GREECE PELOPONNESE MESSINIA VOIDOKOILIA

The Tomb of Thrasymedes

On the northern headland of Voidokoilia are the remains of a tholos tomb dating to the Late Helladic I-II period, itself placed within a Middle Helladic tumulus. Both tholos and tumulus were visible in historic times, assuming that Pausanias means Voidokoilia when he mentions a tomb "a little distance from Pylos ... said to belong to Thrasymedes" (Thrasymedes being a son of the mythic king Nestor). When the upper levels of this tholos were excavated, the remains of an entire bull were found, although the date of this impressive sacrifice could not be determined. - Below right: Voidokoilia beach seen from the tholos tomb.

Palaiokastro

High above the southern headland of Voidokoilia towers the castle Palaiokastro ("Old Castle"). It was built in 1278 by the Franks over ancient ruins, possibly going back to Mycenaean times. Most of the present remains are however Venetian. The area enclosed by the walls with battlements and towers is about 20.000 square meters. Today, access to the unmaintained and overgrown ruins is prohibited due to walls and underground cisterns imminent to collapse.

Nestor's Cave

From the bay of Voidokoilia, a quite manageable path leads up to the cave. According to mythology, Hermes here hid the cows he had taken from his brother Apollon. When Apollon found his cows, Hermes in order to soothe his brother gave him a lyre made from the shell of a sea turtle, which even today lays its eggs on the bay. - Later, Pausanias (4.36.2-3) wrote: "And there is a cave inside the city; they say that here the cattle of Nestor, and earlier those of Neleus, were stabled". - The impressive bat cave (length 20 m, height 12 m) has some colorful stalactites which are said to be the hide of Apollon's cattle mysteriously turned into stone.