GREECE PELOPONNESE MESSINIA THOURIA

One of the seven cities that Agamemnon promised to give to Achilles to soothe his rage (Homer's Iliad, 9.152) was "fair Aepeia". According to Strabo's "Geography" (8.4.5) this is identical with Classical Thuria (or Thouria), "situated on a lofty hill". It was obviously important enough, although itself not lying on the shore, to lend its name to the Thuriates Gulf.

Apparently there are no more traces of this settlement (at the time I did not know of the site denoted as "Mycenaean Acropolis" on the map, but what looks like a Mycenaean chamber tomb cemetery), but habitation of the area in the Mycenaean period is proved by the tholos tomb (often noted as chamber tomb, but see: Mycenaean burials) found there. It was built around 1500 BC. Its stomion (doorway) was covered by two flat stones, each 2.75 m long.

Today (as visited in 2011), the site is fenced and not accessible. It can only be viewed - poorly - from the street. It lies at the eastern end of modern Aipeia, about 2 km North of Thouria.