813	Neda
Filiatra	3830
Gargalianoi	3811
Ithomi	3815	Valyra
Kalamata	3816
Koroni	3817
Kyparissia	3818
Lefktro	3819	Kardamyli
Meligalas	3821
Messene	3822
Methoni	3820
Nestoras	3823	Chora
Oichalia	3824	Meropi
Papaflessas	3825	Vlachopoulo
Petalidi	3826
Pylos	3827
Thouria	3814
Voufrades	3810	Chatzis
Community	YPES code	Seat (if different)
Trikorfo	3828
Tripyla	3829	Raptopoulo

See also: List of settlements in the Messenia prefecture

Islands

• Venetiko, southeast
• Sapientza
• Schiza, southwest. In April 19, 1991, an AB205 crashed on the island, no deaths were reported
• Sphagia/Sfagia

Provinces

• Province of Kalamata - Kalamata
• Province of Messene - Messene
• Province of Pylia - Pylos
• Province of Tryfilia - Kyparissia

Notes

External links

• http://www.messinia-guide.gr (in English)

Coordinates: