GREECE
ATTICA
SARONIC ISLANDS
METHANA ISTHMUS
2024-10-28
Favieros Castle
Castel Favieros lies at the highest point (71 m above sea-level) of the Isthmus of Methana. It goes back to a fort built under the Athenian general Nikias in 424 BC during the Peloponnesian war. 1826, during the Greek War of Independence, the French general and Philhellene Charles Nicolas Fabvier erected a castle on the ancient ruins and also had the ancient barrage repaired.
Nikias wall
In 424 BC, during the Peloponnesian War, the Athenian general Nikias erected a wall across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Methana and left some troops there to enforce an embargo, effectively cutting off the peninsula from the surrounding area. This Athenian punishment was a reaction to the decision of Methana to support the side of Sparta during the war. - The strong interest of Athens in this region is even reflected until today by the fact that the Methana peninsula and the wider area, although lying on the Peloponnese, are an administrative part of Attica.
The barrage has been repaired during the Roman period and in the Greek War of Independence.
Helladic settlement
On a hill of the isthmus a small settlement of 1810 sq.m. of the Early Helladic II period (2700 - 2200 BC) has been noted together with sherds and obsidian. During my visit in September 2024, however, I could find no traces of it. Perhaps the position just below the Theotoku chapel is not correct.