GREECE PELOPONNESE ELEIA LEPREO

The prehistoric acropolis

The acropolis of ancient Lepreo (also: Lepreon, Lepreum) is located on the lower slopes of Mount Minthe, north of the river Neda. With its strategic position, Lepreo controlled the North-South land routes between Eleia and Messinia, as well as the East-West routes between the Ionian Sea and Arcadia. Exploiting the natural resources of the area, and at the same time having access to the Aegean, a settlement developed in Lepreo already in the Neolithic period.

On Agios Dimitrios hill (on the southern side just next to the road from the coast to Figalia and Andritsaina), a number of architectural remains of the Early Helladic period (2500 - 2000 BC) have been excavated.

Classical Lepreo

The heyday of Lepreo came in Classical times when it was the leading force of the Triphylian cities in their struggle for independence from Eleia. But also the Messinians, the Lakonians, and the Arcadians tried to gain control of Lepreo. The importance of Lepreo in the 5th century BC is obvious from the fact that it was the only city of Triphylia that took part in the battle of Plataiai (479 BC), where the combined Greek armies decisively defeated the Persians. After a long period of prosperity, Lepreo had to surrender to king Philip V of Macedonia in 219 BC. In 196 BC, Lepreo entered the Achaean League, but with the Roman conquest in 146 BC its decline began.

The acropolis with architectural remains from the Classical and mostly the Hellenistic period lies a little North of modern Lepreo on a tree-covered hill.

The walls of the Classical city are quite impressive. They have a perimeter of some 800 m, in places still reaching a height of 4.5 m. Poros and limestone blocks were used for the walls and its towers.